Warning of more train delays after thousands of passengers face 'Monday mayhem'

Rail passengers have been warned to expect more delays after hundreds of thousands of rail passengers faced travel chaos on Monday.

Network Rail apologised for the disruption caused by over-running engineering works which forced some stations to close and the cancellation of several services.

South Western Railway (SWR) told passengers not to travel as none of its trains were running between London Waterloo - the UK's busiest railway station - and Surbiton in the southwest of the capital.

Separate problems with engineering works saw Southern and Thameslink services also disrupted.

SWR warned passengers to expect delays and further cancellations until the end of the day due to the earlier disruption.

The operator has already been hit with a spate of issues involving signal and points failures and a long-running dispute over the role of guards on trains, which has seen strikes add to the disruption.

At 10.45am, 269 SWR trains - 75% of all its services - were cancelled or more than 30 minutes late, according to data from the rail information website trains.im.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union called for Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to resign over the "Monday mayhem" and the ongoing railway "crisis".

The RMT union's general secretary, Mick Cash, said: "The chaos into Waterloo this morning is just another example of the fragmentation and division on Britain's privatised railways where maintenance schedules and budgets are hacked to the bare bones while private operators like SWR are left with a free hand to rob the network blind in the name of profit.

"What we need is reintegration and a coherent system with all elements of the rail operation working together in one publicly-owned framework, with investment rather than exploitation as the watchword.

"While the crisis on our railways deepens, the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, is markedly absent while he ponders his self-interest and a possible resignation from the May government. He should go, and he should go now."

Passengers watchdog Transport Focus called for a review into the problems uncovered by Network Rail's work.

Its chief executive Anthony Smith said: "While engineering and improvement works need to be done, such late notice of the fundamental problems on the approaches to Waterloo this morning is unacceptable.

"A quick, thorough review of the problems uncovered in the engineering works and the passenger information put out should be carried out and published so that lessons can be learned. In the meantime, passengers should claim for compensation and make sure their voice is heard."

Mr Grayling's department said it "shared the frustrations of passengers" trying to get into London.

"The disruption is unacceptable, and we are seeking an urgent explanation from Network Rail as to why their engineering works at Surbiton have overrun," said a Department for Transport spokesman.

"In the meantime, we would urge passengers to check with their operator before attempting to travel."