AN abrupt end to the mild winter weather brought chaos on the Alton to Waterloo railway line last Friday.

South West Trains blamed “icy rail conditions” for widespread disruption across its network during the morning rush-hour.

The 8.14am train from Alton to Waterloo was held at Alton as ice on the line delayed trains arriving from London, disrupting later services and only setting off at reduced speed around an hour later.

“I am very sorry for the disruption that you may have experienced while travelling on our services [on Friday] morning,” said Christian Neill, South West Trains’ head of customer experience.

“I appreciate how frustrating it is when your train service doesn’t run as planned and information isn’t readily available.”

Mr Neill added that the operator routinely deploys special “de-icer” trains if temperatures are forecast to dip below two degrees Celsius. But forecasters failed to spot the frosty weather in some areas last Friday, made worse by heavy rain overnight and a subsequent build-up of ice.