Major disruption between Woking and Ash Vale / Basingstoke expected until the end of the day 

Route(s) affected

Between London Waterloo and Aldershot/ Alton / Basingstoke / Portsmouth Harbour / Southampton Central / Salisbury / Yeovil Junction / Bournemouth / Weymouth / Exeter St Davids

Description

The police are dealing with an incident between Woking and Brookwood meaning that all lines are closed. As a result, trains running between Woking and Ash Vale / Basingstoke may be cancelled or severely delayed by up to 90 minutes or revised.

Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer advice:

Long Distance, Mainline Services and Suburban Services

Services passing through Woking or starting and finishing their journeys at Woking are currently unable to run until this incident is resolved, and may be altered to avoid the Woking area or cancelled completely.

How do I get to my destination?

You can expect significant delays to your journey so please consider alternative routes if possible. South Western Railway will also look to arrange replacement transport due to the disruption this incident is causing, so far confirmed buses start running from about 18:00 from Woking and also a limited bus service from Basingstoke and Southampton Central from about 18:15 please speak to station staff for updates on this and where buses will be going towards. Please check for updates to your journey as its likely your train may be cancelled or altered.

Your ticket can be used, at no extra cost, on the following:

• Great Western Railway services between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids, also between Reading and Basingstoke

• Southern services between London Victoria and Portsmouth Harbour / Southampton Central

• London Underground:

  • Jubilee line from London Waterloo towards Westminster and change at Westminster for District line to London Victoria

  • Victoria Line between Vauxhall and London Victoria

  • Bakerloo line between London Waterloo and London Paddington

  • Northern line between Tottenham Court Road and London Waterloo

• First Bus Rail Air 2 between Guildford - Woking - Heathrow Airport

Further travel information:

If your journey has been significantly disrupted, you can arrange your own taxi and claim the cost back through the South Western Railway website for travel between London Waterloo and Basingstoke / Guildford. To make a claim, please use the dedicated form and provide:

• Your full contact details

• The date and time of your journey

• The stations you travelled from and to

• Details of the disruption and why you are making the claim

• Copies of your valid train ticket(s)

• A valid taxi receipt showing the company name, journey details including time of travel, pick up location, destination and fare paid

• Any supporting evidence, where applicable

Please note that claims must be submitted within 28 days of travel, and Smartcard customers should ensure they have correctly tapped in and tapped out where applicable.

Tickets dated for today, Thursday 22 October 2026, can now also be used tomorrow, Friday 23 October due to the disruption caused today.

If you need any help with your journey, please speak to a member of staff or use a station help point.

If you would prefer to use local buses to continue your journey please check Traveline. South Western Railway tickets are not valid on local buses unless stated above.

Ticket flexibility:

If your train is cancelled, you will be able to travel on an alternative service operated by any other participating train company, either two hours before or two hours after the original departure time of the cancelled service, in order to reach your destination.

If you decide not to travel or cannot complete your journey due to cancellations, you are entitled to a full refund from your original point of sale.

For further information and guidance please contact your train company or speak to a member of railway staff.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail real-time Journey Planner.

For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page.

You can find the pick-up and drop-off location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page.

Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

Compensation:

You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.