Floods cause travel chaos on train line to Waterloo

12:00pm Monday 16th November 2009

Commuters faced lengthy delays today after a railway bridge collapsed into a river following heavy rain.

Flood damage to the bridge over the river Crane, in Feltham, caused chaos on South West Trains (SWT) services this morning. Part of the London Waterloo line was closed leaving thousands stranded or facing lengthy commutes on replacement bus services.

It follows torrential rain and high winds that battered London at the weekend.

Passengers travelling from Reading to Waterloo via Staines and Richmond are being warned of lengthy delays and are advised to use alternative routes.

Rail lines between Feltham and Whitton and between Feltham and Hounslow are closed until further notice. The line between Twickenham, Whitton and Hounslow remains open but commuters face severe delays.

A replacement bus service is operating between Feltham, Whitton and Twickenham, every 10 minutes.

Customers to Staines or Egham have to get the rail replacement service to Feltham and then get another bus or train onwards.

The collapse of the 100-year-old bridge has sparked fears that passengers could have been in danger of potential disaster for months.

A walker said he had noticed a crack developing since a large tree fell across the river in the summer, causing a dam.

Simon Butler, 49, of Cygnet Avenue, Feltham, was walking by the bridge this morning when he saw the damage.

He said he was told by the engineers that the line could be out of action for up to three months - however on the platform at Staines, commuters were told over a loudspeaker that it would be four weeks.

He said: “There’s engineers, the Environment Agency and all sorts of people down there.

“I’ve just been down there talking to some of the guys and they said it’s going to be out for three months.

“Christmas is going to be murder. It’s huge, all of one corner of the bridge has just collapsed into the river.

“From down on the river bank you can actually see a light up onto the track. I don’t think any trains were derailed, but just how it got discovered would be interesting.”

Mr Butler, who used to work on the railways, said it appeared as though the fast flowing river took out a bottom corner of the bridge, next to Hounslow Heath golf course, during heavy rain on Saturday night.

He said a large tree fell across the river in the summer, and he later noticed a small crack developing on the bottom corner of the bridge during his regular walks near the river.

He said: “It was 4ft wide at most, and now a whole section of the bridge has just dropped into the river.

“Apparently it happened on Saturday night when the rain and the river was at its busiest. When I was down there yesterday, bits were still falling out of it as we watched it, and the danger is there is more rain forecast.”

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “The railway bridge over the river Crane on the southern edge of Hounslow Heath was damaged over the weekend after heavy rainfall caused the river to swell.

"Early indications suggest that the increased speed and turbulence of the river washed away some of the foundations of the 100-year-old bridge, damaging the main arch.

"Network Rail technicians and divers are on site to assess the structure and plans will be put in place to carry out repairs so the railway can be reopened as quickly as possible.

“No trains will be able to cross the bridge until the repairs have been carried out.

"Alternative travel arrangements have been put in place so passengers can continue to make their journeys.”

Full details of alternative travel arrangements are available at southwesttrains.co.uk