Desperate holidaymakers have been queuing outside Gatwick Airport for hours after sinkholes near a railway bridge led to the cancellation of all trains to London. Network Rail engineers discovered a number of sinkholes close to a bridge during planned engineering work outside Purley. Citing passenger safety, all lines between Purley and East Croydon were closed, leaving travelers scrambling for alternative ways to reach the major airport.
Chaos at Gatwick
Some passengers reported taxi fares as high as £250 to get to East Croydon, while others waited hours for replacement buses. One traveler described the scene as an absolute shambles, with people queuing for over two hours for network replacement coaches into London. Tempers flared among the crowds, and many expressed fear and frustration on social media.
Service Disruption Expected Until Monday
Network Rail stated that the line is expected to remain out of action until at least Monday morning and urged people not to travel. A spokesperson said: We are sorry to passengers who have been impacted by this, and we are working to safely open the railway as quickly as possible. Southern Railway also advised customers not to travel, warning that limited alternative routes would be extremely busy, with delays of 90 minutes or more.
Southern Rail Travel Advice
- Services between London Bridge and Caterham are running as normal but may see some delays.
- Services from London Victoria towards Bognor Regis or Portsmouth Harbour will divert via Dorking where possible and will not run between Clapham Junction and Horsham.
- Services from London Victoria towards Ore or Littlehampton will only run as far as Haywards Heath, with cancellations between London Victoria and Haywards Heath.
- Services between London Victoria and East Grinstead are running as normal but may see some delays.
- There is no service between Purley and Tattenham Corner.
Travelers are advised to check for updates and seek alternative transport where possible.
