Holidaymakers have been left stranded outside Gatwick Airport after sinkholes near a railway bridge cancelled all trains.
All lines between Purley and East Croydon were closed after Network Rail engineers discovered a “number of sinkholes” during planned engineering work outside Purley.
All lines were swiftly closed, causing chaos for travellers looking forward to getting back home.
One person wrote on X: “Absolute shambles at Gatwick airport! People queuing for over 2 hours. To get network replacement coach into London. Tempers flaring amongst crowds. I’m scared!!!”
Gatwick Express wrote on X in an update this afternoon: “We are advising customers: do not travel. We cannot guarantee that you will be able to complete your journey on our services this afternoon. We urge you to use alternative routes to complete your journey.”
Another social media user posted a video of long queues of people who had been waiting “more than two hours for East Croydon bus service”.
Southern Railway said there were no services between Purley and East Croydon and also urged customers not to travel.
Thameslink advised passengers who were unable to use their ticket today that their “unused Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express tickets will be accepted at no additional cost tomorrow, Monday 14th June 2026”.
After a social media user asked if normal service is to expected on Monday, Thameslink replies that they “are not yet sure what to expect tomorrow.”
They added: “Teams will continue to work on the bridge and provide updates as and when they come through. We are here 24/7 on X so please check in with us later or early tomorrow and we can confirm.”
In a statement, Network Rail said: “We’re sorry to passengers who have been impacted by this and we’re working to safely open the railway as quickly as possible.”
