"Do not travel" warning issued at London Waterloo as "major failure" causes Portsmouth services to suffer
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Passengers have been warned not to travel to London Waterloo this morning due to a major infrastructure failure.
South Western Railway (SWR) reports there is an extensive signalling issue at the capital city station. The public have been advised not to get on services to the station from Portsmouth and elsewhere.
Trains are expected to be cancelled, delayed or revised, SWR said, with disruption lasting all day. SWR added: “Due to a major signalling failure at London Waterloo, please to not travel on our services this morning.
“The failure of equipment that routes trains in and out of the station means we cannot use Platforms 1 and 14 at London Waterloo at this time, significantly limiting capacity. Engineers on site are attempting to restore the use of platforms , but with very few trains able to move in and out of London Waterloo, and trains and crew already displaced, services across the network are severely disrupted.
“While we are hoping to restore some services later in the day, these are still likely to be subject to delays and alterations. Customers should please check back for updates. We are very sorry for the disruption to journeys this morning.”
The company added that platform changes are very likely, so passengers should regularly check their journey planners before boarding trains. People travelling from Portsmouth will have their tickets accepted on Southern Rail trains to London Victoria, and various on various bus services.
“For further information or onward travel advice please speak to a member of staff or use a station help point,” SWR said. “We are very sorry for any delay that this may cause to your journey.”
Network Rail added: “A fault with the signalling system at London Waterloo means some lines are blocked. As a result, trains running to and from the station may be delayed by up to 60 minutes or cancelled. Major disruption is expected until the end of the day. Due to the level of disruption any unused tickets valid for today 21 July will be valid for travel tomorrow 22 July.”
Live update can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this article.