Commuters heading into south-east London this afternoon have been hit with major disruption after a tree fell across the line at Ladywell, blocking trains between London Bridge and Hayes.
The blockage was reported early this afternoon and the line remains shut while specialist crews work to remove the fallen tree. Southeastern says trains on the route are being cancelled, delayed by up to 50 minutes, or revised, and the disruption is expected to continue until the tree is cleared.
Passengers travelling between Hayes and Lewisham can use London Buses instead at no extra cost while the disruption continues, which may help those caught up in the knock-on delays across the wider network.
This is a developing story and our live coverage is tracking the latest updates as they arrive.
What is affected
Trains running between London Bridge and Hayes are the worst affected, with services either not running at all, leaving passengers waiting on platforms, or being turned back and diverted where possible. The tree has completely blocked the line at Ladywell, which sits on a key commuter corridor into the capital.
The closure also has knock-on effects for services further afield, as trains and crews are displaced from their scheduled diagrams. Passengers travelling on other Southeastern routes through south-east London should check before setting off, as delays can spread through the timetable even where tracks are clear.
The Met Office has a yellow wind warning in force across London today as Storm Austen moves through, with gusts strong enough to bring down branches and trees. Network Rail and the train operators have repeatedly warned that high winds make trees and debris on the line more likely, particularly on sections of track lined with mature woodland. Our live coverage of Storm Austen has been tracking the storm’s impact on the capital’s transport network throughout the day.
What passengers can do
Southeastern is advising passengers to check their journeys before travelling. The accepted-ticket arrangement with London Buses between Hayes and Lewisham is the main alternative being offered, and passengers should not pay for a separate bus ticket if their rail ticket covers the journey.
Compensation may be available for those delayed. Under the Delay Repay scheme, Southeastern passengers can claim for delays of 15 minutes or more, and today’s delays of up to 50 minutes fall comfortably within that. Keep hold of your tickets, or your booking confirmation if you travelled with an electronic ticket, and apply through Southeastern’s Delay Repay page.
If you are travelling into central London and your train is cancelled, consider whether a bus route or an alternative line from a neighbouring station could work. The Hayes line feeds into Lewisham and London Bridge, both well connected to the wider Tube and bus network, so there may be options even when the railway is blocked.
Storm adds to a rough day on the rails
The Ladywell closure comes on a day when London’s rail network has already taken a battering. The Tube is running with severe delays on the Metropolitan, Piccadilly and Northern lines following signal failures at Harrow-on-the-Hill, Leicester Square and Archway, as reported in our round-up of this morning’s Tube disruption.
Earlier today, services between London Paddington and Reading were disrupted by a points failure in the West Drayton area, with Great Western Railway and Elizabeth line services cancelled or delayed. Our report on the West Drayton points failure has the details of that incident.
Trees on the line are one of the most common causes of rail disruption during high winds. When a tree blocks the track, crews must first make the site safe — checking for overhead wires and damage to the rails — before chainsaws can be used to clear it. Recovery can take some time, particularly where the tree has brought down signalling or power equipment with it.
What we don’t know yet
It is not yet clear when the line through Ladywell will reopen. Southeastern has not given a specific time for services to resume, and that will depend on how quickly the fallen tree can be removed and whether any damage has been done to the track or overhead equipment.
The operator has also not yet confirmed which individual services are affected beyond the broad picture of cancellations, delays of up to 50 minutes, and revised routes between London Bridge and Hayes. We will update this live blog as more details emerge.
