Holidaymakers stranded as London trains cancelled due to sinkholes at Gatwick.

As the sun rises over the sleepy town of Purley, a railway bridge stands tall, its beams gleaming in the light. But today, this peaceful scene has been disrupted by chaos and confusion. Outside Gatwick Airport, desperate holidaymakers are anxiously queuing for hours, their plans thrown into disarray by a series of sinkholes near the railway bridge.

The sinkholes were discovered by Network Rail engineers during planned maintenance work. Concerned for the safety of passengers, all train services between Purley and East Croydon have been cancelled. This unexpected closure has left travelers scrambling for alternative ways to reach and depart from the major airport.

Some have even reported exorbitant taxi fares of up to £250 to reach East Croydon, while others patiently wait in line for replacement buses. The situation at Gatwick Airport is nothing short of a shambles. Tempers are flaring as people express their frustration with the delays and uncertainty.

One traveler, Kam Singh, took to social media to share the chaos, writing, "Absolute shambles at Gatwick airport! People queuing for over 2 hours. To get network replacement coach into London.

Tempers flaring amongst crowds. I'm scared!!! #Croydon #SouthernNetworkRail #TrainDelays #London #NetworkRail #CrydonAirport." Unfortunately, the disruption is expected to continue for a few more days.

The operator has announced that the line will be out of action until Monday morning at the earliest. They are working tirelessly to safely reopen the railway as quickly as possible. In a statement, they expressed their apologies to affected passengers and assured them that every effort is being made to resolve the situation.

Southern Railway, one of the major train operators in the area, has also been impacted by the sinkholes. They have suspended all services between Purley and East Croydon and are advising customers not to travel. They warn that alternative routes will be "extremely busy" and could result in delays of over 90 minutes.

In their latest travel advice, they outline the changes to their services: - Southern services between London Bridge and Caterham are running as normal but may experience some delays. - Southern services from London Victoria towards Bognor Regis / Portsmouth Harbour will be diverted via Dorking and will not run between Clapham Junction and Horsham. - Southern services between London Victoria towards Ore / Littlehampton will only run as far as Haywards Heath and will be cancelled between London Victoria and Haywards Heath.

- Southern services between London Victoria and East Grinstead are running as normal but may experience some delays. - There is no service between Purley and Tattenham Corner. As travelers try to navigate this unexpected disruption, many are sharing their frustrations and concerns.

Some are even suggesting that Metro, a popular source for news and travel updates, be added as a preferred source on Google. Amidst the chaos, it seems that people are coming together to help each other and find solutions.