Network Rail has issued an apology to passengers after multiple sinkholes appeared on a railway bridge in South London, leading to the cancellation of trains between London and Gatwick Airport throughout Sunday and into the early hours of Monday.
Sinkholes discovered during scheduled works
The rail operator stated that engineers were conducting planned maintenance on the line outside Purley on Sunday, June 14, when they identified several sinkholes on a bridge that required immediate repairs. This discovery forced the suspension of all rail services between Purley and East Croydon, including all trains connecting London and Gatwick Airport. The Gatwick Express was also affected and did not resume operations until early Monday morning.
At 2:14 a.m., rail operators including Southern Rail, Thameslink, and Gatwick Express announced on X that the disruption had ended, and passengers delayed by more than 15 minutes were directed to claim refunds.
Network Rail's response
A Network Rail spokesperson commented: "We are sorry for the disruption passengers experienced today on the line between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport. During our planned engineering work on the lines outside Purley, engineers discovered a number of sinkholes on a bridge south of the station. For passenger safety, we had to close all lines between Purley and East Croydon, impacting journeys toward Gatwick Airport."
The spokesperson added: "Throughout the afternoon, our engineers conducted thorough inspections of the bridge and worked to fill the sinkholes, allowing trains to run safely again. Although trains are now running, we expect some disruption into the night, so we urge passengers to check before traveling. We will accept today's tickets on tomorrow's services due to the disruption. We understand this made journeys between London and Gatwick Airport very challenging, and we apologize for the impact."
Passengers are advised to check with their train operator for the latest updates and to claim compensation if their journey was delayed by more than 15 minutes.
