South London has been thrown into travel chaos as a derailment and signal failure caused widespread closures across regional rail services, writes Rich Brann…
A train derailing at a Selhurst depot was followed by signal failures at the critical London Bridge area, seriously affecting services on Govia Thameslink, Southern Rail, and Gatwick Express, with many trains either cancelled, delayed by up to an hour, or having their service revised.
National Rail issued a rare ‘Do Not Travel’ warning at 8am this morning, advising commuters on Thameslink, Gatwick Express and some Southern trains to find alternative routes or use other services where tickets will be accepted.
Despite the warning being lifted two hours later, very significant disruption is still expected until the end of the day and cancellations are to be expected.
Key services from London Bridge to East Grinstead, Orpington to Luton, Brighton to Cambridge, and Bedford to Three Bridges remain cancelled until further notice.
Southern Rail advised that commuters attempting to reach London Bridge may do better to instead use their services to make their way to Victoria and travel on from there.
Southern services from Epsom to London Bridge are also suspended until further notice, with an image provided by the operator showing the worst disruption in red and lesser delays in orange.
Commuters can use their tickets at no extra cost on any Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, and Thameslink services to reach their destination.
Tickets can also be used on any reasonable route when travelling on tram, Underground, or bus services in South London, including the Elizabeth Line between Farringdon and Abbey Wood, with more details available here.
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Despite ongoing disruption, Gatwick Airport advised that the station was still open and services still operating, with air passengers told to expect delays and ensure they have plenty of time for their journey today.
In addition, significant delays are also expected on the Overground between West Croydon and Highbury and Islington as a result of the Selhurst derailment.
An image from Southern Rail’s social media showed one of their trains partly off the rails at Selhurst, a key depot for regional services across the South East and the Brighton Main Line.
The operator announced that the derailment was preventing trains from leaving the depot and that no injuries had been reported.
Meanwhile, the signal fault in the London Bridge area comes at a critical area of the Thameslink and Southern Rail networks where multiple branches of their cross-country and South London services come together, helping to explain the scale of the shutdown.
Network Rail clarified it was working to fix the issue ‘as quickly as possible’.
This comes as Thameslink made an apology for recent delays and disruption on their network, citing recurring electrical issues with their signalling infrastructure at City Thameslink, a key station through which almost all services run before branching out into South London and beyond.
Passengers experiencing long delays across Southern Rail, Govia Thameslink and Gatwick Express services may be entitled to compensation.
