Gatwick rail delays after train hits obstruction


Thameslink and Southern trains are delayed by up to 40 minutes as a result of the obstruction

Rail services through Gatwick Airport are being disrupted after a train hit an obstruction on the tracks.

Rail operators Thameslink and Southern first reported the issue at about 06:00 GMT on Tuesday, stating that an obstruction had been struck by a train near Salfords station in Surrey.

The train companies said trains running to, from or through Gatwick Airport may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised, while services that were running may use alternative platforms at some stations.

A spokesperson said a train had correctly gone through a signal and hit the object, knocking the train's shoe gears off - which help the train get power from the electric third rail. The spokesperson added that another train was to pull it away from the affected area.

Thameslink said its services between Three Bridges and Bedford had been suspended until further notice, with alternative Thameslink services available between Brighton and Bedford. In addition, trains are now starting to call at Earlswood and Salfords stations following the cancellation of northbound services.

Trains will call at the stations in the southbound direction to an amended timetable, so passengers can change at Redhill, the firm said. Ticket acceptance has been put in place on alternative routes between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport, and on local buses. Disruption is expected to last until 15:30 GMT.


People have been asked to remain on trains if they become stranded

The operators added that it was aware that some services had become stranded between stations, and asked passengers on those services to remain on board and listen to announcements.

A Thameslink spokesperson said: "Please don't leave the train unless you are asked to do so. Other trains may still be moving in the area, and the track is also a very hazardous environment. Operators are doing all that they can to get our services moving once again; they do ask passengers to remain inside the train and under no circumstances attempt to self-evacuate. This will cause further delays."

Elsewhere, Southern services between Eastbourne and Lewes were being delayed by up to 10 minutes due a signalling problem at Polegate station.

So was I.  I haven't travelled extensively on the railways - but particularly in my commuting days, I used the train five times a week, for over a decade. No accidents in all that time, there or otherwise. 

Turns out they uploaded the wrong timetable 
Looks like its being split to run out of two depots and guessing one depots services were missing.
The correct timetable is now uploaded along with a message clarifying.
But still it really doesnt inspire confidence!

DISRUPTION TUESDAY 24 FEB 2026

5Z21 0622 Plymouth to Newquay
175002 seems to have sat down at Goonbarrow Junction since 1200 - then showing a 43 minute late running
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:V89020/2026-02-24/detailed#allox_id=2


A check on RTT shows nothing at either Par, St Blazey or Newquay that would cause "congestion"

17:05 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:24 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

Hospital consultant suspended over train sex acts


Dr Mark Elias engaged in sex acts in "full view" of other passengers

A senior hospital consultant who was caught engaging in sexual activity in front of fellow passengers in the middle of a train carriage has been suspended from practice for six months.

Dr Mark Elias, a consultant radiologist at The Christie specialist cancer hospital in Manchester, admitted outraging public decency and was previously handed a suspended prison sentence in February 2025. He was referred to the General Medical Council (GMC) and an independent tribunal imposed the ban on 30 January.

Elias is not "currently working" at the hospital and is not being paid while he serves his suspension, a spokesperson for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust said.

The Christie also said it had "carried out due dilligence" and had found no evidence of problems with Elias's clinical practice. It also found no evidence that patient safety had been put at risk.

A panel convened by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service stopped short of striking Elias off the register after hearing of his "remorse and insight". It also took into account testimonials from his colleagues, who said retaining his expertise in radiology and nuclear medicine was "essential".

The tribunal heard that Elias and a friend had spent the evening of 29 September 2024 drinking in bars around Manchester's Gay Village before attending a cabaret show. They then caught a train back to Chester.

They were subsequently spotted by a conductor on CCTV cameras, performing sex acts in the middle of a carriage "in full view" of other passengers. They were confronted by the conductor and stopped.

Both men admitted the offence at Chester Magistrates' Court and were given eight-week prison sentences, suspended for 12 months, as well as being ordered to complete rehabilitation activities.

The tribunal heard Elias claimed he had been "spiked" and had inhaled a "smoky substance" in a bottle before the train journey home. However, the panel decided his evidence was "contradictory" and had changed during the hearing. Elias eventually withdrew the spiking claim.

Members of the panel also considered evidence about Elias's health and personal life - this was not made public.

During the case, his colleagues were called to give evidence. One of them said Elias had expressed "deep regret" and "feels he has let himself, his colleagues and his family down".

Another colleague, also a consultant, said: "I do not condone the offence that Mark committed, and am aware that it was his own flaws and bad judgement that put him in this situation he has found himself in. I believe it has been Mark's personal struggles [redacted] that has led to this offence, which in my opinion [was] totally out of character."

The tribunal said it was satisfied Elias had "demonstrated good insight into the concerns arising from his behaviour that led to his conviction". However, the tribunal also said it "recognised that Dr Elias's behaviour which led to his conviction was a result of his own recklessness of drinking an excessive amount of alcohol".

Before the hearing last month, Elias continued working at The Christie under interim conditions imposed by the GMC.

The NHS trust added: "In line with the Tribunal's decision, Dr Elias is suspended from the medical register and will not undertake clinical duties during this period. The trust respects the role of the independent regulator in maintaining professional standards and public confidence."

We're rebuilding the railway from Portishead to Bristol, with new stations at Portishead and Pill.

Main construction work begins this spring and you can learn more at our public drop-in sessions.

To help me with local planning stuff, does anyone have any data about what proportion of people headed for a festival go by train (and by bus, by car, by other means) ... if the 15,000 adult tickets on sale are all sold, how many rail passengers into the area should be planned for?  1,000, 10,000, or somewhere between??

Victims 'devastated' by train CCTV failures that allow sex offenders to go untraced


Beth Wright says she was profoundly affected by being the victim of sexual harassment on a train

Sex offenders on trains are escaping justice because of serious issues with CCTV on the rail network, a BBC investigation has revealed.

One woman who was sexually assaulted on a train told us she was "devastated" to be told that police could not trace her attacker because the incident was not captured on camera.

In hundreds of cases of alleged sexual harassment or assault, British Transport (BTP) officers in England, Scotland and Wales say they struggled to gather evidence from CCTV footage collected from trains and stations.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, says the industry takes sexual harassment and assault cases "very seriously".

File on 4 Investigates has also been told that BTP has no control over the maintenance of CCTV cameras on the rail and London Underground networks, and that there is no legal obligation on rail operators to have working CCTV cameras on passenger trains.

We shared our findings with Claire Waxman, the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, who is now calling for operational CCTV to be mandatory for train companies.

"I don't see how else we will keep people safe in those spaces and on public transport," she says.

(BBC article continues)

I was surprised that 15 have been involved in an accident. 

Do you go out at night?  (Voting closed: Today at 06:25:49)
Yes - and I drive   - 13 (31%)
Yes - I get a lift   - 6 (14.3%)
Yes - I use public transport   - 9 (21.4%)
Yes - I walk   - 12 (28.6%)
Hardly at all   - 2 (4.8%)
I am stuck in one place after dark   - 0 (0%)
Something else   - 0 (0%)

I commuted for 29 years, 5 return journeys per week, so around 14,000 train journeys, never had any accidents on trains I was on.
However did have few occasions where there were complete cancellations or diversions due to various (suicides, derailments, IRA bombs, storm damage etc)

So was I.  I haven't travelled extensively on the railways - but particularly in my commuting days, I used the train five times a week, for over a decade. No accidents in all that time, there or otherwise. 

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 has been delayed at Warminster and is now 10 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.