UK train operators affected by mass IT outage with delays expected

Train operators throughout the UK are affected by a worldwide IT outage.

The incident which occurred this morning has grounded flights across the world and has affected banks and retail. Many of the country’s train operators are suffering in some capacity.

In a statement issued by National Rail they said that IT issues were affecting a number of services this morning.

“As a result, some train operators are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice train cancellations.

“Additional, other key systems including real-time customer information platforms, are also affected.”

Govia companies including Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express reported early this morning that they were suffering with IT outages and unable to access driver systems and customer information platforms.

C2C and Hull Trains reported issues with vending machines and also ongoing issues with its apps.

In the north west, Northern and Merseyrail both reported information systems not displaying correctly however, trains were running to a normal service, although they have warned passengers to expect some delays. Open access operator Lumo has also reported issues with ticket purchasing facilities.

Network Rail has moved to reassure passengers in the last hour that the network’s essential train control, communication and running systems are unaffected. However, have advised that short delays could still affect services throughout the delay due to short notice delays and cancellations.

The IT outage has been blamed on an update to the Crowdstrike cybersecurity system which is used by thousands of companies worldwide. The issues has particularly affected companies that operate Microsoft systems.