Major Signalling Failure at London Waterloo – Passengers Urged Not to Travel

A major signalling failure at London Waterloo has caused severe disruption across the South Western Railway network this morning, with passengers being urged not to travel.

The fault, which hit in the early hours, has knocked out the equipment responsible for routing trains in and out of the UK’s busiest railway station. As a result, Platforms 1 to 14 at London Waterloo are currently out of use, slashing the station’s capacity and bringing much of the network to a standstill.

“Please do not attempt to travel with us this morning,” South Western Railway said in a statement issued at 6:30am. “We are unable to run the vast majority of our services into and out of London Waterloo due to this major issue.”

Engineers from Network Rail are currently on site attempting to fix the fault, but the disruption is expected to continue throughout the day. Even once partial services are restored, trains are likely to face delays, short-notice cancellations, and alterations well into the afternoon and evening.

Knock-on Effects

The problem has also led to widespread crew and train displacement, with units and staff stranded across the region. Services through key commuter routes such as Surbiton, Woking, Basingstoke, and Guildford are among those worst hit.

Advice for Travellers

• Do not attempt to travel on South Western Railway services this morning.
• If your journey is essential, please seek alternative routes or delay your travel until further notice.
• South Western Railway is advising passengers to check its website, app, and social media channels regularly for the latest updates.

South Western Railway (SWR) has confirmed that all unused tickets valid for travel today (21 July 2025) will be honoured tomorrow (22 July 2025).

Apology from the Operators

Both South Western Railway and Network Rail have apologised for the disruption, saying they are working urgently to resolve the situation.

“We are very sorry for the disruption to journeys this morning,” a joint statement read. “Our engineers are working hard to restore the use of the affected platforms as quickly as possible.”

There is currently no estimated time for a full return to normal service.