News · 10 August 2026

Lineside fire disrupts London to Sussex coast train services

Disruption is affecting train services connecting London, Sussex, and Surrey due to extensive damage to signalling equipment caused by a lineside fire. Southern Railways reported that the fire occurred on Sunday evening, in the area separating Gatwick Airport in West Sussex and Purley in south London. Although all lines were operational again by Monday afternoon, delays are forecast to persist beyond 17:00 BST.

By BriefTea Editorial · 10 August 2026 at 19:39

Reported by BBC · How we write briefs

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What is BST? What is lineside equipment? Who owns the railways? Why are delays so long?

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