The evening commute for many rail passengers is expected to be disrupted as a ”do no to travel” warning remains in place at London Waterloo.
A major signal failure in the morning left passengers stranded trying to get to and from the major transport hub as 14 platforms were closed.
South Western Railway said that although the issue had been fixed, it still urged passengers not to travel with major disruption expected to last until 9pm.
Taking to social media, angry customers have complained of the situation being a “total shambles” while another said they were “totally disgusted and distraught”.
Due to the level of disruption, any unused tickets will be valid for Tuesday.
In a statement on X, the railway operator said: “Engineers are on sit attempting to restore the use of the platforms, but with very few trains able to move in and out of London Waterloo and crew already displaced, services across the network are severely disrupted.”
It follows several days of disruption at Waterloo with platforms 1 to 14 also out of use for several hours on Saturday due to a signalling failure.
Key Points
- Issue resolved but disruptions to continue
- Disruption expected until 9pm
- ‘Do not travel’ warning issued after major signalling failure at Waterloo
- What can customers do if their journey is disrupted?
Passengers stranded in London
15:23 , Athena StavrouMajor disruptions to trains leaving London Waterloo are expected into the evening.
Passenger Keith Miller told The Independent he got on a train at 5:30am this morning, which terminated at Woking.
Every train from there was only going as far as Wimbledon, but he managed to get to Camden from there.
“My big problem now is how to get home,” he said. “It’s this lack of communication that is so annoying. And the lack of a plan b.”
What was the signal failure?
14:59 , Athena StavrouAccording to the operator, the equipment that routes trains in and out of the station failed and caused services across its whole network to suffer cancellations, delays and revisions.
Following the mechanism being fixed, some routes are expected to be restored.
South Western Railway issue update
14:33 , Athena StavrouSouth Western Railway have issued another update this afternoon.
The company said that all lines are now open at London Waterloo.
However it said disruption is still expected until 9pm.
The update said: “All lines have now reopened, however some services may be delayed, revised or cancelled. Services in and out of London Waterloo will be subject to cancellations, delays and last-minute alterations. We are advising passengers against all non-essential travel until further notice.”
Rush hour chaos expected
13:57 , Athena StavrouTravel chaos is expected to continue into the evening rush hour on Monday after a major signal failure at London Waterloo.
The failure meant 14 platforms at the busy station were closed, as South Western Railways urged passengers not to travel.
At 10:15am, the train company said the issue had been fixed, but still advised customers not to travel on Monday.
Currently, disruption is expected to last until 9pm.
Full story: Major disruption at London Waterloo as SWR issues ‘do not travel warning’
13:39 , Athena Stavrou
Major disruption at London Waterloo as SWR issues ‘do not travel warning’
Are you stranded?
13:21 , Athena StavrouIf you have been affected by today’s cancellations at London’s Waterloo station, please get in touch at athena.stavrou@independent.co.uk .
Watch: Major disruption at London Waterloo as SWR issues ‘do not travel warning’
13:02 , Athena StavrouDisruption expected until 9pm
12:34 , Athena StavrouDisruption is now expected to last until 9pm.
Both National Rail and Southwestern Railway advised passengers to expect delays and cancellations into the late evening.
Earlier, disruption was only expected to last until 4pm.
How many people use Waterloo?
12:24 , Athena StavrouWaterloo is one of the busiest stations in the UK, serving as a key entry point to London for commuters.
According to the Office of Rail and Road, it is the fourth busiest train station in the country - with an estimated 62.5 million and exits in 2023/24.
SWR nationalised in May
12:06 , Athena StavrouSouth Western Railway was the first operator brought into public ownership by the Labour Government in May, with a second train company – Operator c2c – nationalised by Labour on Sunday.
Operator c2c runs services between London Fenchurch Street and south Essex.
SWR's latest update in full:
11:39 , Athena Stavrou“We have identified the cause of the signalling problem at London Waterloo and it has been fixed, however, we are still advising customers not to travel.
“With so many trains and their crews out of position, only a limited number of train services will be reintroduced over the coming hours.
“Our teams are now focused on getting trains and crews into the right place to run a reliable service for the afternoon and evening peak.
“We are very sorry for the disruption today. Please continue to check for updates.”
Issue resolved but disruptions to continue
11:03 , Athena StavrouSouth Western Railway has confirmed the major signal failure at London’s Waterloo station has been fixed - but warned passengers still not to travel today.
In an update at 10:15am, SWR said: “With so many trains and their crews out of position, only a limited number of train services will be reintroduced over the coming hours.”
— SWR Help (@SW_Help) July 21, 2025
Full story: Major disruption at London Waterloo as SWR issues ‘do not travel warning’
11:01 , Athena StavrouMajor disruption at London Waterloo as SWR issues ‘do not travel warning’
National Rail: Disruption expected until 4pm
10:40 , Athena StavrouNational Rail has issued an update, warning customers major disruption at Waterloo is expected until at least 4pm.
It said: “We have been informed of a signalling problem at London Waterloo. This means that trains are unable to use platforms 1 to 14.
“Passengers are advised NOT TO TRAVEL to and from this station until further notice.
“Services in and out of London Waterloo will be subject to cancellations, platform changes and major service alteration. Please check before boarding your service for platform change.”
Over half of platforms at Waterloo closed
10:03 , Athena StavrouThere are 24 platforms in total at Waterloo station.
On Monday, 14 of these have been closed as a result of a major signal failure.
Mile End station closed
09:39 , Athena StavrouElsewhere in London, more disruption has been reported this morning.
In east London, Mile End station has been closed since the early hours in the morning due to a police investigation.
⛔ Mile End station -
— TfL Access (@TfLAccess) July 21, 2025
This station is closed due to a police investigation.
➡ To re-plan journey: https://t.co/UoeJflrJdy
Passengers stranded amid cancellations
09:29 , Athena StavrouRail passengers have taken to social media to share their frustration as they face disruption all day on Monday.
Angry customers have complained of the situation being a “total shambles” while another said they were “totally disgusted and distraught”.
Another said they were stranded at Salisbury “with no assistance whatsoever” after beginning their journey before the cancellations.
@SW_Help it’s not acceptable just telling people not to travel. When I set out at 6.30 there was no disruption. Now I’m stranded at Salisbury with no assistance whatever pic.twitter.com/oPPPnDlRrI
— Caroline Toomey (@Grumblecat59) July 21, 2025
Monday's cancellations follow weekend of travel chaos at Waterloo
09:13 , Athena StavrouToday’s ‘do not travel’ warning comes after a weekend of disruption at London’s Waterloo.
South Western Railway issued an apology on Saturday after disruption on Friday evening and the following day affected journeys.
The disruption was caused by two separate major signal failures.
What can customers do if their journey is disrupted?
09:03 , Athena StavrouDue to the level of disruption, any unused tickets will be valid for Tuesday.
Tickets are also being accepted Great Western Railway services between Salisbury, Westbury, Weymouth and Reading, CrossCountry services between Reading and Bournemouth, and Southern services between London Victoria, Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central.
Tickets are also being accepted on local buses.
South Western Railway's full statement:
08:54 , Athena Stavrou“Due to a major signalling failure at London Waterloo, please do not travel on our services this morning.
“The failure of the equipment that routes trains in and out of the station means we cannot use platforms 1 to 14 at London Waterloo at this time, significantly limiting capacity.
“Engineers are on site attempting to restore the use of the platforms, but with very few trains able to move in and out of London Waterloo and trains and crew already displaced, services across the network are severely disrupted.
“While we are hoping to restore some services later in the day, these are still likely to be subject to delays and alterations.
“Customers should please check back for updates. We are very sorry for the disruption to journeys this morning.”
‘Do not travel’ warning issued by SWR after major signalling failure at Waterloo
08:53 , Athena StavrouA major signalling failure at London’s Waterloo station has caused commuter chaos this morning, with disruption expected for the remainder of the day.
South Western Railways has urged customers “do not travel this morning” due to 14 platforms at the busy station being out of service due to the failure.
They added that while they were hoping to restore some services later on Monday, they would still likely be subject to delays and alterations.
