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Substation fire leads to widespread rail disruption

BBC A free-standing illuminated display board in Southampton Central station warns of major disruption between Bournemouth and Brockenhurst.BBC
Signs at Southampton Central warned travellers of disruption

A fire in an electrical substation next to a railway track caused widespread disruption on the rail network.

The blaze at New Milton in Hampshire led to the closure of the line between Bournemouth and Brockenhurst, with it reopening on Tuesday evening.

But National Rail warned that trains could still be delayed by up to 45 minutes, revised or cancelled.

Other major disruption is expected to continue until the end of Tuesday.

A departures board showing cancelled and delayed services
The fire affected services to London and Manchester

Fire crews were called to reports of smoke at the substation shortly after 06:30 BST.

Hampshire fire service said crews used ventilation fans to clear the smoke and stood down at 08:45.

Affected routes included:

  • CrossCountry services between Bournemouth, Southampton, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester
  • Great Western Railway services between Weymouth and Paddington, between Basingstoke and Paddington via Reading, and between Southampton and Westbury via Salisbury
  • Southern Railways between Southampton Central and Victoria via Havant