Delays caused by misuse of alarms

Wrongful use of emergency alarms, still popularly described as pulling the communication chord, caused nine cancellations and more than 30 hours of service delays on South Western Railway services between last December and May.

There were 176 incidents where trains were brought to a standstill while the guard walked through the coaches to investigate an incident. This also often leads to disruption to following services, which are trapped behind them.

Some of the worst examples were:

A passenger just feeling anxious.

Forgotten luggage left on a platform.

Dropping a mobile phone out of a window.

Concern about an unattended bag.

All of these delays could have been avoided by speaking to a guard, leaving at the next station to get help, or contacting British Transport Police on 61016 or SWR on Twitter.

SWT warns offenders that the penalty for intentionally activating an alarm incorrectly is £1,000.