Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern delays: 'Utter chaos' at London Bridge as 'lightning strike' sparks disruption amid timetable shake-up

Commuters faced fresh travel misery as a “lightning strike” brought trains to and from one of London’s busiest transport hubs to a standstill during rush hour… amid continued chaos sparked by a new Thameslink timetable.

Trains from London Bridge station were hit by delays and cancellations after the lightning strike near Hither Green affected signalling systems, Southeastern railway said.

Frustrated passengers complained of “massively overcrowded” trains coming to a standstill outside the station amid “scenes of utter chaos and confusion”.

It came as people continued to complain of widespread disruption on Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink services, caused by a major timetable overhaul – dubbed the “Monday meltdown”- on the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) network.

Southeastern reported signalling problems in the Hither Green area at around 6pm.

The rail operator wrote in a tweet: “Due to a lightning strike near the #HitherGreen area, we have reports of signalling problems in the area – services may be held while Network Rail investigate.”

All trains between London Bridge and Orpington, and between London Bridge and Sidcup, were disrupted while engineers attended the site.

Trains from London Cannon Street and Charing Cross stations were also affected.

In its latest update, Southeastern said services are “on the move” but warned passengers to expect delays on services from London.

Tickets are being accepted on the DLR and local buses, it said.

Passengers vented their frustration on social media, with many complaining of “stuffy, packed” trains after today’s hot weather.

Stanley Kroenke reported "scenes of utter chaos and confusion" at London Bridge.

While Josh Smile tweeted a picture of the train departures board at the station showing a number of delayed trains.

“Why couldn't you have done this when the new @GreggsOfficial is open at London Bridge @Se_Railway? At least then I could have a delicious warm sausage roll to get my though this hell,” he wrote.

Rachel Dalton wrote: “First day of the new timetable and my train’s been stood at London Bridge for 29 minutes (who knows when we’ll be on our way). Times are changing - yep they are, cos we’re delayed. Well done to all involved #southeastern #alwaysdelayed”

And Rebecca Vilday said: “I’ve been stuck on a train for 40 mins and not even left London Bridge. This has been the worse day.”

Meanwhile, angry GTR customers are still reporting disruption on services.

Sweeping timetable changes on the franchise’s routes kicked in over the weekend, and the transition has caused widespread issues.

Every train run by the UK's busiest franchise, GTR - made up of Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express - began running to a new schedule as of Sunday.

Hundreds of trains were cancelled or delayed on Monday after the new schedule was introduced.

GTW saw 160 cancellations (7 per cent of the schedule) and 213 delays (12 per cent) by 4.30pm.

The operator said services in its new timetable are being introduced "incrementally" as drivers and trains are redeployed.

A spokesman said: "Today was a major challenge as the new timetable was tested on the first full working day. There has been some disruption in the morning peak and we apologise to passengers for any difficulties with their journey."

He insisted that "overall the network coped well under exceptionally difficult circumstances" as the times of thousands of services were changed.

"We expect some ongoing issues and in the meantime we have already introduced more than 350 extra timetabled services this week," he added.

But dismayed passengers continued to face cancellations as they made their way home on Monday night.

Liz Waters tweeted: “Absolutely no improvement in timetable for me, in fact it’s worse than before. Morning train earlier. Evening train takes longer to get home."

And Matt Townsend said: “When will this end? Absolutely ridiculous. Fewer trains, worse times - and half of them cancelled, the others delayed or inaccurate board info. Shocking.”