Network Rail reveals cause of major south coast railway disruption after passengers told 'do not travel'; some people won't have to buy a new ticket on Monday
Network Rail has revealed that a number of sinkholes, discovered on a bridge, caused major disruption across south coast train services.
Passengers were advised not to travel for much of the day on Sunday (June 14) – after emergency repairs blocked key routes, causing widespread cancellations and severe delays on services between London and the south coast.
Earlier on Sunday, Southern Rail warned customers that urgent repair works to a bridge in Purley meant trains were unable to run to, from or through the station. The operator said there were limited alternative routes available and warned some journeys could take up to 90 minutes longer than usual.
Late on Sunday evening, Network Rail confirmed the disruption was caused by sinkholes found during planned engineering work on lines outside Purley.
In a statement posted on social media, Network Rail advised: "During our planned engineering work on the lines outside Purley, engineers discovered that a number of sinkholes had appeared on a bridge south of the station.
"For the safety of passengers, we had to close all lines between Purley and East Croydon, impacting journeys towards Gatwick Airport."
The closure severed a key route between London and Gatwick Airport, forcing passengers to seek alternative travel arrangements and causing significant disruption across Southern and Thameslink networks.
Network Rail said engineers spent the afternoon carrying out detailed inspections of the bridge and undertaking repairs.
The statement continued: "Over the course of the afternoon our engineers have carried out thorough inspections on the bridge and have worked to plug the sinkholes, allowing trains to safely run again."
Although services resumed later in the evening, passengers were warned that disruption could continue into the night.
Network Rail urged customers to check before travelling and confirmed that tickets dated Sunday would be accepted on Monday's services because of the disruption.
The spokesperson added: "We understand this made customers' journeys between London and Gatwick Airport very challenging today, and we apologise for the impact this has had."
Southern Rail and Thameslink passengers are being advised to continue checking journey planners and live travel updates before setting off.