Gatwick Airport traffic: Passengers stranded after sinkholes force closure of major rail route

Holidaymakers were stranded outside Gatwick Airport after potholes near the railway bridge canceled all trains.

All lines between Purley and East Croydon were closed after Network Rail engineers discovered a series of “potholes” during planned engineering works outside Purley.

The rapid closure of all lines caused chaos for passengers who were eagerly waiting to return home.

One person wrote to

In an update this afternoon, Gatwick Express wrote about X: “We advise our customers: do not travel. We cannot guarantee that you will be able to complete your journey with our services this afternoon. We recommend that you use alternative routes to complete your journey.”

Another social media user posted a video showing long queues of people waiting “over two hours for the East Croydon bus service”.

Southern Railway said there were no services between Purley and East Croydon and also appealed to customers not to travel.

Thameslink informed passengers who could not use their tickets today that “unused Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express tickets will be accepted tomorrow, Monday 14 June 2026, at no additional cost.”

After a social media user asked whether normal service could be expected on Monday, Thameslink said they were “not yet sure what to expect tomorrow”.

They added: “Teams will continue to work on the bridge and will provide updates as they come in. We are here 24/7 at X so please contact us later or early tomorrow and we can confirm.”

In a statement, Network Rail said: “We apologize to passengers affected by this and are working to get the railway opened safely as soon as possible.”