East Croydon signal failure: Transport chaos at London stations

18 December 2019, 19:00

Thousands of commuters are facing a nightmare journey home after a signal failure disrupted a major London route.

Two of the country's busiest stations are facing hours of delays and cancellations.

Commuters are labelling it the "worst transport chaos" they have ever seen.

All signals at East Croydon, south London switched to red at the start of Wednesday's evening rush hour.

Thameslink have advised all commuters not to travel via East Croydon and the Gatwick Express is also experiencing delays due to the issue.

Victoria and London Bridge are London's second and forth busiest stations, carrying 75 million and 48 million passengers in 2017/18 respectively.

Pictures on social media show London Victoria station, which serves parts of the south east of England, packed with commuters waiting for trains.

Passengers have been warned that severe disruption is expected for the rest of the day.

Rob Broomby, a TV producer, was stuck at Victoria and said it was the "worst transport chaos" he had experienced since the 1990s.

He added: "There was a lot of good humour in the bar as people settled in for a long wait, but when the platform indicators began flashing on and off it felt more like a Christmas tree with dodgy wiring."

Another of those stuck at Victoria was Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, Peter Kyle, who described the scenario as "not fit for modern Britain".

He apologised to customers and said staff would be "devastated" by the delays and cancellations.

He tweeted: "You deserve better.

"I'll continue fighting for the investment we need."

Earlier in the evening he had described the central London hub as "at a standstill" and said passengers had been "let down badly this evening".

Network Rail apologised and advised people to find other routes if possible.