Four London Victoria rail services suspended after Clapham Junction fire
Four Southern and Gatwick Express services from London Victoria remained suspended on Monday after the Clapham Junction fire damaged signalling, with major disruption expected to last until 16:00.
The fire started next to the track near Clapham Junction on Sunday 27 September. On Monday morning, repairs to the damaged signalling serving Victoria were still under way, and Southern warned that trains between Clapham Junction and London Victoria could be cancelled, diverted, revised or held up by as much as an hour. Southern has not given a cause for the fire.
Which London Victoria services are suspended
Southern’s Monday morning update lists four suspensions: trains from London Victoria to London Bridge, to West Croydon and to East Grinstead, plus Gatwick Express services between London Victoria and Brighton. Trains to Ore, Littlehampton, Epsom Downs and Dorking are still running, but the operator expects heavy disruption on all four routes.
Victoria itself is working with an extremely reduced timetable until at least 14:00, after emergency repairs continued through the night and into the morning. A limited train every 30 minutes links Victoria with East Croydon. Southern expects these trains to be very crowded and asks passengers to board them only if they cannot postpone the trip or switch to another London terminal.
| Route from London Victoria | Status | Alternative named by Southern |
|---|---|---|
| London Bridge | Suspended | London Buses and the Underground between London Victoria and London Bridge |
| West Croydon | Suspended | No route-specific option given |
| East Grinstead | Suspended | Thameslink where available, Metrobus 281 or 400 to Three Bridges, hourly replacement bus to Oxted |
| Brighton (Gatwick Express) | Suspended | Thameslink to and from London Bridge |
| Ore | Running, heavy disruption | No route-specific option given |
| Littlehampton | Running, heavy disruption | Stagecoach bus 11 between Worthing and Littlehampton |
| Epsom Downs | Running, heavy disruption | No route-specific option given |
| Dorking | Running, heavy disruption | South Western Railway via Wimbledon to London Waterloo |
| East Croydon | Limited train every 30 minutes, very crowded | Another London terminal where possible |
Southern lists four services from Victoria as suspended and four as running with heavy disruption. Southern expects major disruption until 16:00 and advises allowing at least an extra hour on any alternative route. Source: Southern service update.
Alternative routes for Brighton, Surrey and Sussex passengers
Southern recommends that Brighton passengers use Thameslink to and from London Bridge. Travellers from Dorking and Epsom can take South Western Railway trains via Wimbledon to London Waterloo and finish the journey on the Underground. For East Grinstead, the operator points to Thameslink where available, Metrobus routes 281 and 400 to Three Bridges, and an hourly replacement bus to Oxted that takes about 40 minutes.
Tickets can be used without extra charge on Thameslink, Southeastern, the Underground, parts of London Overground, London Trams and some South Western Railway and bus routes. Anyone who could not travel on Sunday may use a ticket dated 27 September on Monday. Southern advises allowing at least an extra hour when switching to another route.
| Operator or mode | Where the ticket can be used |
|---|---|
| Southern and Thameslink | Alternative trains linking London stations with Brighton |
| London Underground | Between London stations |
| London Buses | London Victoria, London Bridge, Purley and Riddlesdown |
| Southeastern | Any reasonable route to the destination |
| London Overground | Canada Water to Norwood Junction, Watford Junction to Clapham Junction |
| London Trams | East Croydon to Wimbledon |
| South Western Railway | London Waterloo to Leatherhead via Wimbledon |
| Metrobus | Route 281 (Lingfield, Dormans, East Grinstead, Three Bridges, Crawley) and route 400 (East Grinstead, Three Bridges, Redhill, Caterham on the Hill) |
| Stagecoach | Route 11 (Worthing to Littlehampton) and route 700 (Brighton to Durrington via Hove, Shoreham-by-Sea and Worthing) |
Tickets dated Sunday 27 September are also valid on Monday. Southern notes that Monday services remain disrupted. Source: Southern service update.
Trains between Watford Junction and East Croydon are running again, with delays of around 15 minutes expected. Some Southern trains on the Horsham and Bognor Regis routes are running as eight coaches instead of four because of the fire.
Paddington grass fire earlier in September
Lineside fires have already disrupted London rail this month. On 5 September a grass fire by Scrubs Lane in North Kensington affected Elizabeth line and Great Western Main Line services into Paddington. London Fire Brigade and Transport for London evacuated about 380 passengers from a stranded Elizabeth line train, and firefighters had the blaze under control by 20:36. The brigade recorded the cause as undetermined.
Separate signalling fault near Streatham
Southern is also dealing with an unrelated signalling fault between Streatham and Tulse Hill. Northbound trains there must run at reduced speed, and some services from East Croydon to London Bridge are diverted via Crystal Palace. The operator lists this as a separate incident.
