National Rail gives update after train services delayed across UK – live

This depends on how long you were delayed, how much you paid for your ticket, and the type of ticket.

Under the National Rail Conditions of Travel, passengers who arrive at least an hour later than scheduled are entitled to a minimum of half the price paid for a single ticket, or a quarter of the price paid for a return ticket.

But many operators go beyond this, with many using the Delay Repay scheme.

DR15 makes payouts after delays of 15 minutes, while DR30 only offers compensation for delays of half an hour.

A fault with a radio system which disrupted train services this morning has now been fixed, Network Rail has said.

In a post on social media, they 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 system is now working normally.

“We’re sorry if your journey has been affected today as a result of this issue.”

Delays and cancellations are the order of the day at London Paddington station – which is the second busiest in the country after London Liverpool Street.

Intercity trains from the west of England and South Wales have been arriving late – with one, from Carmarthen via Swansea and Cardiff, currently almost three hours behind schedule. It is not known if this is connected with the Network Rail communications fault.

Other long-distance trains are generally arriving 10 or 20 minutes behind schedule, though Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express trains are now running more or less to timetable.

National Rail have said that Southeastern services have been cleared of the issue, as the fault with the radio system between train drivers and signallers no longer affecting their lines.

Network Rail has a special communication system used between train drivers and signallers, known as GSM-R. This railway-specific system is designed to allow digital communication at all times, including while trains are in areas such as tunnels and deep cuttings where previous analogue systems did not work.

A spokesperson for Network Rail told The Independent: “We have discovered a fault with the railway’s radio communication system that is preventing it from automatically ‘logging on’. The back-up manual log-in system is being used instead, causing a few minutes of delay at the start of the day. Once up and running the system is working normally and the impact for passengers is minimal.”

As early as 5am. The first train of the day from Salisbury to London Waterloo was cancelled “due to a problem with train communications”, and that line – which connects Exeter with the capital – has seen a series of cancellations.

Of all the big commuter stations in London, Waterloo has been hardest hit.

Normally 200,000 passengers per day would use it, but many of them had problems getting to work.

National Rail has said the issue use due to a “nationwide fault” with the radio system used between train drivers and signal operators.

Passengers are advised that many journeys will be forced to begin later than planned for the duration of the day.

Read the full explainer from Albert Toth here:

Network Rail has now issued a statement, which talks of a “minimal” impact for passengers.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We have discovered a fault with the railway’s radio communication system that is preventing it from automatically ‘logging on’.

“The back-up manual log-in system is being used instead causing a few minutes of delay at the start of the day. Once up and running the system is working normally and the impact for passengers is minimal.”