Train services in UK cancelled after bedbug infestation

One train was nicknamed ‘Bedbug Express’

According to The Telegraph, trains run by Southeastern have been removed from schedules after staff discovered the bugs crawling inside carriages.

There are fears the bugs are spreading as sightings have also been reported on Southeastern’s High Speed 1 line services.

West Marina train care depot near Hastings, East Sussex are said to be affected by the outbreak.

As per The Telegraph, internal messages reveal that drivers have found bedbugs in their cabs and crawling on their bags.

They have have refused to board affected trains, while accusing their bosses of failing to take the issue seriously.

What happened on Friday as services got cancelled

On Friday (2 October), at least three services were cancelled, with more having been cancelled since the first sighting on Sept 22.

One train on Tuesday, which by insiders was nicknamed Bedbug Express, did several journeys between London and Kent stations with two carriages locked and out of use.

A driver reportedly saw the insects at one end of the train.

On Friday morning, pest controllers were called to the West Marina depot, while a van was parked outside the staff entrance on Cliftonville Road.

As per The Telegraph, service control logs shared by concerned railway staff revealed the full details of how the “Bedbug Express” was allowed to run.

According to a Southeastern spokesman, four trains had been reported as having bedbugs on them.

Two of them were confirmed and cleaned before being returned to service.

A sharp rise in the number of bedbug sightings on trains, partly blamed on a resurgence in travel after the Covid-19 pandemic, caused panic among commuters three years ago.

The small brown insects hide in warm nooks and crevices of beds and other furniture, before creeping out at night to bite humans, causing spots and rashes.

The insects are described as “nits for fully grown adults”.

Usually, removing them is expensive and time-consuming, and can involve disposing of infested large furnishings.