In the past 6 months there have been 176 incorrect uses of customer alarms on South Western Railway trains, causing over 30 hours of delays.

The delays happened between December 2021 and May 2022 and they led to total delays of 1,825 minutes as well as nine service cancellations.

When an alarm is activated, the train must come to a standstill and the guard must walk the length it to investigate. This causes delays to the affected train but also any other trains which may be behind it.

The passenger alarms should only be used in the event of an emergency (such as a fire) and the penalty for intentionally activating an alarm incorrectly is £1,000.

Examples of the emergency alarms being used incorrectly include:

• A customer using the alarm because they had left an item of luggage on the platform, leading to a 7-minute delay 
• A 5-minute delay was caused by a passenger pressing the alarm because they felt anxious 
• A customer activating the alarm because they had dropped their phone out of a train window, which led to an 8-minute delay.

Non-urgent problems

South Western Railway is asking people to stop using the emergency alarm if their situation is not urgent.

Instead, customers are asked to speak to a guard, alight the train at the next station and seek assistance there, contact the British Transport Police on 61016 or Contact SWR on Twitter @SW_Help

"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."