Southern and Thameslink services into London Bridge disrupted on Tuesday 19 July

Southern and Thameslink services into London Bridge disrupted on Tuesday 19 July

Southern and Thameslink services into London Bridge are being disrupted this morning as Network Rail Engineers work to repair the hole underneath the railway tracks at Forest Hill. The hole appeared yesterday afternoon and leads down to a sewer which runs underneath the tracks.

Network Rail has closed all four lines between East Croydon and London Bridge while it makes repairs, meaning that a much reduced service will serve London Bridge today with many services diverted or cancelled.

The following service is operating until further notice today:

• Horsham to London Bridge services are diverted to Victoria
• East Grinstead, Uckfield, Caterham and Tattenham Corner services to London Bridge are running, but are being diverted via Crystal Palace.
• Mainline services to London Bridge from Littlehampton, Bognor Regis and Eastbourne are cancelled.

Southern and Thameslink tickets are being accepted on London Buses, London Underground, South West Trains, Southeastern and London Overground services on any reasonable route.

Paul Rutter, area director for Network Rail, said: "Following investigations, a collapsed sewer has been found at the site of the hole which was found on the railway in the Forest Hill area yesterday. Network Rail engineers have been working with our counterparts at Thames Water throughout the night to identify and fix this problem as quickly and as safely as possible.

"Because of the location of the hole we are unable to run trains on this track through to London Bridge this morning and it looks likely that disruption to services will continue throughout the day. Passengers are advised to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys. Further details will follow as soon as they are available. We apologise sincerely for the disruption and assure passengers both Network Rail and Thames Water are working hard to restore the railway to full capacity."

Passengers are advised to check before they travel using journey planners and allow extra time for their journeys.

Passengers delayed by 30 minutes or more are entitled to claim compensation at www.southernrailway.com/delayrepay.