London Gatwick Airport. Photo: Shutterstock Rail services between London and Gatwick Airport were severely disrupted on June 14, 2026, after engineers discovered several sinkholes on a bridge near Purley, in South London forcing the closure of all lines through the area and causing major delays for airport passengers.
The disruption began on the morning of June 14 when rail operators reported that all lines through Purley had been blocked, affecting services between Gatwick Airport and both London Victoria and London Bridge. Passengers were advised to delay travel where possible and allow an additional 45 to 60 minutes for their journeys due to diversions and alternative routing requirements.
As the disruption continued, London Gatwick Airport warned travelers that no trains were running between the airport and London Victoria or London Bridge because of the blocked rail lines. Airport officials urged passengers heading to the airport to consider alternative transport options and allow extra time to reach their flights.
For passengers traveling from Gatwick Airport into central London, rail replacement bus services were introduced between the airport and East Croydon. Later on Sunday, Gatwick Airport cautioned that exceptionally high demand could lead to longer waiting times for replacement transport services.
Several hours after the disruption began, Network Rail revealed the cause. During planned engineering work on the railway outside Purley, engineers discovered a number of sinkholes had formed on a bridge south of the station.
"For the safety of passengers, we had to close all lines between Purley and East Croydon, impacting journeys towards Gatwick Airport," Network Rail said in an update issued on Sunday evening.
Throughout the afternoon, engineers carried out detailed inspections of the bridge and worked to fill and stabilize the sinkholes. The repairs allowed trains to resume operating safely later that day.
Although services restarted on the same evening, Network Rail warned that disruption could continue into the night and advised passengers to check travel information before setting out. The company also announced that tickets purchased for travel on June 14 would be accepted on services operating on June 15.
"We understand this made customers' journeys between London and Gatwick Airport very challenging today, and we apologize for the impact this has had," the operator said.
The incident affected one of the UK's busiest airport rail corridors during a busy travel period, leaving many passengers facing lengthy delays and alternative transport arrangements before normal services gradually resumed.