Britain’s scorching heatwave 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 across parts of the network.
Smoke Incident and Emergency Inspections
South Western Railway (SWR) said smoke was spotted between London Waterloo and Vauxhall stations, prompting emergency safety inspections and severe delays on one of the country’s busiest rail corridors. While the operator stopped short of directly linking the incident to the rising temperatures, officials warned that extreme heat was already affecting railway operations across southern England.
Services Cancelled and Trains Slowed
Passengers travelling to and from London Waterloo faced disruption on routes connecting Guildford, Woking, Chessington South, Dorking, Hampton Court, Shepperton and Strawberry Hill. Trains on several lines were ordered to run at reduced speeds as inspections continued through the day.
SWR also pre-emptively cancelled a number of services to “minimise disruption” caused by the heatwave. Journeys between London Waterloo and Weymouth via Winchester, Southampton and Bournemouth, along with routes to Aldershot via Woking and Guildford, were among those affected.
Some services operating between Exeter St Davids, Salisbury and London Waterloo were also curtailed, terminating at Basingstoke instead of continuing into central London. Separately, National Rail reported disruption on the Elizabeth line, with some eastbound services from London Liverpool Street towards Gidea Park cancelled on Tuesday afternoon.
Britain Records Hottest May Night
The rail chaos unfolded as Britain endured what forecasters described as “unprecedented” May heat. Temperatures overnight in parts of south London did not fall below 21.3°C, officially marking a “tropical night” and setting a new record for the highest daily minimum temperature ever recorded in May.
The previous record, set in 1944, stood at 32.8°C, but temperatures this week have surged far beyond seasonal norms. Meteorologists warned London could touch 34°C again after the UK recorded its hottest May day on record earlier this week at 34.8°C.
According to weather experts, the scale of the temperature spike was extraordinary for this time of year, noting that climate records are usually broken only marginally rather than by such large gaps.
