UK heatwave hits rail network: Smoke on tracks near London Waterloo causes delays and cancellations
Britain’s scorching heat caused major travel disruption on Tuesday after smoke was reported on railway tracks near London Waterloo station, forcing train operators to cancel services and impose speed restrictions on parts of the network.South Western Railways (SWR) said smoke was spotted between London Waterloo and Vauxhall stations, prompting emergency safety inspections and causing serious delays on one of the country’s busiest rail corridors, The Independent reports.Although the operator declined to directly link the incident to rising temperatures, officials warned that extreme heat was already affecting railway operations in southern England.
Services cancelled, trains slowed down
Commuters traveling to and from London Waterloo faced disruption on routes connecting Guildford, Woking, Chessington South, Dorking, Hampton Court, Shepperton and Strawberry Hill. As inspection continued throughout the day, orders were given to run trains at reduced speed on many lines.SWR canceled a number of services in advance to “minimize disruption” caused by the heatwave. Journeys between London Waterloo and Weymouth via Winchester, Southampton and Bournemouth, as well as journeys to Aldershot via Woking and Guildford were among those affected.Some services running between Exeter St Davids, Salisbury and London Waterloo were also discontinued, terminating at Basingstoke rather than continuing into central London.Separately, National Rail reported disruption on the Elizabeth line, with some eastbound services from London Liverpool Street towards Gideia Park canceled on Tuesday afternoon.
Hottest night of May recorded in Britain
The rail chaos unfolded as Britain endured a May heat wave that forecasters described as “unprecedented”. The overnight temperature in parts of South London did not drop below 21.3 °C, officially a “tropical night” and setting a new record for the highest daily minimum temperature ever in May.The previous record, set in 1944, was 32.8 degrees Celsius, but temperatures this week have soared far beyond seasonal norms. Meteorologists have warned that temperatures in London could reach 34 degrees Celsius again after the UK recorded its hottest day in May at 34.8 degrees Celsius earlier this week.According to climate experts, the scale of the temperature rise at this time of year was extraordinary, given that climate records are usually broken only at modest intervals rather than at such large intervals.