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More than 1,800 passengers were forced to evacuate stranded trains near Loughborough Junction earlier today after a major train fault brought all lines in the area to a halt, leaving passengers stuck in sweltering heat with no air conditioning.
The incident began shortly before 11am, when a southbound Thameslink service between London Blackfriars and Herne Hill broke down on the tracks, disrupting all rail movement through the busy corridor. With outside temperatures soaring to 33°C, conditions onboard rapidly deteriorated.
Stranded in the Heat
Footage and passenger accounts flooded social media as stranded commuters were seen walking along the tracks under direct sunlight. Many described the situation as dangerous and chaotic.
Michael Elston, a passenger on the 10:25am service to Horsham, wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“Train broke down and have been stuck on the train since, with no A/C may I add. We’re now all having to evacuate the train and walk down the tracks to the next platform as the train can’t move.”
Emergency Response Mobilised
A joint operation between Govia Thameslink Railway, Network Rail, British Transport Police (BTP), and London Fire Brigade (LFB) was launched to manage the large-scale evacuation.
“We pulled all resources from across Sussex and Kent to get personnel on site to safely evacuate passengers as quickly as possible,” a joint statement from GTR and Network Rail read.
The London Fire Brigade deployed 25 firefighters, who worked with BTP and railway staff to walk passengers along the tracks to the nearest platforms once power had been isolated.
Impact and Delays
- All lines between London Blackfriars and Herne Hill were blocked.
- Services between London St Pancras International and Sevenoaks were heavily disrupted.
- Delays of up to 90 minutes and numerous cancellations are affecting Thameslink and Southeastern trains.
- Passengers are being advised to use Southern services from London Victoria as an alternative.
Safety First
While the evacuation was distressing, authorities stressed that passenger safety remained the top priority throughout.
“The safest place was to remain on the trains while we worked our hardest to get help to those on board,” the rail operator said.
The cause of the train fault is currently under investigation by Network Rail engineers. Meanwhile, passengers are entitled to compensation if they experienced delays over 15 minutes, with information available on the Thameslink Railway website.
Latest Travel Advice
Major disruption expected to continue until at least 4pm
Check live updates at: www.nationalrail.co.uk or @TLRailUK
