Commuters trying to get home to Brighton and Hove were offered a “hole” new excuse this afternoon (Monday 18 July).
Network Rail said that passengers on Southern and Thameslink services were being delayed “after a hole was found underneath the railway tracks at Forest Hill” in south London.
Avoid London Bridge was the advice, with Network Rail adding: “Two lines into London Bridge are closed. Southern services into and out of London Bridge are severely disrupted with many services diverted, starting/terminating short of their destinations or cancelled. These alterations will remain in place until the end of service today.
“Thameslink services between Brighton and London Bridge are starting/terminating at Gatwick Airport.
“Earlier today a hole believed to be four metres deep was found in the Forest Hill area.
“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 (Tuesday 19 July) 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.”
