Storm Ciarán is expected to cause significant disruption to rail services across the south of England on Thursday, with a risk of disruption tonight and in the morning on Friday.
Customers are therefore advised not to attempt to travel on train services to, from or around the South Coast on Thursday 2 November. Where people can, they should work from home.
There is a strong risk of fallen trees and other debris and objects being blown onto the tracks, with major disruption to services expected as a result.
Where lines are closed due to the storm, it is unlikely that staff will be able to provide replacement transport and road conditions are expected to be very poor as well.
As detailed below, there will be a significantly reduced service between Brighton and London on Thursday, and customers are advised not to attempt to travel by train from Brighton towards London on Thursday morning.
Network Rail will also be applying speed restrictions from tonight and throughout Thursday of 40mph and 50mph for all trains on coastal routes, and between the coast and Three Bridges. This is expected to cause delays of around 30 minutes to journeys.
Planned changes to the train service this Thursday:
- Some of the first, early morning services will not run whilst staff check routes are clear of any obstructions.
- Throughout the day Thameslink will run fewer trains between Three Bridges and Brighton.
- Gatwick Express services will only run between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport, reducing the service between Gatwick and Brighton.
- Southern will run fewer services between Ore and Hastings, as trains to / from London will only run between London Victoria and Hastings.
- There will be no direct Southern trains between London Victoria and Southampton or Portsmouth as these trains will only run between London and Bognor Regis. Trains between Brighton and Southampton or Portsmouth will run, but are expected to be significantly delayed during their journey and trains may terminate short of their end destination if disruption is severe.
If customers choose not to make a journey and have already purchased a single or return ticket (including Advance tickets) for Thursday, they can apply for a full refund from their retailer, without being charged any administration fees.
They will also be able to use tickets for Thursday to travel today or on Friday instead.
Customers can find the latest travel advice and disruption information on Southern's website at: www.southernrailway.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/service-updates