Google Cloud suspended major customer Railway.com without cause, causing outage

Railway.com, a major customer of Google Cloud and a platform that automates code deployment, experienced a significant service outage after Google Cloud suspended its account without prior warning or clear cause. The suspension rendered Railway’s cloud resources invisible, leading to widespread service disruptions including login failures, dashboard inaccessibility, and error messages such as “no healthy upstream.” The outage began on May 19 and persisted into the following day, severely impacting Railway’s ability to operate its platform. The incident highlights ongoing tensions between Railway and Google Cloud, as Railway had previously shifted much of its infrastructure to colocation services in 2024 due to repeated issues with Google’s platform that threatened its business viability. Despite this, Railway maintained critical components, including its control plane and databases, within Google Cloud, incurring annual costs in the eight-figure range. Railway’s engineering team reported a delayed response from Google’s support, taking about an hour to engage after the suspension occurred. The company is actively seeking clarity on the reasons behind the suspension, speculating that an enforcement rule may have been triggered inadvertently. Railway’s status updates indicate a gradual restoration of services, with enterprise deployments remaining unaffected while non-enterprise deployments continue to face interruptions. The company has publicly apologized to its customers, emphasizing its responsibility for uptime despite the root cause lying with Google. This episode underscores the risks associated with dependency on major cloud providers, especially when account suspensions occur abruptly and without transparent communication. Google has faced criticism before for similar actions, including a notable 2024 incident where it wiped out rented infrastructure without warning. The situation raises broader questions about cloud service reliability, customer support responsiveness, and the need for clearer protocols when suspending accounts. Railway’s experience serves as a cautionary tale for businesses heavily reliant on cloud platforms, highlighting the potential operational and reputational damage from sudden service disruptions beyond their control.