Widespread train disruption as rail workers unable to log in to radio communication system

Travelers in the UK are experiencing delays as engineers discovered that railway staff were unable to automatically access a radio communication system.

National Rail reported that an issue was found in the GSMR radio system, which enables communication between train drivers and signal operators, even when trains are in tunnels.

A secondary manual login system is currently operational, but it is resulting in "a slight delay of a few minutes."

Recent nationwide outage disrupts rush hour.

National Rail stated that they are looking into this matter and warned that they anticipate the delays impacting some of their services will continue until noon.

Due to this issue, trains throughout the network are beginning their trips later than scheduled, and some may be canceled or changed as a result.

A social media update indicated that flights on the Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, and Thameslink services might be canceled, delayed by as much as 15 minutes, or adjusted.

The Elizabeth line services to Heathrow Airport have been impacted as well, and travelers are advised to wait for the next train that comes along.

ScotRail passengers can now take "any reasonable route" to complete their journey due to the problem.

South Western Railway informed travelers that there could be delays in their services.

In a follow-up announcement just before noon, it was confirmed that the issue with the radio system had been resolved.

A representative from the government-owned company announced, "We identified a nighttime issue with our railway radio system in England and Wales that originated from one of our main hubs near Stoke. This problem has now been resolved."

The issue required train operators to manually connect to the national radio network instead of the process being automatic.

The system is functioning normally now.

"We apologize if your travel plans have been disrupted today due to this problem."

If you're looking to get reimbursed, National Rail suggests that passengers retain their train tickets and record their travel details, as both will aid in filing a claim.

Helen Dewdney, an expert in consumer rights and the founder of The Complaining Cow website, mentioned that if a flight is delayed for over 60 minutes, passengers have the right to receive a refund of 50%.

A traveler making the journey from Portsmouth to Basingstoke at 6:32 AM mentioned that he had to shell out £54 for an Uber taxi since it’s the beginning of his new job.

Matthew stated to Sky News that he plans to recover the funds from South Western Railway.

Explore further: My train is running late or has been cancelled - am I eligible for a refund?

"Uncommon issue causing the hold-up"

GSMR is created to allow train drivers and signal controllers to stay in constant digital contact, even when trains are in tunnels or other locations where traditional analog systems fail to operate.

It was implemented to enhance safety and lower expenses by replacing the outdated and inefficient systems that were costly to upkeep.

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Railway reporter Nigel Harris mentioned that in his 40 years of reporting on the industry, he has never encountered a problem like this one, calling the defect "extremely unusual."

He proposed that it might have been caused by a technical issue or possibly a cyber attack, stating, "We're simply uncertain."

"It might only take a few moments to restart something, or it could lead to prolonged turmoil," he stated to Sky News.

The message from Network Rail sounds pretty positive, so I'm hoping we'll have everything up and running again by lunchtime.