Services between Woking and Brookwood were brought to a standstill on Thursday, disrupting South Western Railway routes and other operators across the south of England.
Commuters at London Waterloo faced widespread disruption on Thursday after a police incident closed railway lines between Woking and Brookwood. South Western Railway (SWR) initially warned of delays of up to 90 minutes, and later notices raised that to 120 minutes, with some trains cancelled or diverted. Police were at the scene, and power to the tracks around Woking was switched off during the emergency response. Major disruption was expected to continue until the end of services.
What is known about the incident
British Transport Police has not given an official account of what happened, according to the research notes. No cause, arrest, injury or fatality has been confirmed, and no reopening time had been given in the latest SWR notice. Unverified online discussion has suggested the incident involved a trespasser or a welfare concern. Neither has been confirmed by police, so neither should be treated as fact.
SWR said it was waiting for information from the emergency services before saying when the lines would reopen.
How the disruption developed
According to SWR and Trainline updates cited in the notes:
- 3.16pm: Trains were still running, at reduced speed, with delays of about 15 minutes.
- 3.28pm: The incident was recorded in the rail disruption system.
- 4.23pm: The 4.50pm Waterloo to Woking service was confirmed as diverted after Wimbledon, terminating at Effingham Junction. It skipped Esher, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, Byfleet and New Haw, West Byfleet and Woking.
- 5.49pm: A bulletin warned that delays could reach 120 minutes.
- About 6.50pm: Replacement buses were expected to start from Woking.
- 7.33pm: SWR confirmed next-day ticket validity and other arrangements.
Delays spread beyond trains passing through the affected section. The 7.05pm Waterloo to Weymouth/Poole left at 8.03pm, 58 minutes late, and the 7.23pm to Dorking left at 7.45pm, 22 minutes late. SWR listed the 7.20pm Waterloo to Yeovil Junction as altered, with stops removed.
Services affected
The disruption touched many routes. SWR identified services serving Aldershot, Alton, Basingstoke, Portsmouth Harbour, Southampton Central, Salisbury, Yeovil Junction, Bournemouth, Weymouth and Exeter St Davids. Shared with the operator’s list were:
- Great Western Railway: services between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids, and between Reading and Basingstoke
- Southern: services between London Victoria and Southampton, and between London Victoria and Portsmouth Harbour
- London Underground: the Jubilee line from Waterloo towards Westminster, with a change at Westminster for the District line to Victoria; the Victoria line between Vauxhall and Victoria; the Bakerloo line between Waterloo and Paddington; and the Northern line between Waterloo and Tottenham Court Road
Help for passengers
According to SWR’s 7.33pm update, tickets dated Thursday 22 October will also be valid on Friday 23 October. Passengers whose journeys were significantly disrupted may be able to claim back taxi costs between London Waterloo and Basingstoke or Guildford, and between Woking and Alton. Claims need a valid ticket and an itemised receipt, and must be made within 28 days.
Replacement buses were also arranged from Basingstoke and Southampton Central, expected before 7pm. SWR said road traffic was delaying some of them.
Other operators and local buses are accepting SWR tickets:
- CrossCountry between Basingstoke and Bournemouth
- Great Western Railway between Guildford and Reading
- Transport for London buses across Waterloo, Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, New Malden, Berrylands and Surbiton
- Stagecoach routes 1, 3, 4/5, 34 and 64, Falcon 461 (Chertsey to Kingston via Weybridge) and First Bus RailAir 2 (Guildford, Woking and Heathrow)
