Person hit by a train in East Sussex - 'All lines blocked'

“Southern Rail has reported at 3.45pm today (January 8) that all lines between Lewes and Eastbourne have been blocked.

In a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), a spokesperson for Southern Rail posted: “It is with great sadness that we report a person has been hit by a train between Lewes and Eastbourne.

All lines are blocked between these stations whilst the emergency services work to deal with this incident.

“Services between Lewes and Eastbourne are likely to be cancelled or terminated before they get to the affected area.

“No trains will serve Glynde, Berwick or Polegate until further notice.

"Some stations between Lewes and Eastbourne won't have an alternative public transport option. We'll do our best to provide alternative road transport, but there may be a long wait.

“Please speak to station staff, where available. If there are no staff, you can use the green Emergency button on the station Help Point instead, or send us a DM.

"Services that run to/from Brighton to Eastbourne and services to/from London Victoria to Eastbourne are likely to be cancelled or terminated before they get to the affected area.”

"No trains between Haywards Heath and Lewes, or between Lewes and Eastbourne.

“This means the following stations will not be served:

- Plumpton

- Cooksbridge

- Glynde

- Berwick

- Polegate

"Limited local stopping services will operate between Eastbourne and Hastings, and as far as Ashford International.

“Some services on this part of the network may have delays of up to 20 minutes, and may call at fewer stations or only travel across parts of their normal routes.

“Please check before you travel and allow extra time to complete your journey.”

Meanwhile, the A259 at Pevensey railway crossing has seen delays in both directions due to an ‘incident’. According to reports on social media, the high street is currently closed as police attend the scene at Polegate railway station.

If you are affected by any issues raised in this story, contact The Samaritans for confidential support on 116 123.