Posted 19th November 2018 | 1 Comment

Series of failures disrupts Thameslink and SWR

Updated 13.27

TRAIN services to major stations in London have been badly disrupted by a series of problems today, which included overrunning engineering work as well as equipment failures.

The main termini affected included Victoria and Waterloo, but some other stations were closed for a time, including Woking.

Late-running engineering work on the Brighton line meant that lines were closed on the approaches to Victoria, but a track circuit failure then continued to cause more disruption.

Matters were made worse by a freight train blocking the down line near Haydons Road. This train was unable to continue on to the South Western Main Line because of separate overrunning engineering work near Surbiton. Attempts were being made to move the train, but then another track circuit failed at Wimbledon.

By midday the timetables were starting to recover, but some services on the South Western route were still running more than half an hour behind time. Services on Thameslink and others on the Brighton line were much closer to normal by lunchtime, although a few services were still delayed or cancelled.

Network Rail said: ‘We are very sorry for delays this morning following overrunning engineering works and a signalling problem in the Victoria and Battersea Park area.

‘At the same time, South Western Railway services were also disrupted owing to overrunning engineering work near Surbiton. This meant that Thameslink and Southern services from Wimbledon and Clapham were unusually busy. We apologise for the disruption to people’s journeys.’

Reader Comments:

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  • Jeremy Milton, Manchester

    Network Rail is utterly inept.