On the hottest day recorded in the UK this year, passengers on Thameslink trains near Loughborough Junction in south London faced severe disruption and discomfort after a train fault led to the halting of services. Some passengers were forced to endure up to two hours trapped on trains without air conditioning before being evacuated to walk along the tracks. Videos circulated on social media showed groups of people outside the trains, highlighting the difficult conditions in the sweltering heat. One passenger, Angela Lewis, shared her frustration on X, noting, “After nearly two hours on the stuck train to Gatwick we are abandoned outside,” and questioned the necessity of such a prolonged wait inside overheated carriages.

Thameslink and Network Rail issued apologies for the incident, explaining that a fault on a train near Loughborough Junction brought services to a complete stop in the area, with three trains stranded outside station platforms. A spokesperson for Thameslink stated the decision to evacuate passengers was made to ensure safety in the absence of power and air conditioning, which was especially critical given the high temperatures. The spokesperson expressed regret over the ordeal, saying, “This would have been a difficult and uncomfortable experience for our passengers and we are truly sorry.” On the day of the disruption, temperatures exceeded 33°C in Surrey, marking the hottest day so far in 2025, according to the Met Office.

This event is not without precedent in the UK’s rail history, where extreme heat has increasingly caused operational difficulties. In 2012, a major heatwave affected Southeastern and Thameslink services severely, with some passengers forced to walk along the tracks after prolonged delays and high temperatures caused infrastructure failures. On one occasion near Dartford, passengers even prised open train doors and walked on the tracks, prompting staff to cut power for safety. Network Rail reported track temperatures soaring to 50°C during that heatwave, significantly exacerbating delays.

Similarly, in July 2022, amid record-breaking temperatures close to 40°C, passengers at Broxbourne station were evacuated and made to walk along tracks due to electrical supply issues triggered by the extreme heat. That episode underscored how soaring temperatures pose increasing challenges to rail infrastructure and passenger safety.

Evacuations onto tracks, however, are fraught with risks, as prior incidents have shown. In one 2018 case near Peckham Rye, a mistaken evacuation led dozens of London Overground passengers, including vulnerable individuals, onto live rails. This raised concerns about the communication and safety protocols in emergency situations. More recently, in 2012 on the Bakerloo line, nearly 70 passengers trapped inside sweltering trains were directed to walk along tracks to nearby stations after signal failures, with officials maintaining such measures are sometimes the safest options when other avenues are unavailable.

Against this backdrop, the Met Office has warned of further weather challenges, including a yellow thunderstorm warning for parts of south-east Scotland, Yorkshire, the Midlands, and Wales, with heavy rain expected to follow the heatwave. An amber heat-health alert remains active across England, the first since September 2023, reflecting ongoing concerns about the impact of extreme temperatures on public health and infrastructure.

Rail operators face the growing challenge of managing passenger safety and comfort amid increasingly intense weather conditions linked to climate change. The recent events around Loughborough Junction spotlight urgent needs for improved resilience and contingency planning in UK rail networks to mitigate heat-related disruptions and safeguard travellers.

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Source: Noah Wire Services