Passengers warned not to travel on London train network

South Western Railway warned customers not to travel on its network on Monday, 21 July, following massive disruptions to its services.

In an update on its website, the operator said that due to a signalling failure at London Waterloo station, train services running across the whole South Western Railway network will be cancelled, delayed, or revised.

This disruption is expected to continue until at least 10:30am on Monday, 21 July.

“We have been informed of a signalling problem at London Waterloo, South Western Railway said on its website.

“This means that trains are currently unable to use platforms 1 to 14.
We are advising passengers not to travel until further notice.”

“Services in and out of London Waterloo will be subject to cancellations, platform changes, and major service alteration,” it added.

Ticketholder can avail themselves of several alternate transport routes at no charge due to the disruption, including a range of bus and London Underground services.

For more information and live service updates, check the South Western Railway website.

First months of public ownership

South Western Railway was recently nationalised, entering public ownership in May this year.

The operator was among the first to transfer to public ownership under the Passenger Railways Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, a landmark piece of legislation which was passed by parliament in November.

As of Sunday 25 May, South Western Railway’s operations have been run by the new public sector operator South Western Railway Limited. This is a subsidiary of DfT Operator Limited, which will eventually transfer into Great British Railways (GBR) once established.

By renationalising railway services, the government aimed to facilitate the enhanced service quality and streamline operations on the UK’s rail networks, while also improving cost efficiency.

It is also hoped that through the reintroduction of public ownership, profits could be reinvested into the system to help modernise infrastructure, upgrade facilities, and maintain safety standards.

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