Vauxhall Station Track Blaze Causes Wimbledon Train Chaos

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Passengers advised to avoid train service

South West Train services between Wimbledon and Waterloo were seriously disrupted today (May 5) after a track fire at Vauxhall station in the early hours.

A limited service is expected to run throughout the rest of the day, with four of the eight lines through Vauxhall closed.

Firefighters were called to the blaze at 2.39am, and had the blaze under control by 8.30am.

South West Trains said: "You are strongly advised to check before you travel with us during the evening peak as we will be running a limited service into and out of London Waterloo and around the network. Please continue to use alternative transport where available.

"Our stations will be busier than normal and we may implement queuing systems at short notice. We will have a clearer understanding on travel details for tomorrow, Friday 6 May from 8pm this evening.

"Tickets valid for travel today (05 May 2016) will now also be valid for travel tomorrow (06 May 2016), off peak ticket restrictions are lifted today and you will be able to travel on the first available train service.

"We are very sorry for the disruption to your journey."

Four fire engines and 21 officers and staff were called to the blaze, which affected signalling cabling.

There have been tweets that the wooden platforms at Vauxhall have been destroyed by the, however there is no confirmation of this as yet.

The rail union, RMT issued a statement: "RMT members will be working flat out to try and restore services in and out of Vauxhall as the investigations into the cause of this fire get underway. RMT will be taking a close interest in those investigations and the hard facts that they throw up.

"This morning's fire is another reminder of just how crucial a vigilant and ‎pro-active safety culture is on Britain's over-stretched railways.

"The union is aware that there are emergency evacuations  of  ‎stations back down the lines from Vauxhall due to dangerous overcrowding. RMT station staff and train crew will be leading those emergency safety procedures demonstrating again the safety-critical role of the entire railway team."

May 5, 2016