ALL lines have now reopened following overrunning engineering works between Lewes and Seaford / Eastbourne.

Southern Rail say they are now "in the process of reinstating a normal service to Lewes, Seaford and Eastbourne and are working to reinstate a full service in time for the evening peak".

They say that due to the large scale of the disruption, trains and crews have become displaced and it will take some time to phase services back into operation.

"Therefore, delays, short notice alterations, and cancellations will still be in effect. A normal service is expected by 5pm."

Rail Replacement Buses are no longer operating to a timetable but are still in circulation and on stand by to help with service recovery.

Southern Rail said: "Engineering work was carried out overnight in the area, involving around 150 metres of track outside of Lewes.

"Prior to handing back the track to operators, the supervisor reported an issue with the track which has caused today's disruption.

"This involves the alignment of the track which requires tampering, and the heavy machinery required to do this is on site.

"The work begun at 9am and was completed and reopened at approximately 11.40am after considerable amount of work.

"Most planned engineering work by Network Rail happens overnight, at weekends and on bank holidays, as this minimises disruption to passengers whilst also keeping engineers safe.

"Sometimes bad weather, machinery failure or unexpected complications can cause works to overrun.

"When an issue does occur, Southern work closely with Network Rail to quickly assess the situation and to complete remaining repair works, so train services can be restored as quickly as possible.

"Southern thank you for your patience during this time and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to your journey today."

Angry commuters have voiced their frustration at the delays on Twitter.

Sarah Putland told Southern Rail: "This is beyond ridiculous."

Another angry passenger posted: "Bravo yet again to @networkrail for not being able to organise and manage anything properly."