Rail passengers face second day of delays after Waterloo derailment

A second day of rush-hour problems on Britain’s rail network has compounded the disruption caused by large-scale upgrade works – 24 hours after commuters learned of the biggest fare increases in recent years.

Passengers face delays on trains travelling across the Pennines and up to the north-east of England. Services to and from some of London’s busiest stations were also affected.

Tuesday’s train derailment outside Waterloo station and a separate points failure nearby were still causing significant problems on Wednesday, while issues with two lines in south, west and north-east London led to further delays for commuters in the capital.

Trains were unable to run between Peterborough in Cambridgeshire and Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk after a freight train derailed on Monday.

There were also lengthy delays across northern England after emergency services were called to deal with an incident at Huddersfield after a man was hit by a train.

British Transport Police said they and an ambulance crew were called at 6.21am. “A man in his 50s was taken to hospital for treatment for serious injuries and remains in a critical but stable condition. It is not being treated as suspicious.”

The line was reopened before 8am but the entire rush hour was expected to be affected.

On Monday, it was announced that rail fares for commuters in England and Wales would increase by 3.6% from January – the biggest annual increase in five years.

About 40% of rail fares will be affected, including some season tickets, long-distance off-peak return tickets and anytime tickets in many cities. The rate is linked to the retail price index and there were calls to freeze fares to protect struggling commuters.

The mayor of London’s price freeze applied to pay as you go and single fares, while travelcards, used by many in London, were not frozen.

Sadiq Khan said he did not have the power to freeze those prices, though documents drawn up by Transport for London suggested it believed that was not the case.

South West Trains, which runs services at Waterloo station in the capital, said: “As a result of yesterday’s disruption, many trains are not in their scheduled location this morning, so some alterations may be necessary, and some trains may be formed of less coaches than normal.

“Engineers have worked overnight, however a further issue has now been found, which is affecting [platforms] 11 and 12.”

A spokesman said: “I fully appreciate how frustrating it is when your train service doesn’t run as planned and we are extremely grateful for your patience and support during today’s disruption and continued support throughout the Waterloo upgrade project. We are sorry for any difficulties you experienced.”