Radio Fault Disrupts Southern England Rail Services

A technical fault in the radio communications system between train drivers and signallers caused widespread disruption to rail services across southern England on Thursday morning, leading to delays of up to 90 minutes and numerous cancellations.

The issue emerged around 8:50 a.m., impacting the tail end of the morning rush hour. Affected operators included CrossCountry, Gatwick Express, Great Western Railway, London Overground, Southern, South Western Railway and Thameslink. Services in south London and routes to destinations such as Brighton, Horsham, Three Bridges, Portsmouth and Southampton faced the heaviest delays. Southeastern services remained unaffected, according to operator statements.

National Rail confirmed the fault had been resolved by mid-morning, but warned that major disruption would persist until the end of the day as crews and trains returned to normal positions. A Network Rail spokesperson said, "Due to issues with radio communications, train services in the South West and South have been subject to some delays this morning. Staff have worked to resolve the fault, and train services are now returning to normal. We apologise to passengers for the disruption...