Hot weather suspends South Western Railway route travelling through New Forest and Christchurch

ALL trains travelling on the South Western Railway route from London Waterloo to Bournemouth have been suspended until 7pm this evening (Tuesday).

Network Rail Wessex confirmed this afternoon the route, which includes New Forest and Christchurch stations, was one of three halted due to "exceptional temperatures".

A spokesperson said: "We’re very sorry for the disruption. These are exceptional temperatures that our infrastructure has never seen before.

"We’ve identified areas where we could see rails buckling due to temperatures of over 50C.

"While we already have speed restrictions in place, trains would have to travel even slower in those areas. This means it isn’t possible to operate a working timetable on these routes.

"That’s why, for the safety of our passengers and our colleagues, we have had to take the difficult decision to suspend these services."

To plan your journey, visit: www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey