Rail passengers travelling to and from Gatwick Airport faced disruption over the weekend after an overnight fire next to the track in the Purley area caused damage to railway infrastructure.
Southern Railway confirmed the fire broke out overnight, with the resulting damage forcing a reduced service between Gatwick Airport and Purley. The knock-on effect hit both Southern and Thameslink services running through the corridor, with journeys between the south coast and London affected through the morning.
Disruption was expected to continue until approximately 1pm as engineers worked to assess and repair the damage, with passengers advised to check ahead before travelling and to allow extra time for journeys through the affected stretch of line.
It’s a route that has had more than its share of problems this year. The same Purley-to-Gatwick corridor was completely severed back in June when sinkholes were discovered near a railway bridge south of Purley station, forcing the total closure of lines between Purley and East Croydon and leaving passengers stranded on one of the busiest weekends of the summer. Add signalling faults and points failures that have periodically disrupted the line throughout the year, and it’s clear this stretch of track has become something of a pinch point for Gatwick-bound rail travel.
For taxi and private hire drivers working the Gatwick corridor, disruption on this line tends to translate fairly directly into extra fares — passengers stuck without a reliable rail option will often turn to a car instead, particularly those racing to make a flight.
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