Rail network radio system fixed after fault causes rush hour disruption

A fault with a radio system which caused disruption to train services has been fixed, Network Rail said.

Passengers travelling with several operators on Friday morning suffered delays and cancellations because of the issue with the onboard GSM-R system, which enables train drivers to communicate with signallers.

South Western Railway was among the operators to cancel some services, while Southeastern said some journeys were delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Other affected operators included Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink and the Elizabeth line.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “An overnight fault with our railway radio system in England and Wales has been traced to one of our major hubs near Stoke, which has now been fixed.

“The fault meant that train drivers were having to manually log into the national radio network rather than it happening automatically.

“The system is now working normally. We’re sorry if your journey has been affected today as a result of this issue.”

Train information website National Rail Enquiries warned earlier that trains “across the network” were having to start services later because of the fault.

GSM-R is designed to enable driver and signallers to communicate digitally at all times, including while trains are in areas such as tunnels and deep cuttings where previous analogue systems did not work.

It was rolled out to increase safety and reduce costs by replacing the patchwork of inefficient legacy systems which were expensive to maintain.