London Bridge train delays: Unions and politicians demand action over 'life-threatening' overcrowding

Unions and politicians have demanded urgent action to prevent the scenes of ‘life-threatening chaos’ at London Bridge rail station.

Police were called to the overcrowded mainline station in South London last night after thousands of travellers were left stranded when services ground to a halt during the rush hour.

Passengers facing delays were told there were signalling problems south of the station, with Network Rail saying the delays had been caused, in part, by a person being hit by a train.

Labour said there needed to be a 'very frank discussion' with rail bosses about why rail services have been 'consistently underperforming' while passengers are charged 'extortionate' fares.

Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said last night's scenes were 'horrific', adding: 'RMT is sick and tired of the excuses about the continuing chaos at London Bridge which led to horrific scenes at the station last night.

'The fragmentation and privatisation of our railways leaves train companies and Network Rail blaming each other while passengers and staff are left caught in the kind of life threatening chaos we have seen in
pictures from one of London's major rail terminals last night.

'Those pictures shame our railways and it is about time those in control, including the Government, started to take some responsibility.

'The bottom line is that we are trying to cram more and more passengers into a transport system which is already at bursting point and where the pressure is on to cut more corners and axe more staff in the drive for profit.

'It doesn't take a genius to work out that that the poisonous cocktail of surging demand against a background of cuts leads to the kind of horrendous meltdown played out at London Bridge in yesterday's evening rush hour.'

Val Shawcross, Labour's transport spokeswoman at the London Assembly said: 'It is simply not acceptable for the Government to sit idly by whilst commuters, some paying thousands of pounds each year in ticket costs, are left stranded on dangerously crowded platforms, unable to get home.

'Why is the Secretary of State not here talking to passengers, talking to staff, and putting some support in place for Network Rail and Southern Rail who are clearly struggling to cope?

'There needs to be a very frank discussion with rail bosses about why the rail service has been consistently underperforming while passengers are charged extortionate amounts for the privilege of using a poor service. We also need swift action from the Government to deliver the reliable rail network that was promised earlier this year and that we've yet to see.'

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'This chaos must end now. The scenes at London Bridge last night were completely unacceptable.

'It is a disgrace that Network Rail and the train operating companies have failed once again to get a grip of the situation at London Bridge.

'The case for giving Londoners more control over their railways is overwhelming. I've been lobbying Government for that control for years.

'All sides need to stop bickering and start acting. That means two things. Network Rail and the train operators need to get a grip, lead and sort out these shocking scenes at London Bridge, and Government needs to act to devolve rail services to London.'

Network Rail said lines were closed for 45 minutes from 4.20pm because there was a person on the tracks, with knock-on delays and cancellations throughout the evening.

London Bridge, which is being rebuilt as part of the £6.5 billion Thameslink programme, was very busy, with an emergency timetable put in place to move as many people as possible, but NR said the concourse became very crowded.

Network Rail's route managing director for the South East, Dave Ward, said: 'I understand how difficult last night was for many of our passengers and they showed great patience and understanding in what was a very tough situation.

'The railway around south London is so busy that if one train is delayed by just one minute it will delay 17 other services as a result. That is why the Thameslink programme is so important to the future of our railway.

'At peak time, the effect of closing the railway even for 45 minutes has massive effect and we have to manage our stations carefully to help get people home safely.

'We will as a matter of course be reviewing our plans and the events of last night to see what, if any, lessons can be learned.'

A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'For the thousands of commuters whose journeys home were disrupted, last night's events were unacceptable. While the cause of delays was beyond anyone's control, it is clear the crowd management at the station failed.

'Network Rail and the operators know this and must ensure they make the necessary changes to give passengers a robust service and to ensure these scenes are not repeated.'