Major Rail Disruption Across South-East England
The UK's largest railway franchise has issued an urgent 'do not travel' alert following multiple significant incidents that have severely disrupted services across south-east England. Passengers are being strongly advised to avoid rail travel if at all possible on Wednesday morning due to the compounding problems.
Multiple Incidents Cause Widespread Chaos
Train operators Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express – all part of the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise – have confirmed two major issues affecting their network. The most serious incident involves a train derailment inside a depot at Selhurst in south-east London, while a separate signalling fault between London Blackfriars and Norwood Junction has further compounded the disruption.
National Rail Enquiries has confirmed that the signalling fault means fewer rail lines are available between Norwood Junction and London Blackfriars, with trains on the available lines required to travel at significantly reduced speeds compared to normal operations.
Severe Service Suspensions and Alterations
The combined incidents have resulted in widespread service suspensions and major alterations across the network. Services are currently suspended on several key routes including:
- London Bridge and East Grinstead
- Orpington and Luton
- Brighton and Cambridge
- Bedford and Three Bridges
Additionally, multiple services are operating on severely reduced routes. Trains that usually run between Welwyn Garden City and Sevenoaks are now only operating between London Blackfriars and Sevenoaks, while services between Rainham and Luton are only running between Rainham and Dartford.
Trains that normally operate between Horsham and Peterborough, or Brighton and Bedford, may be diverted via Selhurst instead of Norwood Junction as operators attempt to maintain some service continuity.
Operator Advice and Passenger Impact
Southern has issued specific guidance to affected passengers, stating: "If you are travelling on our network today, your journey may be delayed and you may need to use an alternative route to reach your destination. If you can, please delay your journey until later today."
The operator is recommending that passengers check their specific train service before travelling and allow an additional 60 minutes for any journeys that cannot be postponed. The scale of disruption means that even services that are running face significant delays and potential last-minute alterations.
Context of Nationalisation and Franchise Significance
This major disruption affects what remains the UK's largest railway franchise in terms of passengers carried. GTR, which also includes operator Great Northern, accounts for approximately 18% of all train trips in the UK, according to company figures, making this disruption particularly widespread in its impact.
The incident comes at a significant time for Britain's rail industry, with most major rail operators now back in public hands as part of the government's nationalisation process. West Midlands Trains became the latest operator to be nationalised just last weekend, and GTR is expected to be the next operator nationalised in May, adding further context to the current operational challenges.
The combination of a depot derailment and critical signalling fault represents one of the most significant disruptions to hit the south-east England rail network in recent months, with operators warning that normal service may take considerable time to restore.
