South Western Railway has seen 176 incidents involving customer’s incorrect use of the alarms over a 6-month period which resulted in over 30 hours of delays.

The rail operator is urging customers to find alternative ways to seek assistance in non-emergency situations as the incorrect use of passenger communication alarms on their services has seen 1,825 minutes of delays and nine service cancellations from December 2021 to May 2022.

This issue is also common amongst other rail operators with Greater Anglia reporting 17 hours of rail delays over a 6 month period due to the incorrect usage of emergency alarms last year.

Once an alarm is activated, the train guard has to walk through the train to investigate the incident with the train being at a standstill. This action causes delays on the train which has seen the alarm triggered and also means that trains are stuck behind it which leads to substantial and needless disruption.

Alarms are there for emergency situations such as a fire on a train. The penalty for intentionally activating an alarm incorrectly is £1,000.

Examples of incorrect alarm usage on South Western Railway over the 6 month period have included:

• Activation of an alarm because the customer was feeling anxious which led to a 5-minute delay
• Activation of an alarm because of forgotten luggage on a platform which led to a 7-minute delay
• Activation of an alarm because the customer claimed they had dropped their phone out of a train window which lead to an 8-minute delay
• Activation of an alarm because a customer became concerned about an unattended bag which led to a 17-minute delay

For non-emergency situations, customers are urged to find different ways to get help such as:

• Speaking to the onboard guard or any staff member
• Getting off at the next station to seek assistance from staff or use the help point button
• Contact the British Transport Police on 61016
• Contact SWR on Twitter @SW_Help

Christian Neill, Customer Experience Director for South Western Railway, commented: “Customer alarms should only be used in emergencies. Improper activations cause significant disruption to services, negatively impacting staff, and other customers.

“SWR has robust measures in place to support customers who are feeling unwell or to tackle disorder. Customers in need of assistance should speak to a member of staff or contact the British Transport Police by texting 61016.”