A London MP has said it is an “international embarrassment” that thousands of tennis fans have been unable to get to Wimbledon on time following days of disruption on the District Line.
Platforms on the District Line were ten people deep as Wimbledon fans faced lengthy waits after a track fault at Tower Hill caused havoc on Wednesday and Thursday.
Trains were brought to a complete standstill between Tower Hill and Whitechapel on Thursday morning, forcing fans to take lengthy diversions as they tried to reach the world-famous tennis tournament.
Matters were made worse when severe delays hit the rest of the District Line, including on trains to Southfields station and Wimbledon Park near the tournament.
Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler told the Standard that parts of the track running between East Putney and Wimbledon are 130 years old and should be upgraded as a priority.
He said: “There is quite the lack of investment in the infrastructure. It’s a story we see time and time again across Britain.
“It’s a huge embarrassment in the middle of the championships, during one of the Crown Jewels of British sport.
“People come from across the world to visit and then can’t even get to the game.
“If the infrastructure is 130 years old, it should be a priority, and Sadiq [Khan] needs to get a grip. He really does. It’s just shocking.”
The Liberal Democrat also described how passengers face a “lottery” when they get on the train at Wimbledon, with trains’ destinations often listed wrong.
The MP explained that part of the problem was because there was a “stand-off” between TfL and Network Rail, as both transport bodies are responsible for the track between East Putney and Wimbledon.
Mr Kohler has written to TfL commissioner Andy Lord about the issues, calling for urgent updates on the transport chaos.
Mr Kohler also explained that Wimbledon station was “very crowded” on Tuesday and called on TfL to outline what extra support is in place to keep services running smoothly during the rest of the tournament.
Fans also faced lengthy waits on Tube platforms earlier in the week as temperatures peaked at 34C during the hottest start to the tennis tournament ever. Spectators suffered delays due to signalling failures and a track fire at Southfields.
The MP also told reporters: “This is an international embarrassment. People can't even get to the championships on time because the train won't get them there.
“There is such a contrast in how the All England Club run such a tight ship - the Championships run like clockwork - and yet getting there is so difficult.
“I have huge sympathy for fans coming from around the world, and it is such a huge embarrassment that something we're so proud of is causing so many difficulties.”
Mr Kohler took aim at the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan, who is chair of TFL.
He added: “This has been a long-running problem, no one is surprised because this happens time and time again.
“He needs to sort it out because it is an embarrassment to London and to Wimbledon - the eyes of the world are on SW19 right now.
“We have raised this before with Mr Khan via representatives from the London Assembly and we will be raising it again. We will be writing a joint letter.”
I’m acutely aware of ongoing issues with District Line services, affecting both my constituents & visitors during this busy period.
— Paul Kohler🔶MP for Wimbledon (@PaulKohlerSW19) July 2, 2025
I've contacted TfL for urgent updates on recent issues & requested a meeting to discuss improving reliability of services in short & longer term. pic.twitter.com/sBIKGd15Zo
Meanwhile, Simon Wright, 68, told the Standard that Southfields station was the worst he had ever seen it due to issues on the District Line during the first days of Wimbledon.
The Wimbledon resident, who has lived in the area for 28 years, said: “I came home on Tuesday night on the 39 bus. When I got off the bus opposite the Tube station, there were masses of people unable to get into the station.
“There were too many people. It looks bad. It looks unsafe.
“Wimbledon are telling people not to arrive by car and TfL is saying they can not run any more trains. They can not manage the number of people they have got at the moment.
“I think it’s crazy. It’s the worst that I have seen, especially because the District Line has been falling over.
“We are used to having issues on the District Line throughout the year but it’s less important than when you have got thousands of people trying to get to Southfields Tube Station.
“I have never seen the park as full, the queue is just enormous… There are just too many people trying to use the District Line. The crowds outside the Tube are the worst I have ever seen.”
Mr Wright, who is a member of the Save Wimbledon Park campaign, also raised concerns about Wimbledon’s plans to expand onto nearby parkland, which could bring thousands more tennis fans to the area each year.
Earlier this week, residents called for Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan to intervene after Wimbledon won planning permission for 39 extra courts and an 8,000-seater stadium.
School leaders and concerned parents have claimed that local children could face a decade of “crazy” construction traffic and pollution if the plans go ahead.
Wimbledon did not comment on the transport disruption, but a source said 8,000 more fans a day were expected to visit during the tournament when expansion plans are passed, and that “transport infrastructure was key”. They plan to expand a park-and-ride system.
TfL has said it is urgently working to fix a track fault at Tower Hill on the District Line.
It explained it will be contacting Mr Kohler and will be responding to his letter in due course.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The Mayor is investing record amounts in London's transport network, which enables millions of journeys every day.
“When there are delays on the network, TfL works at pace to restore the services to normal and minimise disruption to those travelling around our city. The Mayor remains focused on delivering the reliable, world-class public transport system Londoners expect and deserve."
A spokesperson for Network Rail and TfL added: “We’re sorry to any District Line passengers whose journeys have been affected by recent signalling issues on infrastructure shared between Network Rail and London Underground.
"Over the past two days, we’ve experienced two separate track circuit failures, which are critical to the signalling system as they tell signallers where trains are on the network. A failure causes signals to default to red for safety, which reduces the number of trains we can run through the affected area.
"In addition, a small fire on the track at Southfields on Tuesday led to a brief suspension of services.
"Despite these challenges, we’ve worked hard to keep trains moving. On Monday, we were able to deliver around 75% of the planned service with no reported passenger issues. On Tuesday, there was some disruption to services at Wimbledon, but a 75% service was still maintained.
"Engineers are continuing to investigate the root causes of the track circuit failures, and we have bolstered our response capability to help manage any further issues. We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption, particularly during the Wimbledon Championships, and we’d like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”
