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Chaos at Waterloo station from cancellations and disrupted service after person hit by train

Thousand of people were forced to wait for hours or find alternative routes home

Roisin O'Connor
Monday 27 April 2015 21:20 BST
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Disruption at Waterloo after a person was hit by a train
Disruption at Waterloo after a person was hit by a train (Fiona Ormiston/@footstardance/Twitter)

London's Waterloo station was hit by severe delays and cancellations after a person was hit by a train.

The incident was between Surbiton and Wimbledon in south west London, causing queues for thousands at Waterloo and delays of up to 90 minutes.

A train fault at Clapham Junction also resulted in lines being closed, with trains to Reading, Windsor, Twickenham, Staines and Ascot severely disrupted.

Commuters posted images of chaos on social media, and it was reported that many were told to find alternative routes home. The doors into Waterloo were locked to prevent further overcrowding.

Cancellations and revised services were expected to continue until around 11pm, with disruption expected to last until the end of service on 27 April.

A spokesperson for South West Trains said: Services in and out of Waterloo have been severely affected following an incident in the Surbiton area where a person was struck by a train.

"While lines are now open this has resulted in a huge number of trains and staff being out of place with a number of services cancelled or changed.

"Our teams are working flat out to recover the service and run as many trains as possible, but there will still be residual delays tonight for anyone travelling from Waterloo for which we apologise."

Commuters vented their frustration on social media, with many blaming South West trains for the "Monday commute hell".

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