Waterloo station: All lines out of London station shut after “emergency incident”
All lines out of London Waterloo were closed due to an “emergency incident” causing chaos for commuters.
All lines out of London Waterloo station were shut after an “emergency incident”, with Friday-night commuters facing long delays. South Western Railway said an incident between Woking and Wimbledon caused the disruption.
Bakerloo line trains are also not stopping at Waterloo station to prevent overcrowding on the platforms, according to Transport for London (TfL), as emergency services attended the scene - and power was cut to train lines.
The main building at the busy London station was closed to travellers, with queues building up outside. Meanwhile, Network Rail Wessex said electricity that powers the trains had to be turned off following the incident which closed the lines.
“Due to emergency services dealing with this incident, we have had to turn off the electricity that powers the trains. This means that no trains can run through the area,” the firm said on social media.
Losing power meant trains could not run on lines in the area, with SWR soon announcing they had re-opened, disruption was set to last until the end of the operating day.
National Rail said: “The emergency services have completed their work between Wimbledon and Effingham Junction/Hampton Court/Woking. This has allowed all lines between these stations to re-open. Trains running between these stations may continue to be cancelled, severely delayed by up to 100 minutes or revised.”
Stops between Wimbledon, Woking, Effingham Junction and Hampton Court are affected by the delays and passengers were being prevented from accessing Waterloo Station.
Tickets on affected SWR services are being accepted on alternative bus routes and Great Western Railway services between Basingstoke and Reading in both directions, travel firms said. They will also be accepted on Great Western Railway services between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids in both directions.
TfL is also accepting tickets on London Buses, with a spokesperson saying: “Jubilee Line and Northern Line trains continue to stop as normal.”