Rail travel warning lifted in South-east England yet services face continued disruption
Passengers on key rail routes in south-east England are experiencing significant delays and cancellations this Wednesday, following a train derailment and a signalling fault that prompted operators to issue a temporary “do not travel” alert, as detailed by The Guardian.
The alert was imposed by the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise, covering Southern, Thameslink, and Gatwick Express services, at 8am but was withdrawn by 10am. Travellers are still being warned that services could be cancelled, revised, or delayed by up to an hour across these networks.
The disruption is due to a train derailment inside a depot at Selhurst in south-east London and a signalling fault between London Blackfriars and Norwood Junction. Network Rail confirmed the derailed Southern train remained upright with no injuries reported, but the incident prevented other trains from leaving the depot.
National Rail stated the signalling fault means fewer lines are available between Norwood Junction and London Blackfriars, with trains required to run at slower speeds than normal. This has led to the suspension of services on routes between London Bridge and East Grinstead; Orpington and Luton; Brighton and Cambridge; and Bedford and Three Bridges, with several other Thameslink routes also disrupted.
A GTR spokesperson apologised for the disruption, confirming that teams are working with Network Rail to resolve the issues and advising customers to check the company’s website and social media for the latest travel information.
GTR, which also includes Great Northern, is the UK’s largest railway franchise in terms of passengers carried, accounting for about 18% of train trips in the country. The franchise is expected to be nationalised in May as part of the government’s process to bring rail operators under public control.
Other Network Disruptions
Elsewhere on the rail network, a fault with the signalling system between Crewe and Sandbach means trains must run at a reduced speed on all lines, disrupting services between Crewe and Wilmslow and affecting Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern, and Transport for Wales operators.
A separate signalling problem is also affecting South Western Railway services between Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour.
