A fire on the track between Clapham Junction and Victoria stations brought major disruption to commuters Wednesday morning (August 7).

Both National Rail and Southern, who operate trains on many of the affected routes, said "all lines" between the two stations were down as a result of the fire.

A spokesperson for Southern described the fallout for passengers as "major disruption" and said they expected the disruption to last until midday at the earliest.

"A fire next to the track between London Victoria and Clapham Junction means lines are blocked between these stations.

"As a result of this, trains may be cancelled or delayed.

"While the emergency services safely deal with this incident near the railway, train services are currently disrupted to and from London Victoria while power to the railway remains isolated," Southern said.

The impact of the fire in effectively cutting services between two of London's busiest stations led National Rail to urge commuters to avoid making a journey between the two stations entirely.

"Gatwick Express / Southern customers should avoid travelling to / from London Victoria until further notice, and travel to / from London Bridge instead using Thameslink or alternative Southern services.

"Your overall journey time will be extended by up to 60 mins," a spokesperson said.

Trains including the airport-bound service between Victoria and Gatwick Airport would be re-routed via London Bridge, Southern said.

Tickets for Southern or Gatwick Express trains that would have been used on journeys either cancelled or severely delayed between Clapham Junction and Victoria would be accepted on a number of alternative routes instead, the rail company added.

London Underground routes between Victoria, Balham, Waterloo, Blackfriars and London Bridge, plus services "to and from" Gatwick Airport and London, Brighton and Blackfriars, and Tramlink services among others.

The rail company floated the possibility of compensation for passengers affected by the disruption, saying that those delayed by the disruption should keep a hold of their tickets and journey times to support any compensation claims.