18 September 2026 •
We are very sorry for the disruption our customers experienced yesterday on the c2c route.
What happened?
At approximately 04:00 on Thursday 17 September, we were alerted to a network-wide issue with the signalling system in the West Thurrock area. This severely restricted the number of trains we could operate.
Upon confirmation of the signalling failure, arrangements were made for c2c tickets to be accepted on Greater Anglia and TfL services and First Buses between Grays and Basildon. Rail replacement buses ran between Pitsea via Tilbury Town and Stanford-le-Hope in both directions.
Our GBR Anglia engineers were dispatched to the area and repaired the fault at approximately 15:00 on Thursday, however the fault caused knock-on delays and cancellations to our services, which continued into the evening.
Rob Mullen, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer for GBR Anglia, said: “I am really sorry to all our customers who were caught up in yesterday’s disruption.
“I appreciate this has been a hugely frustrating time for our customers, particularly as this part of our route has recently been affected by several infrastructure failures. I know how difficult it is when journeys are delayed or disrupted, and I am sorry for the additional pressure this has placed on customers trying to get to work, school, appointments and other important commitments.
“Our colleagues in our Upminster control centre manually signalled a small number of freight trains through the affected area during yesterday’s disruption, but this method was not suitable for a larger number of passenger services, where our priority was getting our engineers out on track to repair the signalling fault and restore a reliable service.
“We understand customers’ frustration. Train movements during disruption are carefully managed around safety, operational needs and the wider impact on the network.
“I am working closely with colleagues across GBR Anglia, particularly our engineers, to understand what happened yesterday and over recent weeks, and to develop a more robust plan for the Tilbury loop.”
Compensation for delays
If you have been delayed, you will be eligible for compensation for your journey. Find out more about the compensation we offer, and how to claim, here.
c2c smartcard users: You will receive automatic compensation provided you tapped your Smartcard at both the start and end of your journey. If you have not been able to do so, you will have to make a manual claim for your delay. This is because our system will not have full information about your journey and cannot calculate your automatic compensation. We recommend you check your online account to ensure our automatic payments do reflect your actual delay. If you feel they do not, you can use your online account to correct the automatic system or alternatively submit a manual claim.
Paper ticket holders, Oyster and contactless card users: Please fill out your details on this online delay repay form.
Contactless customers: Customers who travelled from a c2c station using pay as you with contactless ticketing can claim delay repay by providing the full details of their affected journey. You can access your journey history and statement from the Transport for London website by following these steps:
- Go to https://contactless.tfl.gov.uk/ and then click on 7 day contactless history tab
- When prompted enter your personal information (name, address and email) and details of the contactless card used for the delayed journey
- Once the payment card has been located, the site will display a list of all journeys and payments made within the last 7 days.
- At the bottom of the page there is a button where you can ‘download statement’
- This statement should be attached to your Delay Repay Claim: c2c Delay Repay | Claim Compensation on 15 Minute+ Delays