Commuters across southern England faced major rail disruption today after a fault with a radio communications system caused chaos across multiple networks. Passengers were urged to avoid London Waterloo station if possible, as services on South Western Railway, Southern, Thameslink, CrossCountry, Gatwick Express and London Overground were all affected.
Lawrence Bowman, Managing Director of Network Rail Wessex Route and South Western Railway, apologised for the disruption, which was compounded by an unrelated signalling problem near Wandsworth Town. Service recovery was hindered, and trains running to and from Waterloo were cancelled, delayed or revised.
Sky News journalist Deborah Haynes praised a train conductor who gave a heartfelt apology to passengers after a 2.5-hour delay. The conductor told passengers: “We are so sorry for the disgraceful delay… It should not be like that. Write to your MPs!” He later lightened the mood with a joke about the word “smiles”.
Replacement buses were arranged between Guildford and Havant, but operators warned they were not running to a set timetable and journeys would take longer. South Western Railway later confirmed that trains were running normally after the signalling problem was resolved, and passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more may be entitled to compensation.
