Fire breaks out on passenger train in south-west London

A fire has broken out on a passenger train in south-west London, leading to the evacuation of 300 passengers.

The fire broke out in a power unit on the South West Trains service in Berrylands, Surbiton, at 1030 GMT.

It took firefighters an hour to bring the fire under control. No-one was hurt in the incident.

Rail services from Guildford and Basingstoke into Waterloo have been suspended and services out of Waterloo have been disrupted.

A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman said: "A small fire broke out in a power unit under the train carriage."

It caused a "small amount" of damage to one of the carriages and two fire crews attended the incident.

She added: "Passengers were evacuated as a precautionary measure and there were no reported injuries."

'Walked on tracks'

A Network Rail spokesman said: "Passengers have been taken off the train safely by emergency services.

"There have been no injuries but there will be some disruption."

One passenger onboard the train said he had been delayed for two hours on his journey from Weybridge to Waterloo.

The 30-year-old, who did not want to be named, said some commuters got off the train and walked down the tracks to nearby stations.

He said: "Some people decided to brave the cold to get to other stations.

"Ironically, the meeting I was due to attend in London had actually been cancelled."