Rail passengers have to walk along tracks on hottest day of year so far after fault brings trains to halt

Scores of train passengers have been evacuated after some services were halted on what was the hottest day of the year in the UK so far.

Video footage showed people, including young children, getting off a train near Loughborough Junction in south London and walking along the tracks with their luggage.

Passenger Ioannis Dimitrousis, who filmed the incident, said he was travelling to Brighton when his train stopped.

He said people were "locked in the train with no fresh air and no air conditioning".

He said: "We were just going to Brighton but still messed up our day."

He added that the train also had "lots of people" who were heading to Gatwick Airport who missed their flights.

Another passenger wrote on X to 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."

She said the train was "stuck between Blackfriars and East Croydon" in south London.

A Thameslink spokesperson replied to her, saying: "This train will be getting evacuated shortly. Please wait until response staff have boarded and set up a safe evacuation route."

Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail have apologised for the delays.

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.

"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."

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The spokesperson said due to engineering works, the route affected was the only one that Thameslink trains can take south out of London.

And the disruption was expected to continue into the evening.

The spokesperson continued: "Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more are also entitled to compensation, with details on our website."

It comes as the UK recorded the hottest day of the year so far, with a high of 33.2C (91.7F) in Charlwood, Surrey, according to the Met Office.

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