Commuter hell as major signalling problem hits South Western Railway with passengers issued urgent ‘do not travel’ warning

Commuters have been plunged into rail chaos this morning after a ‘major’ signalling issue at London Waterloo wiped out an entire train network. 

An urgent ‘do not travel’ warning has been issued to South Western Railway (SWR) passengers until further notice as engineers scramble to fix the technical failure. 

This issue, which was first reported at around 5.30am, left 14 platforms at one of London’s busiest railway stations out of action. 

As a result of ‘very few trains’ being able to move in and out of the station, trains and crews were ‘already displaced’. 

The rail operator said that while they hoped to restore some services later on Monday, delays and cancellations should be expected. 

SWR warned customers not to travel on its services in a statement posted on social media.

It said: ‘Due to a major signalling failure at London Waterloo, please do not travel on our services this morning.

‘The failure of the equipment that routes trains in and out of the station means we cannot use platforms 1 to 14 at London Waterloo at this time, significantly limiting capacity.

Travel pandemonium has descended on commuters this morning amid a signalling failure at Waterloo station

An urgent ‘do not travel’ warning has been issued to passengers at London Waterloo until further notice as  trains have been unable to use 14 platforms at the station (File image of Waterloo station)

A map from South Western Railway displaying the several routes they operate

‘Engineers are on site attempting to restore the use of the 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 widespread cancellations have prompted passengers to vent their frustrations on social media.

One wrote on X: ‘What’s going on with [the] trains? Delays on Thursday, no trains on Saturday or today?

‘I am eight months pregnant and its making me really uneasy travelling to work in case i get stuck in London. I purchased a flexi season ticket and I have been unable to use all eight, can I get a refund?’ 

A second asked: ‘All trains cancelled but local buses still not accepting train tickets yet – how can I get a refund on the extra costs by RA2 bus?’ 

Confused and angry customers have taken to social media, still unsure whether they will make it to their destination today

A stranded commuter wrote: ‘Good morning, due to the unreliable service all weekend I stayed in London last night, and I need to get to Woking where I drove to. 

‘How is this possible? Is taxi claim back available?’

Another asked: ‘Are you running trains from Waterloo. Your announcements are misadvising customers. 

‘Advise boarding trains which are subsequently cancelled, do you not know what trains you can or cannot run?’

Passengers have been told that they will not be able to claim a taxi ride from SWR but will be allowed to use their Monday dated tickets on Tuesday. 

Customers tickets are being accepted by Great Western Railway on routes between Salisbury, Westbury, Weymouth and Reading. 

Tickets will also be permitted on Cross Country services travelling between Reading and Bournemouth, and Southern services between London Victoria, Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central.

Trains on the London Underground have not been impacted, with services operating without disruption.

SWR’s live train timetable shows a string of delays and cancellations, following several days of travel chaos with the platforms at London Waterloo. 

On Saturday, platforms 1 to 14 were out of service for several hours due to another signalling failure.

MailOnline has approached South Western Railway and National Rail for further comment.