South Western trains via London Waterloo disrupted as engineering works overrun

South Western Railway (SWR) trains which go in and out of London Waterloo have been disrupted for the whole of Friday because engineering works overran.

Services are likely to be delayed, cancelled or revised until the end of service on Friday night, SWR said.

Major disruption has been caused by works, which took place between Woking and Byfleet and New Haw, not finishing on time.

This is because the equipment engineers needed to use failed, Network Rail said in an apology.

Lines were blocked for most of Friday, affecting routes between London Waterloo and Southampton, Salisbury, Portsmouth, Basingstoke and Alton.

Although the lines re-opened in the afternoon, knock-on disruption is expected to continue into the night.

People with SWR tickets can use them on Great Western Railway trains between Paddington and Basingstoke, CrossCountry services “by and reasonable route” and certain buses and coaches. They can also apply for a refund or compensation.

Network Rail’s Louise Greaves told BBC Radio Surrey: "It has been an incredibly difficult morning for passengers.

"We use this equipment every night and it is usually fine, but unfortunately this time it failed.

"If we had opened the railway lines, the pressure would have been too high and could have caused the equipment to come off the tracks, which would have been a danger for trains and staff on site.

"Safety is our number one priority."