Rail customers face more delays due to Farringdon flooding

Commuters in London and the south east faced another morning of delays today due to flooding from a burst water main in a tunnel in Farringdon.

In a tweet this morning, Network Rail confirmed the delays, noting that trains passing through Farringdon are running under a speed restriction.

The problem began last week after a huge leak from a 16-inch mains pipe flooded the tracks near Farringdon and caused delays and cancellations across the Thameslink route for thousands of travellers from Bedford to Brighton.

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Although trains are now able to travel through the tunnel Network Rail announced that the leak was still causing delays this morning, but some commuters also reported cancellations.

Stuart Cheshire, passenger service director for Thameslink, said last night that speed restrictions had been instituted to prevent damage to trains.

He said: "It is extremely frustrating that a burst water main should cause so much disruption to our services and so much frustration for our passengers. Checks on our fleet show that water penetrated various components of at least one of the trains when the water was at its highest on Sunday morning. Three other trains, that have already been checked, have not been damaged."

Cheshire added that the leak may already have damaged some carriages which might need to be serviced today, resulting in shorter trains and possible cancellations.

Phil Verster, Network Rail's route managing director, told the Evening Standard that it is continuing to try to fix the problem: "Our engineers have been working in the tunnel since Friday to keep the tracks clear and keep trains moving. We are doing all we can to run trains under difficult circumstances and I thank passengers for their patience."

He added: "We continue to work with Thames Water to find the source of the problem so we can begin the process of returning the tunnel to normal use."