A signal fault between London Waterloo and Vauxhall is causing severe disruption to rush-hour rail journeys in the capital on Wednesday morning.
Trains running between these stations risk being cancelled, delayed by up to 45 minutes, or revised, according to National Rail. Disruption is expected to last until 1pm.
Affected Routes and Services
South Western Railway services are affected, with routes to and from Portsmouth Harbour, Weymouth, Exeter St Davids, Alton, and Basingstoke all impacted. The fault is also causing delays on routes to and from Guildford, Woking, Chessington South, Dorking, and Hampton Court.
Passengers should also expect platform changes when arriving into London Waterloo, while services to the station will not call at Queenstown Road in Battersea. Those travelling to Queenstown Road are advised to change at London Waterloo for a train towards Clapham Junction.
Disruption Timeline and Advice
Disruption was initially set to clear by 10am on Wednesday morning, but South Western Railway confirmed in an update that disruption would go on until 1pm. National Rail has said that passengers will be able to travel on alternative services provided by TfL.
The fault has left many passengers across London and the south-east facing severe delays on their commute into the capital. One passenger wrote on social media: “Another wonderful commute from Surbiton this morning. Delays and cancellations.”
Wider Network Impact
Separately, as of 8:15am, there were multiple delays on the TfL network. Due to planned closures, the Piccadilly line was shut between Cockfosters and Uxbridge due to engineering works, though trains continue to operate between Acton Town and Heathrow.
Meanwhile, there were minor delays on the Central, District, and Victoria lines. Just days ago, thousands of commuters were left stranded at London Waterloo after huge rail disruption. South Western Railway told customers that they could claim free taxis to get home as far as Exeter. Photos posted on social media showed crowds of passengers caught up in the rail chaos following an incident at Woking.
