Two Days of Disruption on South Western Railway
Services to Waterloo from Richmond and Hounslow Loop withdrawn
South Western Railway withdrew all train services on the Hounslow Loop and the line from Richmond into Waterloo due to weather conditions on Friday and Saturday (2 and 3 March) this week due to adverse weather conditions.
This led to substantial difficulties for commuters and other passengers with many resorting to alternative modes of transport including the tube.
Normal service was resumed on Sunday.
Other services called at all the stations on these routes although in many cases these terminated early.
Services between London Waterloo and Weybridge via Staines ran as normal.
Network Rail say that when a train has to slow down as it approaches a station or set of points, this can cause snow to compact on the rails and turn into solid ice. This not only clogs up the points and stops them from working but can also coat the electrified rail, disconnecting trains from the power they need to run.
Ice sheets are at risk of dislodging and damaging passing trains, and the steel rails can even freeze together if they become too cold. When this happens, signals stay red and trains can’t move.
Wind is another problem. If it causes snow drifts deeper than 30cm, or about a foot, trains can’t run safely unless they’re fitted with snow ploughs.
Latest information about what's happening on South Western Railway.
March 4, 2018