Portsmouth railway line blocked: Southern says faulty train has been moved and services will start to resume
A train line in Portsmouth has been blocked - and has caused rail disruption across the region
Railway services heading on to Portsea Island have been disrupted after a train broke down and blocked the line.
At 4pm Southern Rail said: “The faulty train has now moved, and the line from Portsmouth to Havant has now reopened. Trains will be able to resume running from Portsmouth to Havant.”
Before then Southern warned that the fault on the train would see knock-on effects for services running between Havant and Portsmouth Harbour. It affected trains which run between London Victoria and Portsmouth Harbour, or Brighton and Portsmouth Harbour. Southern says that Bedhampton, Hilsea, Fratton, Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour stations had hardly any Southern trains running,
It has warned passengers earlier today: “If you're travelling now, you should listen to announcements and check station screens for the up-to-date information. The faulty train is currently blocking the line from Portsmouth towards Havant, meaning trains are currently unable to run along this line. If you're travelling through this area, you should allow an additional 20 minutes to complete your journey.”
Anyone travelling between Havant, Fratton and Portsmouth had to use an alternative route, as Southern services that usually run to Portsmouth were terminating and starting back from other stations along the route.
Southern added: “You may need to travel on a different train to normal, or change trains at an intermediate station to complete your journey.”
Southern said its tickets would be accepted on South Western Railway services between Portsmouth, Havant, and Southampton, as well as Great Western Railway services between Portsmouth and Southampton, and also on Stagecoach buses - the routes 21, 23, and 700.