A freight train has derailed near Lewisham, causing major disruption to the Southeastern network that will continue into tomorrow.

Thousands of passengers face delays getting to work as services to Charing Cross and Cannon Street are suspended and cancelled.

Two wagons of a 1km-long freight train derailed at Lewisham and early indications suggest that delays will continue until tomorrow, January 25.

Network Rail said the derailment happened shortly before 6am and that it had a team of engineers at the site by 6.15am.

There were no passengers aboard and no-one was injured in the incident.

Southeastern tweeted to say the train had derailed in the Lewisham area, adding: "All services through the area will be disrupted, with some services suspended."

There will be no service running from New Beckenham to London Charing Cross or Cannon Street, or from Sidcup to London Charing Cross or Cannon Street.

A shuttle service is being arranged to run on Hayes to New Beckenham
and from Dartford to Sidcup.

The firm said tickets would be accepted on bus routes, Underground services and on other rail and tram services in the area.

Andy Derbyshire, chief operating officer for Network Rail’s South East route, said: “Our number one priority is to get the freight train moved and passenger services up and running again.

“Once the derailed carriages have been moved, we'll be able to complete our inspections and finalise the repairs needed to the tracks and signalling equipment, including how long the work will take.

"We’re doing everything we can to get this situation sorted quickly and will be working round-the-clock to get services back to normal for passengers.”

Richard Dean, Train Services Director at Southeastern, said: “We’re working hard to ensure that we can keep passengers moving.

"We’re diverting some services to Victoria and Blackfriars, and where we cannot run trains we have put in place ticket acceptance on other routes including London buses and London Underground.

“We’ll continue to regularly update passengers at stations and online, including on Twitter where our team will be sharing the most up-to-date information, so we advise passengers to continue to check before they travel.

"We’ll also be doubling the Delay Repay compensation available to anyone who has been delayed for 30 minutes or more as a result of this issue. To claim Delay Repay please visit our website or pick up a form at a station.”