MAJOR railway disruptions are expected amid ongoing weather warnings.

Network Rail have announced disruptions are expected tonight (October 20) and tomorrow morning (October 21) across Sussex, London, Kent and Surrey.

The disruption will affect trains from Southern, Southeastern and Thameslink.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for heavy rainfall.

Areas which were expected to be hit hardest included Brighton, Hastings, Eastbourne, Worthing, Uckfield, Arundel and Chichester.

As a result of the weather, a 40mph speed limit has been put on certain railway routes.

These include from Croydon to East Grinstead/Uckfield and Dorking to Horsham/Reigate.

The speed restrictions are expected to begin at 6pm on Wednesday and finish at 3am on Thursday.

In a statement, Network Rail said: “Vulnerable earthworks on certain lines are already saturated after last night's heavy rain, and with this storm on the way - and a yellow weather warning - we have to protect trains from the prospect of landslips or washouts.

“This kind of washout can occur when heavy rain falls on saturated soil and we can't run the risk of trains ploughing into the debris at full speed.

“We're taking a careful approach and only putting the limits in place on routes where earthworks are at risk.”

The yellow weather warning came into play at around 4pm today and will last until 3am on Thursday.

It is also expected that a yellow warning will be issued for around a similar time on Thursday.

Network Rail added: “Although our metro areas are not affected there is still a chance of disruption, as longer distance services will be running late. Please do allow extra time for your journeys tonight and tomorrow morning and take care when travelling to and from stations.

“We don't take these steps lightly, however we have to keep safety at the forefront of our planning. We will get people home and trains will run, but there will be delays.”

The Met Office said the rain may be accompanied by coastal gales and thunder.