A significant signalling failure at London Waterloo station has triggered major disruption across the South Western Railway (SWR) network, with 14 platforms currently out of action.
SWR has urged passengers not to travel on its services on Monday morning, stating on social media, warning of severe delays, cancellations, and train revisions.
The fault, reported around 5.30 am, has crippled one of the UK’s busiest transport hubs, with engineers working to restore operations.
“Due to a major signalling failure at London Waterloo, please do not travel on our services this morning,” the train operator said.
The fault affects the signalling equipment responsible for routing trains in and out of Waterloo, rendering platforms 1 to 14 unusable. As a result, the station is operating at critically reduced capacity, leading to system-wide disruption.
While engineers are on-site, SWR warns that only a limited number of services may resume later in the day, and even those are likely to face delays and last-minute alterations.
Passenger Advice and Ticket Flexibility
SWR has confirmed that Monday-dated tickets will be valid for travel on Tuesday, though taxi reimbursements will not be offered. Passengers are being advised to check for live updates before setting out.
To assist stranded commuters, alternative travel arrangements have been made. Tickets will be accepted at no extra charge on:
- London Buses
- Falcon Buses
- Stagecoach South
- Morebus
- London Underground
- Selected routes on CrossCountry, Southern, and Great Western Railway (GWR)
- Disruption is expected to last until at least 4 pm, with the impact felt across the entire SWR network.
- Context: SWR and c2c Now Under Public Ownership
The incident comes just weeks after South Western Railway became the first rail operator to be brought under public ownership by the new Labour government in May.
On Sunday, c2c, which operates services between London Fenchurch Street and South Essex, was also nationalised.
