Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Southern services from East Croydon face delays due to signalling faults and urgent track work, with full suspension to Gatwick set for July 13.
Overnight, there were delays and disruptions to the East Croydon to Brighton rail service, and the Gatwick Express was completely canceled.
Drivers had to be talked through the signals at Wivelsfield due to a signaling issue.
Trains between Purley and Gatwick Airport experienced delays due to a malfunctioning signal at Salfords, while trains between Redhill and East Croydon experienced delays due to another signal problem.
The interruption, which impacted trains between Brighton, Preston Park, Haywards Heath, and Three Bridges, was attributed to “a number of incidents” by Govia Thameslink, the company that runs Southern, Thameslink, and the Gatwick Express. Some services in Surrey were also impacted, and there were no services to or from Southampton.
The planned engineering work on Sunday, July 13, which would halt the line between East Croydon and Gatwick for “urgent track repair work,” coincides with this overnight disruption.
“All lines will be closed for the whole day on Sunday July 13,”
Southern says..
Passengers
“travelling between London and Gatwick Airport should use Southern trains between London Bridge and East Grinstead for frequent bus services between East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport”,
The operator advises.
Passengers
“travelling between London and the south coast, including Brighton, should use train services to/from East Grinstead, where replacement bus services will be running to/from Three Bridges for onward journeys”,
They add.
“This will take considerably longer than normal,”
They say.
Direct Southern trains will also run between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport, via an alternative route.
This alternative route will take considerably longer than the usual service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport, so please plan ahead and leave plenty of time to reach the airport.
“Replacement buses will also run between East Croydon and Redhill [and] Tattenham Corner, between Redhill and Tonbridge, and between Redhill and Gatwick Airport.
Journey times will be extended when using replacement buses. Buses will be limited, and queuing systems will be in place. You may not be able to board your chosen service, so please leave plenty of time for your journey.”
Either that, or just don’t bother. Or use the car.
There was a significant end paragraph to the page:
“Please note, journey planners are not yet up to date. Details of the train service will be live in journey planners in the coming weeks, and we will provide an accurate date as soon as possible.”
What alternative transportation options are available during service disruptions?
Alternative routes can be found by being familiar with the many bus, tram, or train lines that operate in a given location. These choices, which run on set schedules and routes and are effective during peak hours, include buses, trains, subways, and ferries. Each has advantages and disadvantages of its own.
A typical reaction to rail and metro interruptions, particularly line bottlenecks, is bus bridging. Dedicated rail replacement bus services are frequently used by railway services, which may use previous passenger count data to estimate the number of buses required.
The simplest and most basic mode is walking, which has advantages including increased fitness and affordability. It works very well for short distances.