Latest news with #trainbreakdown
The Independent
5 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Passengers stuck on broken-down train ‘like an oven' on hottest day of the year
Passengers were forced to walk along a railway track in sizzling heat after they claimed they were being 'slow-cooked' inside a broken-down train carriage. British Transport Police freed dozens of Thameslink passengers after the train between London Blackfriars and Herne Hill broke down on Saturday. Temperatures soared to nearly 34C in some parts of the UK, making it the country's hottest day of the year so far. An enraged passenger said on social media: 'We have been stuck on this hot and humid train for over an hour. It is like an oven in here and we are being slow-cooked.' Passenger Clare added: 'We are stuck on this train, all boiling alive. No air con. Please can you get this train moving.' Another issued a plea for help, asking Thameslink when it would rescue people stuck inside the sweltering carriages with 'no AC'. Thameslink said the train broke down near Loughborough Junction due to a 'fault', which causes services across the network to undergo 'significant disruption'. A spokesperson said: '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. The safest place was to remain on the trains while we worked our hardest to get help to those on board.' An amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, for all regions in England remains in place over the weekend. The agency warned that significant impacts are likely across health and social care services, including an increase in demand, during the alert period. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London research warned that around 570 people could die due to the heat over the four days. The excess deaths were estimated to peak at 266 on Saturday when the heat will be at its most intense. London was predicted to have the greatest number of excess deaths at 129. The researchers said their assessment highlights how extreme heat poses a growing threat to public health in the UK. Many charities have also issued warnings as the hotter weather continues this week. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is encouraging people with heart conditions to take precautions to minimise potential health risks during a heatwave. Age UK has urged people to check in on older relatives, friends, and neighbours to see if they need anything and to make sure they are not feeling overwhelmed by the excessive heat. Meanwhile, the Met Office has warned Britons that a tornado could hit as severe thunderstorms are set to strike the UK within hours. The forecaster warned parts of the country 'could start to see tornado activity' later on Saturday as a yellow thunderstorm weather warning comes into force.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Major evacuation as 1,500 passengers ‘trapped on train for 2 hours with no air con' in sweltering heat
HORRIFIED Brits were evacuated after being trapped on a train for two hours with no air con. Weary passengers have slammed Thamelink after their morning service from Bedford to Brighton came to a screeching halt on the hottest day of the year. 4 4 4 The train broke down between Elephant and Castle, and Loughborough - but ticketholders were left waiting in their carriages during the sweltering heat today. There was no air conditioning, and a major evacuation was eventually carried out after several hours. People were led onto the tracks to fend for themselves, and claimed they were given no instruction on where to go next. One passenger fumed on X: "Absolutely disgraceful from Thameslink Bedford to Brighton service train broke down the passengers left sweltering for almost two hours before being taken off in the middle of nowhere with no direction all left to their own." Another ranted: "Stuck on train to Brighton between Elephant & Castle & Loughborough junction past 20 minutes, rammed with people, hottest day of the year why are there no aircon and no windows that can be opened? there is no ventilation. "Medical issues waiting to happen." A third vented: "[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." A spokesperson for the train operator initially wrote: "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." In a separate reply to another passenger, they said: "We are aware of your location (and the lack of working A/C on the train) and are working with response teams to get you moving as soon as possible. "Please do not attempt to self evacuate as the tracks are still live." In a statement to MailOnline, Thameslink confirmed: "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 "Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more are also entitled to compensation, with details on our website." A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "We were called at 11.46am today to assist around 1,500 railway passengers who are on board two trains which are stranded near Loughborough Junction station. "The power to the railway line has been isolated and crews are currently working alongside staff from Network Rail to lead the passengers from the trains to the station. "Around 25 firefighters are currently in attendance." British Transport Police added: 'Officers were called to Loughborough Junction Railway Station at just before 11am today (21 June) to reports of a train broken down nearby. "Officers assisted Thameslink and Network Rail and all passengers have been evacuated safely.' This comes as an amber heat health alert has been issued for the whole of England until 9am on Monday. The alert - a step up from the yellow heat health alert issued earlier this week - warned that "significant impacts are likely" across health and social care services because of high temperatures. But, the Met Office has also warned of thunderstorms across northern parts of England today. A yellow thunderstorm weather warning is in place from Nottingham up to above Newcastle. It will come into force from 3pm and last until 4am on Sunday. The Met Office warned there could be "frequent lightning, large hail and gusty winds", along with a chance of flooding. Parts of eastern England could climb higher than the 32.2C seen on Thursday and become the hottest day of the year so far. Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: "There are scattered thunderstorms coming through. "Some of the rain could be quite intense, and frequent lightning, hail, gusty winds and some heavy downpours, which we haven't seen for a while. "Some of the ground is quite hard at the moment, and when you get heavy rain hitting hard ground, it can cause surface water issues. "You might find surface water on the roads, drains finding it difficult to cope and a small chance of homes being flooded." It comes after hundreds headed out early this morning to watch the sunrise over Stonehenge in celebration of the summer solstice. Those who marked the year's longest day elsewhere experienced 18C temperatures in Salisbury and Greater London by 5am, according to the Met Office. The weather agency also confirmed that Yeovilton in Somerset and Crosby in Merseyside had the highest recorded overnight figures in England, both reaching 19.7C by 6am. The mercury in Cumbria and Lancashire also reached highs above 19C. An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK. Aidan McGovern, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "At the moment, the temperatures will be highest towards the east, [with] lower temperatures in the west compared with Friday but still high humidity, so it's going to feel oppressive in many places, and [there is] always a chance of some showers developing as the day progresses, particularly towards the west. "Temperatures [will be] peaking at 31 to 33, or 34C, somewhere between London and Midlands and north-east England." 4
