SWR derailment means no trains between Surrey and London Waterloo – live travel updates

SWR says tickets purchased for travel today (Monday, March 4) will be valid on South Western Railway services tomorrow (Tuesday, March 5)

SWR has tonight again urged passengers to check before they travel on Tuesday:

Network Rail and SWR are working hard to rerail and recover the stranded train, before Network Rail’s engineering teams can complete extensive repairs to the damaged tracks.

These complex works are expected to be completed in time for the start of service on Tuesday 5 March.

However, there is some risk they will not be completed in time, so customers intending to travel through Woking station on Tuesday 5 March are urged to check before they travel.

It is hoped the derailed train will be towed from the area and the railway repaired in time for the early services to run on Tuesday morning (March 5). The timeline for this has been described as “uncertain” by South Western Railway but tracks between Surbiton and Woking will remain closed for the rest of Monday, according to the operator.

It is thought there will be an update in relation to Tuesday services before the morning rush hour. SurreyLive will provide updates on this when we can.

Chief Operations Officer at South Western Railway, Stuart Meek, has praised the driver of the derailed train for their quick actions that brought the train to a safe stop. He also highlighted the calm manner in which staff were able to guide customers to safety. Mr Meek said:

Incidents such as these are thankfully rare and we are grateful nobody was hurt, in part due to the quick actions of our driver in bringing the train to a safe stop and the calm and professional way my SWR colleagues guided our customers to safety.

Engineers will need to carry out repairs on the line after the train has been lifted back onto the track and towed away. Network Rail said these repairs will include the replacement of 60 metres of the third rail – the electrified 750V rail that powers trains as well as 160 ceramic insulator pots that keep the third rail off the ground.

Damaged signalling cables and high-voltage power cables will also need to be replaced or repaired. Network Rail added in a statement:

Once again, we’re very sorry for the disruption our customers are experiencing today. We’re working very closely with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to understand exactly what happened so we can learn from it and prevent this from happening again.

Network Rail said it is working to get the railway back up and running for Tuesday morning (March 5). A ‘re-railing’ team is at the site and may use hydraulic jacks and airbags to lift the train and reposition it so it can be towed away. A spokesperson commented:

It might not look like a big job, but first we’ve got to get the train’s front wheels back on the rails. Our ‘rerailing’ team is on site now deciding on the best way to do that.

They continued:

They’ll likely use hydraulic jacks and even airbags inflated underneath to lift the stricken train, before carefully positioning it back onto the running rails, before it’s towed away by another train.

Network Rail said in an update it has a ‘re-railing’ team at the site and is working to get the train back on the rails. Once the train is back on the rails it will be towed away by another train.

Passengers have been urged to not attempt to travel on services that pass through Woking as investigations into the derailment of a train on Monday morning continue. National Rail said:

Services either side of Woking are also likely to be disrupted due to trains and their crews being displaced. Disruption is expected to last until the end of service.

If you intend to travel on the rest of our network today, please check before you travel.

South Western Railway is working with Network Rail and other authorities to investigate the cause of the train derailment early on Monday morning (March 4) and to assess damage to the tracks. All four tracks between Woking and Surbiton have been closed until further notice. A SWR spokesperson said in an update:

Unfortunately at around 5:50am one of our trains struck an object in the Walton-on-Thames area and the front wheels of the train have come off the rails. No one was injured and all customers were safely escorted from the train.

We are now working closely with Network Rail and relevant authorities to investigate the causes of the incident and the extent of any damage to the tracks.

They added:

As a result, all four tracks between Woking and Surbiton are closed until further notice, affecting all trains due to run through Woking Station, such as services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth.

Please do not attempt to travel on services that run through Woking today.

A train derailed after hitting an object in the Walton-on-Thames area on Monday morning (March 4), Network Rail confirmed. An investigation is underway that found the front wheels of a carriage came off the track after the incident.

A spokesperson said no injuries were reported and that all passengers were safely escorted from the train. They added:

We’re really sorry for the disruption South Western Railway customers are facing today. Early this morning a train struck an object in the Walton-on-Thames area. While no one was injured and all passengers were safely escorted from the train, the lines are blocked while we investigate.

South Western Railway has confirmed buses in London and the Woking area will accept tickets from cancelled and disrupted journeys. These have been listed below.

London

• TfL buses to cover all reasonable routes.

Woking area

• Falcon Buses 515 Byfleet and New Haw to Weybridge, Walton on Thames, Esher, Surbiton, Kingston
• Falcon Buses 514/515 Hersham to Weybridge, Esher, Surbiton, Kingston
• Diamond Buses 458 Walton on Thames to Esher, Shepperton, Kingston, Staines
• Falcon Buses 28 Woking to Brookwood, Guildford
• Falcon Buses 436 Woking to West Byfleet, Weybridge
• Falcon Buses 456 Woking to West Byfleet, Byfleet and New Haw
• White Bus Services 463 – Guildford to Clandon, Woking

Passengers will also be able to use buses in the Bournemouth and Weymouth areas. These are listed online here.

National Rail has confirmed passenger’s tickets for journeys today (March 4) can be used on services on Tuesday (March 5). It has also said to assist passengers with their journeys, tickets will be accepted at no extra cost on buses and other providers. These have been listed below.

• London Underground – via any reasonable route.
• Great Western Railway – via any reasonable route.
• Elizabeth Line between London Paddington and Reading.
• Southern between London Victoria and Southampton and Portsmouth
• London Buses to cover all reasonable routes.
• CrossCountry services between Reading and Bournemouth in both directions.

Travel service Inrix has reported services to and from Guildford and Wimbledon are also impacted due to the disruption. It said:

Service via Woking suspended on South Western Railway between Guildford and Wimbledon due to safety checks at Weybridge.

• “Extreme disruption” has been reported on SWR services in Surrey.
• Disruption could last until the end of the day.
• The issue was first reported around 6am and is understood to be in the Walton or Weybridge area.

Disruption to South Western Railway services between Surrey and London has been reported (Monday, March 4) and has led to cancellations and disruption that could last until the end of the day. The issue is understood to be with tracks in the Walton-on-Thames and Weybridge area.