A crack in the track is causing major delays to trains across south east London this morning as urgent repairs are carried out.

Southeastern and Thameslink services between Charing Cross & London Bridge and London Bridge & Dartford are being suspended or diverted, with major delays on the Woolwich, Bexleyheath, Sidcup and Dartford lines.

The cause of the delays is a piece of broken track discovered overnight at New Cross Station in Lewisham.

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Southeastern said urgent repairs were taking place with "response staff working to replace the damaged piece of track," but this is not expected to be completed until 10am.

Disruption is likely to continue until 11am, and train tickets are currently being accepted via reasonable routes on the London Underground, buses, Thameslink services and the Docklands Light Railway.

Passengers caught up in the heavy delays have been voicing their frustration on social media this morning.

 



 

 

Network Rail apologised for the delays caused by the cracked rail, but said it is "not an easy fix" and as the track was a 'bespoke part.'

The defect is at a crossing where one track corsses another, and is a special part made from either cast or fabricated steel so can't just be clamped down.

Instead, response staff are having to cut the piece of track, which is often explosively hardened before it's used, and replace it with a new part.