Heatwave London: the heaven ... and the hell

City basks in sun but rail commuters face meltdown over track speed limits

LONDON’S transport network was struggling to cope in the heatwave today, with the UK’s busiest station suffering major disruption.

Temperatures peaked yesterday at 30.1C (86.2F) in Hampton and forecasters said the hot spell would continue through the week.

But commuters at Waterloo mainline station, which is used by more than 300,000 passengers a day, were suffering major problems. Many morning peak services were cancelled, delayed or revised for a variety of reasons, which meant train stock was out of place.

South Western Railway then warned of more disruption throughout the day — this time caused by speed limits imposed due to soaring temperatures threatening to buckle the tracks.

South Western said the limits, down to just 20 mph, would be in place from 11am each day between Waterloo and New Malden for the rest of the week. This will have a knock-on effect on other services and routes. Slower trains exert lower forces on the track, reducing the likelihood of buckling.

At Govia Thameslink Railway, which has been suffering ongoing disruption due to problems with new train timetables, staff were told in a company document how to deal with angr y and abusive customers.

The document, leaked by the RMT union, warns workers that “the likelihood of encountering unhappy customers is higher than normal … if you come across customers who want to vent their frustration... always keep a safe distance... use positive body language in the form of open palms and understanding facial expressions.

“If you feel intimidated or feel the situation is escalating move to a place of safety.”

Temperatures in London later this week were predicted to reach at least 29C, hotter than Athens, Rio de Janeiro and Dallas. Train operators advised passengers to carry water with them and not to travel if they feel unwell.

The Met Office’s heat-health alert is at level two, meaning social and healthcare services are at the ready to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.

Network Rail stood ready to issue more speed limits across southern England today. South Western said these “will vary between 20mph and 40 mph… this will cause trains heading away from Waterloo to lose up to 10 minutes before reaching New Malden.

“Furthermore, as trains will take longer to pass through these sections, signals will be at red for longer. Drivers are not permitted to pass red signals and therefore please do not be alarmed if your train stops while not at a station.” Problems yesterday affecting all lines to and from Waterloo included:

⬤ A person struck by a train between Basingstoke and Eastleigh, which blocked the line for about two hours.

⬤ A trespasser between Wandsworth Town and Clapham Junction.

⬤ Electrical track circuit failures between Haslemere and Milford.

⬤ A points failure at Winchfield.