Overview
- Staff first reported bedbugs in driver cabs at Southeastern’s West Marina depot, prompting several services to be taken off schedules and some carriages to be sealed.
- Drivers refused to board or reposition affected trains without full‑body protective suits, according to internal messages, and those refusals contributed to cancellations.
- Pest control teams were sent to the depot and a contractor van was observed on site as technicians inspected and treated trains.
- Southeastern said four trains were reported, two infestations were verified and those units were cleaned and returned to service, and no passenger areas or High Speed 1 services have been identified as affected.
- Commuter concern remains high because bedbugs are hard to eradicate and a similar surge of sightings in 2023 led to wider inspections and public alarm, which could prompt more checks and union talks about staff safety.