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London Victoria travel chaos due to signal problems Rail signal chaos hits London Victoria commuters
(about 2 hours later)
Passengers have been advised to avoid London Victoria railway station after a signal failure caused major disruption across London. Tens of thousands of train passengers are facing long journeys home after faulty signalling equipment caused major disruption across London.
Gatwick Express services are suspended while Southern and Thameslink trains are badly affected, National Rail said. Commuters in the capital have been told to avoid London Victoria station if using Southern, Gatwick Express or Thameslink trains.
There was a total loss of signalling power in the Streatham Common area, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said. Journeys have been cancelled and delayed by up to 60 minutes after the fault in Streatham, south London.
Disruption began on Wednesday night and is expected to continue into Friday morning, National Rail added. National Rail says disruption will last until at least 07:00 BST on Friday.
Victoria is the second busiest station in Great Britain with 75.8 million passenger entries and exits, according to Network Rail figures in 2016-17. Network Rail, the government-owned company responsible for maintaining rail infrastructure, offered a "sincere apology" to customers.
Both Southern and Thameslink have advised passengers not to travel to the capital. Passengers were initially told to expect normal services to resume by 14:00 on Thursday after the fault was discovered on Wednesday night.
Southeastern trains said their services to and from Victoria are running normally. The cause of the fault has been traced to the failure of the power supply linked to signalling equipment.
A spokesman from GTR, which operates Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express, said: "In the meantime passengers are urged not to travel from the south on our remaining services, which will be heavily overcrowded." A statement from Network Rail said that while a "temporary fix" was put in place after engineers worked overnight, significant disruption would continue across affected lines.
Victoria is the second busiest station in Great Britain.
About 210,000 passengers use the station a day, according to average figures collected for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in 2016-17.
Gatwick Express services were suspended on Thursday while Southern and Thameslink trains were badly affected.
Kevin Liffey, 54, missed his sister's funeral in Jersey because he could not get to Gatwick Airport from his home in East Finchley in time for his flight.
That was despite spending £90 on a taxi from Victoria after being told he would not be able to catch the Gatwick Express from there.
He said: "It just shows we cannot rely on public transport at the most basic level.
"It's just not really acceptable in a country that's as developed as it is."
Gatwick Airport said flight passengers should leave extra time for their journeys.Gatwick Airport said flight passengers should leave extra time for their journeys.
Kevin Liffey, 54, will miss his sister's funeral in Jersey because he could not get to Gatwick Airport from his home in East Finchley in time for his flight. Adam Parker, 32, said he was "close to breaking point" after the three-hour journey from Hove into work on Thursday morning.
That was despite spending £90 on a taxi after being told he would not be able to catch the Gatwick Express from Victoria. The Nickelodeon producer said: "There are only so many times you can tell your boss you're late again because of the trains, only so many times you can miss a meal at home."
He said: "It just shows we cannot rely on public transport at the most basic level. It's just not really acceptable in a country that's as developed as it is." Southeastern trains said its services to and from Victoria were running normally but Thameslink reported knock-on disruption between Luton and Wimbledon.
National Rail first issued a warning about a fault with the signalling system at about 23:30 BST on Wednesday. Trains were packed during the morning rush hour as commuters with tickets to Victoria were allowed on board other services.
Traveller Sophie Cook was forced to stay overnight with a friend in Croydon as cancellations meant she could not make it home to Lancing, West Sussex. Elaine Hindal said her train to London Bridge was a "nightmare" and "dangerously overcrowded".
She said train staff offered "no info" and that when she continued her journey on Thursday the trains were "dangerously overcrowded". You may also be interested in:
Engineers had not fixed the problem by Thursday morning so all trains were blocked through Streatham Common station causing disruption, cancellations and delays until the end of the day's services.
Trains were packed as commuters with tickets to Victoria were allowed on board other services.
Elaine Hindal said her train from Harpenden to London Bridge was a "nightmare" while Jessica Edwards said stations were "mobbed".
Ms Edwards, 34, said she paid hundreds of pounds extra a year to travel on the Gatwick Express from Hassocks to Victoria.
She said Thursday's problems meant she was an hour late to work, adding: "I have had to get off at London Bridge and get a bus to Hackney. It's taking ages."
Michael Scriven said he tried unsuccessfully to board eight trains to London Bridge at East Croydon station and was "the most sardined I've ever been" when he eventually managed to get on one.Michael Scriven said he tried unsuccessfully to board eight trains to London Bridge at East Croydon station and was "the most sardined I've ever been" when he eventually managed to get on one.
The 23-year-old IT analyst said the platform became an "absolute mess" after passengers were forced to disembark from trains travelling to Victoria.The 23-year-old IT analyst said the platform became an "absolute mess" after passengers were forced to disembark from trains travelling to Victoria.
You may also be interested in: John Halsall, Network Rail's managing director for the South East route, said: "I would like to offer a sincere apology to everyone who has had their journey disrupted today.
Adam Parker, 32, said he was "close to breaking point" after the three-hour journey from Hove. "Our job is to provide a reliable railway for train operators and the travelling public and today it's clear we've failed in that task.
The Nickelodeon producer said: "There are only so many times you can tell your boss you're late again because of the trains, only so many times you can miss a meal at home." "We've now been able to restore signalling and trains are beginning to run again to and from London Victoria, though passengers are advised to check before travelling throughout the day as knock-on impacts are likely to be significant."
A Network Rail spokesman said engineers had worked overnight "doing all they can to fix the problem". The disruptions come as Govia Thameslink Railway, (GTR), which operates Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink, is set to launch a special compensation scheme for people severely affected by a chaotic timetable change in May.
"We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the fault and passengers are being advised not to travel with Thameslink, Southern or Gatwick Express from the south into London," he said.
The issues have also affected Thameslink services between Luton and Wimbledon, which have been suspended until the end of the day.
The disruptions come as GTR is set to launch a special compensation scheme for people severely affected by a chaotic timetable change in May.
Alternative travelAlternative travel
Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express tickets are valid for travel on the following services, via any reasonable route, including:Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express tickets are valid for travel on the following services, via any reasonable route, including:
Source: National RailSource: National Rail
Have you been affected by the disruption to train services today? Please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.Have you been affected by the disruption to train services today? Please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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