Scores of UK passengers had been compelled to evacuate trains and stroll alongside the tracks on Saturday after some providers had been halted because of a fault on the most well liked day of the yr thus far.
Movies posted on social media confirmed folks strolling on the tracks beside Thameslink trains close to Loughborough Junction station in south London.
Some passengers complained on social media about being compelled to attend onboard providers with out air-con for as much as two hours.
Angela Lewis posted a video on X of passengers gathered outdoors Loughborough Junction, together with the phrases: “After almost two hours on the caught practice to Gatwick we’re deserted outdoors.”
A follow-up submit stated: “Was it solely essential to maintain us ready almost two hours in caught in an overheated carriage for that? we must always have been out inside half-hour max.”
One other person wrote to Thameslink: “You should have hell to pay. We’ve been caught on this scorching and humid practice for over an hour.”
A Thameslink spokesperson replied: “This practice can be getting evacuated shortly. Please wait till response employees have boarded and arrange a protected evacuation route.”
Govia Thameslink Railway and Community Rail have apologised for the delays.
A Thameslink spokesperson stated: “Earlier at present, a fault on a practice close to Loughborough Junction introduced all providers to a halt within the space, three of them outdoors station platforms.
“With out energy and air-con on such a scorching day, we pulled all assets from throughout Sussex and Kent to get personnel on website to securely evacuate passengers as shortly as doable alongside the monitor.
“This could have been a troublesome and uncomfortable expertise for our passengers and we’re actually sorry.”
The Met Workplace stated there was a provisional temperature of greater than 33C recorded in Surrey, making Saturday the most well liked day of the yr thus far.
A yellow warning for thunderstorms overlaying elements of south-east Scotland, Yorkshire, the Midlands and Wales has been issued for Saturday night till 3am on Sunday.
As much as 40mm of rain might fall in lower than two hours, the Met Workplace stated, because it urged these within the warning areas to think about whether or not their location was prone to flash flooding and to organize accordingly.
An amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Well being Safety Company for the primary time since September 2023, for all areas in England stays in place over the weekend.