Sinkholes at Purley bring Gatwick train chaos as passengers stranded for hours

Holidaymakers at Gatwick Airport have been left stranded for hours after sinkholes opened up near a railway bridge at Purley, closing all lines to London and sparking desperate queues for replacement buses. Network Rail engineers discovered multiple sinkholes during planned work on a bridge outside Purley, causing ballast – the stones that support the track – to fall through gaps and making the line unstable. All trains between Purley and East Croydon were shut, suspending the Gatwick Express until Monday morning and cutting services from London Victoria and London Bridge. Passengers faced two-hour queues for packed rail replacement coaches, with tempers flaring. One witness posted on social media: “Absolute shambles at Gatwick airport! People queuing for over two hours to get network replacement coach into London. Tempers flaring amongst crowds. I’m scared!!!” Others reported Uber fares of £250 to get from Gatwick to Croydon. National Highways warned of increased traffic on the M23 west spur as drivers rushed to the airport. A Network Rail spokesman said: “Sinkholes were spotted on the bridge, meaning that ballast, the stones that the track sits on, was falling through the gap, making the track unstable.” Engineers later carried out thorough inspections and plugged the sinkholes, allowing trains to run again. But National Rail urged passengers not to travel, warning that fewer trains than normal could run through Purley and that major disruption was expected until end of service. Southern Railway also advised customers not to travel, saying alternative routes were limited and “extremely busy” with delays of 90 minutes or more. A London Gatwick spokesperson advised passengers to consider alternative routes and allow extra time, confirming rail replacement buses were operating between the airport and East Croydon but were under high demand. Network Rail apologised: “We understand this made customers’ journeys between London and Gatwick Airport very challenging today, and we apologise for the impact this has had.”