Passengers travelling on Thameslink services today said they felt like they were being “slow cooked” as trains came to a juddering halt amid temperatures of 34C — with no ventilation or air conditioning.
Three trains were brought to a standstill today and hundreds of passengers had to be freed by transport officers after a train became stuck at Loughborough Junction.
The breakdown occurred shortly before 11am, when a fault on a train heading from London Blackfriars to Herne Hill brought other carriages on the line to a standstill.
Several trains were stuck on the tracks for long periods in the heat, while customers complained about the lack of power or air conditioning.
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Michael Elston, a passenger on board one of the affected services, posted on X: “Boarded the 10:25am from Blackfriars to Horsham. 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.”
Another furious customer wrote online: “[Thameslink] you will have hell to pay. We’ve been stuck on this hot and humid train for over an hour.
“The doors were closed because we were told we may be moving. That was 15 minutes ago. It’s like an oven in here and we’re being slow-cooked.”
Thameslink confirmed in its response that “services across the network” were facing “significant disruption” due to the weather, and apologised to affected customers.
A spokesman said: “Due to a fault on a train between London Blackfriars and Herne Hill, some lines are blocked. We’re working to gather more information on this incident.”
The disruption comes as experts warn nearly 600 people could die in England and Wales from the effects of this week’s heatwave.
A Thameslink spokesperson told media they were “truly sorry” for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
They added: “Earlier today, a fault on a train near Loughborough Junction brought all services to a halt in the area, three of them outside station platforms.
“Without power and air conditioning on such a hot day, we pulled all resources from across Sussex and Kent to get personnel on-site to safely evacuate passengers as quickly as possible along the track.
“This would have been a difficult and uncomfortable experience for our passengers and we are truly sorry. With safety our top priority, the safest place was to remain on the trains while we worked our hardest to get help to those on board.
“There is engineering work taking place today, which means this is the only route Thameslink trains can take south out of London and severe disruption is expected for the rest of the afternoon.
“Anyone travelling south of London is currently advised to use Southern services from Victoria but you should check the latest travel advice at thameslinkrailway.com.
“Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more are also entitled to compensation, with details on our website.”