SINKHOLES found under a railway bridge have caused all trains to and from Gatwick airport to be suspended leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
The holes near Purley Bridge in South London required “urgent repairs”, engineers from Network Rail have said and the line isn’t expected to open until tomorrow morning.
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Sinkholes on a railway bridge have suspend all trains to Gatwick Airport Credit: X/@SouthernRailUK
Travellers lined the road outside the airport while others waited hours for a rail replacement bus service Credit: X
All services between Purley and East Croydon were closed while an inspection was carried out by a structural engineer.
This has put a stop to all trains heading to Gatwick Airport and Brighton from London Bridge or London Victoria and left thousands stranded.
Travellers lined the road outside the airport while others waited hours for a rail replacement bus service.
The rail disruption has forced many passengers to drive to the airport resulting in major congestion as hundreds of cars try to get to the terminals.
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The sinkholes need ‘urgent repair’ engineers have said Credit: X/@SouthernRailUK
The railway line is set to reopen tomorrow morning Credit: X/
Many have taken to social media to express their fury and fear as tempers in the gathering crowds start to flare.
One user said: “Absolute shambles at Gatwick airport! People queuing for over 2 hours to get network replacement coach into London. Tempers flaring amongst crowds. I’m scared!!!”
Others said they were having to fork out for inflated Uber fares back to London.
They posted: “@uber why on earth do you think it’s acceptable to charge people £250 to get from Gatwick Airport to Croydon with all the trains being cancelled? Absolutely criminal!,”
Network Rail explained: “Sinkholes were spotted on the bridge, meaning that ballast, the stones that the track sits on, was falling through the gap, making the track unstable.
“We’ve since carried out a thorough inspection of the bridge and are working to safely plug the gaps so that trains can safely run again.”
Sinkholes appear when rock at the surface collapses and leaves a big hole.
They are often saucer-shaped and can form for many reasons.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “There are currently no trains running between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria or London Bridge due to blocked rail lines at Purley.
“Passengers travelling to the airport are advised to consider alternative routes and allow extra time for their journey.
“For those travelling from Gatwick Airport into London, rail replacement bus services are operating between the airport and East Croydon.
“Due to high demand, passengers at the airport may experience longer waiting times for rail replacement services, and we appreciate your patience while alternative transport is in place.”
Network Rail later took to X to apologise for the disruption and said the lines had to be closed “for the safety of passengers”.
“Over the course of the afternoon our engineers have carried out thorough inspections on the bridge and have worked to plug the sinkholes, allowing trains to safely run again,” they said.
“Though trains are now running we do expect there to be disruption into the night so we’re urging passengers to check before travelling.
“We will be accepting today’s tickets on tomorrow’s services due to the disruption today.”
However, Southern Rail still urged passengers not to travel, saying: “You are strongly advised to delay your journey. A very limited service is now able to run, however these services are expected to be full.”
