Commuters faced widespread disruption on the London Overground on Tuesday as services to and from Stratford were cancelled or delayed following a fault with a live electric rail.
An issue affecting the electric third rail, which supplies power to trains, caused signalling problems on the London Overground. Until the fault is resolved, trains are expected to be delayed or cancelled in both directions between Stratford and Willesden Junction, and between Stratford and Gospel Oak.
Stratford station is the busiest station on the London Underground network outside fare zone 1 and serves as a major interchange for commuters arriving from Essex and across the East of England. Passengers changing onto Underground and Overground services were advised to allow extra time for their journeys due to extended waiting times.
National Rail confirmed the cause of the disruption, saying: “There is an issue with the electric third rail in the Camden Road area. This is causing issues with the signalling equipment in the area, and has also resulted in a passenger train developing a fault. Until the issue is rectified, services running to / from Stratford may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the service.”
Passengers have been told that tickets will be accepted at no extra cost on London bus services via any reasonable route for the rest of the day, with several bus routes serving Stratford.
National Rail also reminded passengers that compensation may be available, stating: “You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.”
More than 189 million journeys are made on the London Overground each year. The network includes around 113 stations across six routes, serving major hubs such as Clapham Junction, Richmond and Hackney Central.
Electric third rail systems, including the one affected near Camden Road in north London, deliver power to trains via conductors placed alongside the track. When faults occur, trains are unable to draw the electricity required to operate. National Rail said such incidents are rare.
Network Rail explains that the conductor rail system is widely used because it is efficient and cost-effective. On its website, the organisation states: “The conductor rail system is a very simple but capable system supporting the requirements of the train service… Electrification is a way of decarbonising the railway service. This is done by replacing diesel trains with electric trains.”
Passengers are advised to check live travel updates and allow additional time while engineers work to resolve the fault.
