London Waterloo chaos as 'police incident' shuts lines sparking 90-minute delays and rush-hour overcrowding

Commuters travelling out of London Waterloo are facing travel chaos this evening after a police incident forced the closure of railway lines.

Police are currently at the scene of an incident between Woking and Brookwood, with services brought to a standstill along the affected stretch of railway.

Some passengers have reported being left stranded at the station and unable to get home, while others face lengthy delays.

The nature of the incident has not yet been confirmed.

Frustrated passengers have described being “stuck” at Waterloo and unable to get home as the disruption grips the network, with delays of up to 90 minutes expected.

Some commuters claim they have been sitting on trains for “hours”, while others have described scenes of overcrowding, with staff reportedly struggling to move passengers through stations due to the sheer volume of people.

The disruption has thrown evening travel plans into disarray, with services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids among those affected.

Passengers travelling between Woking and Basingstoke have been warned that trains could be cancelled, severely delayed or routes altered.

Rush hour overcrowding at Wimbledon station was so severe that passengers were being stopped from going down to platforms, according to reports.

Major disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day, National Rail has said.

The nature of the police incident has not yet been confirmed.

Emergency services have been contacted for comment.

Passengers are eligible to book taxi services to complete their destinations, South Western Railway says.

A spokesperson for SWR said: “Due to disruption between Woking and Brookwood, our customers are authorised to book their own taxi to travel between London Waterloo and Woking / Guildford / Alton / Basingstoke / Salisbury / Southampton Central.”

National Rail says some services may be diverted to avoid the affected area, while others could be cancelled altogether.

One passenger claimed they had been stuck at Waterloo since 4.30pm as they asked South Western Railway for information.

They wrote on X: "Please can you tell me if the line is open yet. I’ve been at Waterloo since 4.30 with so much misinformation please tell me me when any train via Basingstoke ( as I’m going to Eastleigh) may actually leave thanks."

And a SWR assistant replied that the line "is still blocked".

Replacement buses have been arranged, with services due to begin running from Woking at around 6.50pm.

A limited replacement bus service is also being introduced from Basingstoke and Southampton Central before 7pm.

However, South Western Railway has warned that some replacement buses have already been delayed by local traffic.

Passengers are being advised to speak to station staff for information about replacement transport and destinations served.

The operator is also working to arrange free travel on some local bus services to help stranded passengers complete their journeys.

Meanwhile, disruption has also been reported at London Euston, with pictures from the main concourse showing hundreds of passengers crowded together as they wait for updates on their trains.

It remains unclear whether the overcrowding is linked to the disruption at London Waterloo or separate travel chaos caused by Storm Austen.