Forest Hill sinkhole: Commuters braced for travel chaos told to stay away from London Bridge

Hatty Collier19 July 2016

Rail bosses today urged commuters to stay away from London Bridge station as engineers battled to repair a huge sinkhole beneath a section of track.

Passengers are braced for an evening of travel chaos on the hottest day of the year so far after the hole opened up in Forest Hill, south-east London, forcing the closure of two major rail lines.

Network Rail said 50 tonnes of ballast was being transported to the site to the fill the hole, which is four metres deep.

Engineers will be working throughout the night to try to fix the problem ahead of tomorrow morning’s rush hour.

Trains cancelled: Passengers are advised to take alternative routes
National Rail

The sinkhole has affected Southern Rail and London Overground services on the two railway lines between East Croydon and London Bridge.

All four lines between Norwood Junction and London Bridge will be closed from 10pm tonight, while engineers carry out major repairs, Network Rail said.

Police have been called out to assist with rush hour crowds at several stations after passengers were urged to travel via Victoria and Blackfriars instead.

Many commuters took to social media to vent their frustration at the disruption.

Delays: Commuterd wait for information
Luke Purser

Stephen Edwards tweeted a picture of one of the departure boards at London Bridge station, which listed every train within the next hour as delayed or cancelled.

He said: “More police than Southern staff at London Bridge station tonight.”

Luke Purser tweeted: “Can a train that's not running also be late? No trains. No info. No clue.

”Aimy Saunders said: “Oh good. I’m looking forward to trying to go home when there’s a giant sinkhole in the way.”

Another, named Laura C, who had managed to board a service despite the disruption, wrote: “I fear Southern Rail may cook me alive in this train.”

A Network Rail spokesman said: “More than 50 tonnes of ballast, which supports the track, is on its way to site to fill the hole and engineers will be working through the evening and throughout the night to try and fix the problem.

“There will be a reduced service this evening from London Bridge as people head home and we would encourage people to seek alternative routes if possible.

“Our aim is to have the railway fixed for tomorrow morning but holes like this can be unpredictable.

“Until the ballast is packed into the hole we won’t know for certain if the hole is stable or not so passengers are advised to check before they travel.”

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