Bedbugs on Southeastern Trains: What Has Been Confirmed After Services Were Cancelled
- 🔑 Southeastern says bedbugs were found in the driver cabs of only two of its trains and that none has been identified in passenger areas. It describes the cases as isolated. The wider account comes from a Telegraph exclusive of Friday 2 October 2026, so we attribute each claim.
- The Telegraph reports bugs in cabs at the West Marina train care depot near Hastings, East Sussex, with a first sighting on 22 September. Reports say at least three services were cancelled on Friday 2 October, with more cancellations also reported, citing internal messages and an alleged incident log.
- Four trains were reportedly flagged, and Southeastern says two were confirmed, then cleaned and returned to service. Reports say pest-control specialists arrived at the depot on Friday morning. An RMT spokesman says the union is working closely with the company; we found no ASLEF statement.
- No list of affected routes, stations or train numbers has been published, and coverage says only London and Kent. Some reports relaying the Telegraph say sightings were also reported on High Speed 1, but Southeastern says it has had no reports of bedbugs on those services.
- Bedbug Express is a nickname reportedly used by staff for one train that made several journeys on Tuesday 29 September 2026 with two carriages locked off. Accounts differ on why, and Southeastern says no bedbugs have been identified in passenger areas. Where headlines go further than the operator, we use its wording.
Southeastern says bedbugs were found in the driver cabs of two of its trains and that none has been identified in passenger areas, while a Telegraph exclusive of Friday 2 October 2026 says the problem led to cancelled London-Kent services. Almost every other detail in the coverage traces back to that single report, so this article attributes each claim and is pinned to Saturday 3 October 2026. Southeastern describes the cases as isolated.
What has been reported about bedbugs on Southeastern trains?
According to the Telegraph, bedbugs were found in the driver cabs of Southeastern trains, centred on the West Marina train care depot near Hastings, East Sussex, and some London-Kent services were cancelled. Reports relaying the story say the first sighting was on 22 September, that at least three services were cancelled on Friday 2 October, and that further cancellations were also reported. They say bugs were also found on drivers’ bags. The paper reportedly drew on internal messages and an alleged incident log. The depot serves Southeastern, the state-owned operator of London and Kent services. The Telegraph’s article is behind a paywall and we did not read it directly, so we have relied on the many reports that relay it and on Southeastern’s own statements.
What has Southeastern said?
Southeastern says the bedbug cases have been contained to the driver cabs of only two of its trains, with none identified in areas for passengers. The statement is attributed to its head of drivers, Oly Turner, and says that “no bed bugs have been identified in areas for passengers”. It calls the incidents isolated, says drivers have co-operated closely, and says that trains reported in this way are checked thoroughly and returned to service only once given the all-clear. It adds that trains and stations are cleaned robustly. Reports also quote Southeastern as saying four trains had been reported as having bedbugs, of which two were confirmed, then cleaned and returned to service.
Which trains and routes were affected?
Southeastern says two trains were confirmed as affected, and no list of affected routes, stations or train numbers has been published. Coverage refers only to London and Kent services, and reports say four trains were initially flagged. The table sets out where the reports and the operator’s account differ.
| Point | Reports say | Southeastern says |
|---|---|---|
| Trains | Four flagged | Two confirmed |
| Location | Cabs, drivers’ bags | Cabs only |
| Passenger areas | Two carriages locked | None identified |
| High Speed 1 | Sightings reported | None reported |
On High Speed 1, some reports relaying the Telegraph say sightings were also reported on those services, raising concern that the problem had spread. Southeastern says it has had no reports of bedbugs on them. We follow the operator’s statement and do not say High Speed 1 was affected.
What is the ‘Bedbug Express’?
‘Bedbug Express’ is a nickname that reports say staff gave to one affected train, said to have made several journeys between London and Kent on Tuesday 29 September 2026 with two carriages locked off. It is a press-reported nickname, not an official name. Accounts differ on why the carriages were locked: one says a driver spotted insects, another says a passenger did. Southeastern says no bedbugs have been identified in passenger areas. According to one report, the company said the train stayed in service so it could be returned to a suitable location for inspection and, if necessary, treatment.
What does the reported incident log say?
According to the Telegraph, an alleged incident log records one driver refusing to move an affected train around the depot unless given a full-body protective suit, and two services being cancelled when none could be provided. Reports say the driver’s concern was that bugs might transfer to them. The log has not been published, and the driver is not named in coverage; we have not tried to identify them. Reports also say internal messages showed staff raising concerns about the response. The Southeastern statement we have seen does not mention the log.
Who else has commented, and are the affected trains back in service?
An RMT union spokesman has said the union is working closely with Southeastern on a very difficult situation and shares concerns for passenger safety. We found no statement from ASLEF, the drivers’ union, in the coverage we reviewed. Southeastern says the two confirmed trains were cleaned before returning to service. Reports say pest-control specialists arrived at the depot on Friday morning, and a contractor seen there reportedly said only that it has a regular contract with Southeastern. We found no published update, as of Saturday 3 October 2026, on whether treatment at the depot is complete.
What is still not known?
As of Saturday 3 October 2026, the full list of cancelled services, the total number of cancellations since 22 September and whether depot treatment is finished have not been published. We also found no official press release or National Rail disruption notice that names bedbugs. Passengers wanting to check a particular journey can use Southeastern’s journey planner or National Rail’s disruption information, which show live running.
Why does the sourcing matter here?
Because this is a developing, single-origin story, the original claims are best treated as reported rather than established. What Southeastern itself has confirmed is that bedbugs were found in two driver cabs, that those trains were cleaned and returned to service, and that none has been identified in passenger areas. Several headlines used stronger language than the operator’s own account; where they differ, we have used the operator’s wording. We will revisit this report if Southeastern, the rail unions or National Rail publish more.