London rail commuters face chaos as 50ft ‘sinkhole’ opens up under tracks
Dozens of trains cancelled, suspended and diverted in and around the capital
RAIL commuters are being warned they face rush hour chaos after a 50 foot 'sinkhole' opened under tracks at Forest Hill disrupting Southern and London Overground trains.
The deep hole - which is also six feet wide - is said to be affecting two railway tracks between East Croydon and London Bridge and many trains are already suspended and diverted.
The mega hole is expected to cause chaos for commuters travelling home this evening and passengers are being advised to take alternative routes.
All lines between London Bridge and East Croydon, south London, were taken off service, with the hole opening up in Forest Hill, south east London.
According to Southern Rail, trains were still able to run northbound between East Croydon and London Victoria, but rail replacement buses were being put in place for stations between East Croydon and London Bridge.
A signalling fault had already forced trains to run at reduced speeds southbound between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport in the morning and resulting delays were expected to last well into the afternoon.
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The appearance of the hole further delayed trains for the operator which has been plagued by problems for several months.
Strike action and high levels of staff illness has meant that several services have been cancelled on a nearly daily basis.
The disruption to the service led to staff being sacked for constantly arriving late to work, and eventually even rail minister Claire Perry resigned over the farce.
Disgruntled passengers took to Twitter to complain of the latest setback to the company's services while other poked fun at the situation.
Richard Grange said: "You couldn't make it up. Southern Rail now hit by a giant sinkhole. I'm almost grateful to be shackled to Thameslink."
Another user going by the name of Iain said: "Can someone please throw the Southern Rail management in the Forest Hill hole so at least some good comes out of it?"
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Our engineers are on site investigating a hole which has appeared next to the track at Forest Hill.
“As a result, two of the four railway lines in the area have been closed for safety reasons.
“Some trains are being diverted and we urge passengers travelling between London Bridge and East Croydon to check before they travel.
“We will update passengers with more information as soon we can.”
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