Commuters at Surbiton station faced chaos on Friday morning, after several trains into London were either cancelled or delayed by nearly an hour.

South West Trains (SWT) services were blighted by another day of disruption caused by extreme icy conditions, which at one point led to six Waterloo-bound trains in a row being cancelled.

The delays caused havoc during the morning rush hour, with passengers unable to get on the train because it was already packed.

Several commuters were also voicing their frustrations on social networking website Twitter. One user complained that he had to wait 40 minutes for his train, while Chris Baker said: “Had to wait longer for a train at Surbiton this morning than any other day this week.”

A spokesman from SWT said problems to the services were caused by the freezing temperatures, which were causing problems with the power supply to the railway line. She denied the lack of trains was caused by drivers not turning up for work.

She said: “In terms of the main reason for the reduced service, it is largely due to the freezing temperatures which cause ice to form on the conductor rail (the rail which supplies power to the trains) - this can lead to intermittent problems with the power supply to the trains.

“Low temperatures can also cause issues with signalling points and overhead lines.

“Along with Network Rail, we are doing everything we can to operate as many services as possible and we aim to continue to restore more services as we go through the day.”

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