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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| London Waterloo: Rail passengers urged to avoid station | London Waterloo: Rail passengers urged to avoid station |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Fourteen out of 24 platforms are closed | Fourteen out of 24 platforms are closed |
| Rail passengers have been urged to avoid London Waterloo after major signalling problems, with disruption expected until the end of the day. | Rail passengers have been urged to avoid London Waterloo after major signalling problems, with disruption expected until the end of the day. |
| South Western Railway (SWR) has issued the warning for customers attempting to travel to and from the station, which is the busiest in Britain. | South Western Railway (SWR) has issued the warning for customers attempting to travel to and from the station, which is the busiest in Britain. |
| A significantly reduced service is operating on a very limited number of lines. | A significantly reduced service is operating on a very limited number of lines. |
| Fourteen out of its 24 platforms are currently closed, the rail firm said. | Fourteen out of its 24 platforms are currently closed, the rail firm said. |
| Two services per hour are running between Reading and London, while other stations including Queenstown Road and Hampton Court have no service at all. | Two services per hour are running between Reading and London, while other stations including Queenstown Road and Hampton Court have no service at all. |
| Demand has outstripped supply at the rail information desk all morning, overrun by customers unable to travel as fresh cancellations have been announced. | Demand has outstripped supply at the rail information desk all morning, overrun by customers unable to travel as fresh cancellations have been announced. |
| The number of people arriving with suitcases suggests most remain unaware of the disruption. | The number of people arriving with suitcases suggests most remain unaware of the disruption. |
| Waterloo station was the busiest in Britain last year | Waterloo station was the busiest in Britain last year |
| Network Rail, which is responsible for signalling, confirmed there had been a "major power failure" to equipment. | Network Rail, which is responsible for signalling, confirmed there had been a "major power failure" to equipment. |
| They have identified the problem as a fault in the cabling that powers the signals controlling the Waterloo area. | |
| It tweeted: "Our team is on site tracing the fault, which occurred before 04:00, but even if it is fixed soon disruption is likely across the network for some time." | It tweeted: "Our team is on site tracing the fault, which occurred before 04:00, but even if it is fixed soon disruption is likely across the network for some time." |
| Emma, from Southampton, told the BBC she was planning a day trip to London to visit the Science and Natural History museums with her young daughter but, "everything has been cancelled and we can only get to London if we were willing to do a three hour detour." | Emma, from Southampton, told the BBC she was planning a day trip to London to visit the Science and Natural History museums with her young daughter but, "everything has been cancelled and we can only get to London if we were willing to do a three hour detour." |
| The trip had already been postponed once as a result of train strikes. | The trip had already been postponed once as a result of train strikes. |
| Martin Benko says he will have to get an alternative train and taxi to reach his workplace | |
| Commuters are also facing difficulty getting to work. Martin Benko said: "I have a presentation in two hours," and the signal failure at Waterloo would add "two to three hours minimum" to his journey. | Commuters are also facing difficulty getting to work. Martin Benko said: "I have a presentation in two hours," and the signal failure at Waterloo would add "two to three hours minimum" to his journey. |
| Others have decided to give up on their journeys after realising there are no suitable alternative routes. | |
| Gareth Dutton says he was meant to travel to Southampton for a gig but, given he had to be there for a certain time, he decided to "turn around and go home". | |
| Another commuter, Anna Henderson, said she has had to call her boss to "tell him I'm not going to make it in", as she is unable to get to Wimbledon for work. | |
| Customers are being urged to find alternative travel routes | Customers are being urged to find alternative travel routes |
| Peter Williams, SWR's customer and commercial director, said: "We are very sorry for the disruption this morning. | Peter Williams, SWR's customer and commercial director, said: "We are very sorry for the disruption this morning. |
| "Due to a major signalling problem, which is still under investigation, we are advising customers not to attempt to travel to or from London Waterloo this morning. | "Due to a major signalling problem, which is still under investigation, we are advising customers not to attempt to travel to or from London Waterloo this morning. |
| Disruption is expected until the end of the day | Disruption is expected until the end of the day |
| "While the problem is in the Waterloo area we do expect the wider network to be affected as trains and their crews will be displaced." | "While the problem is in the Waterloo area we do expect the wider network to be affected as trains and their crews will be displaced." |
| London Waterloo is the busiest railway station in Britain with 41.4 million passengers travelling through every year. | London Waterloo is the busiest railway station in Britain with 41.4 million passengers travelling through every year. |
| Have you had your journey disrupted? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Have you had your journey disrupted? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: |
| WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803 | WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803 |
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| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| South Western Railway | South Western Railway |
| Rail travel | Rail travel |
| Waterloo | Waterloo |
| London | London |
| Waterloo station | Waterloo station |