SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) is urging people to reconsider their travel plans following major disruption on lines from London Waterloo this afternoon.
A track circuit failure in Surbiton, London, has severely limited SWR services, and it said it cannot accommodate the demand for travel.
It is unclear whether this includes all trains running on the line between London Waterloo and Reading.
A rail replacement bus service is running on affected routes, and the firm has asked people to avoid its network until further notice.
Network Rail Southern region managing director John Halsall said: “I’m so sorry for the major problems passengers are facing today and both Network Rail and South Western Railway are asking people not to travel on trains from Waterloo.
“This is an unusually complex problem and we’re working as hard as we can to resolve it, but even if we can fix it soon, the disruption is likely to continue for the rest of the day.”
SWR is also limiting the number of trains running to London Waterloo.
“As soon as we get things moving normally again we will, but until then please don’t travel,” Mr Halsall added.
SWR tickets are being accepted on certain Transport for London, Great Western Railway and Cross Country services.
It has advised people to check with National Rail or SWR for up to date travel information.
