DOZENS of trains have been canceled this morning causing commuter chaos as two major rail companies warned of major delays.
Transport companies said the rail routes were off limits due to signaling problems, as they urged Britons not to travel.
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There was chaos in commuter traffic this morning as two major railway companies announced that trains had been cancelled
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Dozens of railway routes were banned
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Chaos has affected Southern and Thameslink routes today
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Thameslink had a live map showing which routes were affected
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Commuters queued for trains to Gatwick and Brighton at Clapham Junction in London this morningCredit: LNP
Southern and Thameslink, which provide services from the South East to London, took to social media to share the expected chaos.
Train services between London Paddington and Reading were also canceled for up to an hour due to the landslide.
Commuters shared their frustrations with the latest delays this morning.
One wrote on X, officially known as Twitter: “This is not what we want to read on a Monday morning.
“Traveling on Southern Rail is exhausting! There is never a smooth service.”
southern this morning he wrote: “Due to a major signaling failure on the entire southern network, trains will not be running until further notice.
“Do not travel any southern routes until further notice.”
Southern said services between Littlehampton and London Victoria will not run, services between Redhill and Tonbridge will not run, and services between Eastbourne and London Victoria will additionally stop at Three Bridges.
He published the same message Thameslink.
It added: “We are currently monitoring the situation and will provide updates as soon as possible.
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“If you are currently traveling, please listen to the announcements in the vehicle or at the station.
“If you are not yet traveling, please do not attempt to travel until further notice.”
Thameslink said services between Cambridge and Brighton will not operate and services between Bedford and Gatwick Airport via Redhill will also be affected.
It added that people can check the live map to see if their connection is affected.
The company said travelers should allow an extra 30 minutes for their journey if their route is affected by the chaos.
The slippage between London Paddington and Reading means trains running between those stations could be delayed by up to 60 minutes, canceled or revised.
National railway
A GTR spokesman said today: “At around 3am this morning there was a power outage in the UK affecting all track and signaling south of East Croydon to Lancing.
“The power came back very quickly but some of the signaling systems required a manual reset. This caused most of the signaling systems to fail and meant trains would not be able to run.
“The fault has largely been rectified and services are now able to operate on most routes, but some issues are still affecting services as a signaling issue has also prevented some of our early morning services from being able to leave depots where they are held overnight.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by your journey.”
National Railways said the landslide also caused major disruption this morning.
It said: “The landslide between London Paddington and Reading means trains running between these stations could be delayed by up to 60 minutes, canceled or revised.”
National Rail added: “There has been an issue with the condition of some trees on the side of the cutting between Twyford and Reading where an unstable area of surrounding ground has been observed.
“Because of its location, it is not a problem that can be easily solved. Until the problem is solved, two of the four lines running in the area will be out of service, and the remaining line capacity will not be able to carry the full advertised train service.”
Around noon, the company said the disruption would continue for the rest of the day.
Which lines does it affect?
Thameslink said services between Cambridge and Brighton will not run, as will services between Bedford and Gatwick Airport via Redhill.
Southern said services between Littlehampton and London Victoria would not run, as would services between Redhill and Tonbridge.
It added that services between Eastbourne and London Victoria will additionally land at Three Bridges.
It came after warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology that heavy downpours could cause flooding chaos today.
Forecasters have warned that heavy rain will hit south London, as far as Brighton and Canterbury.
They said the downpours were likely to lead to some flooding and widespread disruption.
It said: “There is a small likelihood that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.
“Where there is flooding, there is little likelihood of delays or cancellations of rail and bus services.
“Sprinkling and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
“There is a small likelihood that some communities will be cut off by flooded roads.”
Your rights to compensation for train delays
You may be able to get compensation for train journeys that are delayed or cancelled.
You’ll usually have to sign up because you won’t get it automatically.
Railroad companies have adopted “delay compensation,” a national program used to compensate for unexpected delays.
Passengers are entitled to compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more.
How much you get back depends on the length of the delay and the type of ticket you have.
The fee ranges from 25% of the ticket price to 100%. You will receive a full refund if your train is delayed by 120 minutes or more.
It doesn’t matter which train company you travel with – the scheme is national and all companies are part of it.
But how you claim a refund depends on each train operator and you will need to apply directly. You can usually do this online.
You will probably need a picture of your ticket and information about the train service you took.
You can find each train line and how to apply at: www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/find-a-train-company/
If your train is delayed or canceled and you decide not to travel, you can get a refund on the ticket where you bought it and there are no fees.
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The problem with the signaling is to blame, say the railway companies
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Southern has also released a map, revealing which routes are affected
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Dozens of passengers were waiting for news in Brighton this morning
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Source: HIS Education