Recycling plant fire causing Southeastern and Windrush line disruption

[brad465]

Currently impacting Southeastern trains into and out of London Bridge as the Charing X lines are OOA through here, as well as the nearby Windrush line:

Incident: London Bridge | National Rail

Major disruption at London Bridge expected until the end of the day . Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Description​

A fire on a property next to the railway at London Bridge means that some lines are blocked. As a result, trains running to / from / through London Bridge may be cancelled, revised or diverted.

Major disruption expected until 22:30.

A visual disruption map video is available.

Southeastern customer advice:​

How does this affect my journey?

Trains may be delayed, cancelled or revised.

What should I do?

You may use your ticket at no extra cost on:

• Docklands Light Railway via all routes
• Elizabeth line via all routes
• Highspeed services via all routes
• London Underground between London terminals
• Thameslink / Southern services via reasonable routes
• London Buses between Dartford and London Bridge
• Fastrack Buses between Dartford - Gravesend - Ebbsfleet

Alternative routes:

For details of alternative routes that may be available to complete your journey, please refer to our Alternative routes during disruption maps.

How can I stay up to date?

You can follow Southeastern on Twitter (X) @SE_Railway or follow the Southeastern WhatsApp channel.

Thameslink customer advice:​

No trains can run between London Bridge and Dartford until further notice. You will need to use an alternative route to reach your destination. You should allow at least an additional 45 minutes to complete your journey today.

Please talk to station staff, look at the information boards or check your journey planner for the most recent information.

How are Thameslink changing their service?

While this disruption is ongoing, Thameslink will be making the following changes to services:

Trains that normally run between Rainham and West Hampstead Thameslink will only run between Dartford and Rainham.

How do I get from London towards Dartford?

If you are travelling from London to Dartford or beyond you will need to take an alternative Southeastern service to Dartford. Please note that this could take up to 45minutes longer than normal due to Southeastern services also being affected by the fire.

Can I use my ticket with another operator?

You can travel on the following services at no additional cost:

• Southeastern between Rainham and London Bridge
• London Underground between London Terminals
• Elizabeth line services between Abbey wood and Farringdon
• London Buses between London Bridge and Slade Green

Planning your journey:

You can view live departure boards, a live map of the network, and an alternative route guide.

If you're travelling in the London area, you can plan journeys on alternative routes by using the TfL Journey Planner.

The Thameslink app will also help you plan your journey.

Additional information:​

Emergency services are currently dealing with a fire in the London Bridge area. Rail services are currently disrupted. Fires in railway areas present a serious safety risk, as they can damage signalling equipment, power systems, and track infrastructure, and create unsafe conditions for trains and staff.

Please note, due to the location, Southern services are able to run as scheduled to / from London Bridge. London Overground services on the Windrush line are affected by this issue.

Check before you travel:​

You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner.

Compensation:​

You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.

Bermondsey recycling centre fire causes disruption to rail travel

About 100 firefighters are tackling flames and rail services through the area have come to a halt.

www.bbc.co.uk

A blaze at a recycling plant in south London has caused major rail disruption in the area, Network rail has said.
About 100 firefighters were called to Landmann Way, Bermondsey, just after 17:30 BST. Fifteen engines and turntable ladders were being used to tackle the flames from above, London Fire Brigade said.
Images posted on social media show large clouds of smoke rising into the air. Residents have been advised to keep their windows and doors closed.
Rail services in and out of London Bridge, including some by Southeastern and Thameslink, are expected to face disruption until at least 22:30, Network Rail said.

Image caption,Fire crews are likely to remain at the scene throughout the night

Station Commander Wayne Bloomfield, at the scene, said: "Firefighters are working hard to extinguish a large amount of refuse at a recycling centre.
"Due to the significant amount of smoke in the area, local residents are advised to keep their windows and doors closed."
He said residents should pour water on loose embers if close to their properties and "don't hesitate to call 999" if they catch something alight.
"This is likely to be a protracted incident, with crews remaining on scene into the morning," Bloomfield added.

 

[jamie_r]

Saw this on my way home this evening on a Southeastern train that was about one hour delayed. The flames coming out of the side of the building were pretty big as we went past; there was also a PA from the driver suggesting we close the windows for a few moments due to the smoke.

 

[fusionblue]

Wasn't there a fire in this same location (or a building nearby) some years ago?

 

[Trackman]

Run by Lewisham council, it is a (or was) state-of-the-art reuse/recycling centre, cost them a fortune to go it alone rather than subcontract. They even have open days!

Wasn't there a fire in this same location (or a building nearby) some years ago?

Ringing bells, there are other recycling places on that estate.

 

[hwl]

Wasn't there a fire in this same location (or a building nearby) some years ago?

Run by Lewisham council, it is a (or was) state-of-the-art reuse/recycling centre, cost them a fortune to go it alone rather than subcontract. They even have open days!

Ringing bells, there are other recycling places on that estate.

There are indeed many "recycling" facilities around there with 4 on Landmann Way alone and another 6+ private facilities within a few hundred meters (ignoring the huge Southwark Council facility on the former New Cross Gas works site, and the Westminister Council electric bin lorry charging facility on Landmann Way (they also use the incinerator)), many of which have had fires over the years.
In this case it wasn't either of the 2 LB Lewisham facilities on the west side of Landmann Way (the SELCHP incinerator where the bin lorries drop off or the Council "tip" aka reuse facility) but a private facility run by Hinkcroft Transport (HTL) /SSSI Ltd on the other side of the Landmann Way - the former big navy/grey/white (west wall) yellow (short south wall) triangular building adjacent to the LO tracks from New Cross Gate / New Cross on one side and the Charing Cross Lines where they start to decend to go under the Bermondsey Dive Under on another side.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.co.uk

Pictures from Reddit here:
1. From BML looking NorthEast. The Navy Building is Quantum Waste and the grey building immediately to the left is Hinkcroft Transport. The DHL building is south of Surrey Canal Road and much closer to the camera

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Ffire-around-deptford-direction-v0-3ts71zhse36h1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1920%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dc378025b501353087df42ffe9ff872d76c689b38

2. From the west side of the units under Charing Cross arches looking NNW, south of the LO lines from New Cross/New Cross Gate to Surrey Quays:

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Ffire-around-deptford-direction-v0-apbq6e5mc36h1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D3024%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dd1b2d5d1b1e9c74ca1a5c91b9c610107beed86df

It is worth noting that the local GSMR mast can be seen in the photos (BBC and 2.) and the walking route between the LO New Cross depot and Silwood Siding (10 sidings for 378s) is on the North side of the track just in front of the yellow wall.

 

[LLivery]

It's on fire again...

 

[Mattplans]

The staff at the KICC must be having a Déjà vu moment.

There also seems to be a signal failure, similar in impact to one a couple months ago that was very disruptive, in the Medway.

 

[87 027]

My other half went through that area around 45 minutes ago, felt the heat from inside the carriage and dialled 999 as she felt it wasn't safe for trains to pass

 

[Starmill]

Southeastern customer advice:​

What's happened?

A large fire has broken out at a recycling plant between New Cross and London Bridge. Two of the lines between New Cross and London Bridge are blocked for safety reasons.

How does this affect my journey?

Services to/from London Bridge may be delayed, altered or cancelled. Some services will be diverted to run to/from London Cannon Street.

What should I do?

You can use your ticket at no extra cost on London Underground services between our London Terminals.

Alternative routes:

For details of alternative routes that may be available to complete your journey, please refer to our Alternative routes during disruption maps.

How can I stay up to date?

You can follow Southeastern on Twitter (X) @SE_Railway or follow the Southeastern WhatsApp channel.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner.

Compensation:

You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.

Incident: London Bridge | National Rail

Disruption between London Bridge and New Cross / New Cross Gate expected until the end of the day . Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Not much information to go at.

 

[D1537]

Nothing appears to be moving in the direction of New Cross. Trains towards South Bermondsey and New Cross Gate seem to be unaffected.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

There really needs to be a ban on this sort of plant being allowed to operate adjacent to busy rail routes. Not the first time it's happened.

 

[ScotGG]

Fire looks to have spread and is now beneath and in between tracks. Looks severe. Signalling gone? Let's hope the arches don't cave in.

 

[bramling]

Nothing appears to be moving in the direction of New Cross. Trains towards South Bermondsey and New Cross Gate seem to be unaffected.

I was on a Cambridge-Brighton service which at the last minute was altered to run via Herne Hill. Had been under the impression the New Cross Gate route was unaffected, but clearly now is

 

[phil1960]

There really needs to be a ban on this sort of plant being allowed to operate adjacent to busy rail routes. Not the first time it's happened.

Its been there for 3 decades. Should have been considered before it was commissioned.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Windrush line completely suspended until the end of the day. Is there no way that TfL can at least run a service from Highbury and Islington to Surrey Quays?

 

[thomalex]

Video on X of a train going over an arch with fire coming up through it. There could be major damage here.

Tom Roots (@tomroots83) on X

Fire on the tracks near Bermondsey London Bridge

x.com

 

[brad465]

Video on X of a train going over an arch with fire coming up through it. There could be major damage here.

Tom Roots (@tomroots83) on X

Fire on the tracks near Bermondsey London Bridge

x.com

There could well be questions about how that service (and any others at the time) were allowed to pass that close to the fire.

 

[styles]

There really needs to be a ban on this sort of plant being allowed to operate adjacent to busy rail routes. Not the first time it's happened.

Really the plants should be away from most core infrastructure and residential areas. The increase in lithium-ion batteries from vapes and e-bikes and everything else is only making such fires more prevalent and more difficult to extinguish. Obviously we should encourage proper recycling of these, but there's always going to be people who just chuck them in the general waste.

 

[traingeek97]

Does anyone know why the Windrush Line remains suspended this morning? Is there damage to the track/infrastructure or is everything out of place after a disruptive end to the day yesterday?

Kudos to anyone working in Control during these incidents. When I looked late last night, there were still trains (and therefore crew) from all over Kent trapped at Charing Cross and Waterloo East. Getting people home and the trains back in the right place must be a huge task.

 

[LLivery]

Does anyone know why the Windrush Line remains suspended this morning? Is there damage to the track/infrastructure or is everything out of place after a disruptive end to the day yesterday?

I don't know the answer, but it's ok, people on the Sydenham Corridor can rely on the summer reduced Southern service...

From someone I know commuting this morning, it's been awful. Half hourly 8 car Southern trains on a route which normally has 12tph peak service (with 10 car Southern services). Oh and no trains for Penge West and Anerley. Excellent example of 'demand lead timetabling', that. I despair.

 

[hwl]

Drone footage from last night here:

YEDIS DRONE SHOTS (@yedisdroneshots) on X

Lewisham Reuse and Recycling Centre, Landmann Way @LondonFire #landmannwayfire #bermondseyfire #lewishamreuseandrecyclingcentre #fire #lfb

x.com

The GSMR mast is adjacent to the signal on the north bound ELL track just before the overbridge in the video

SE services ran relatively smoothly after 0545 this morning and GTR after 0530. But LO is still a mess presumable as depot and siding access is problem?

 

[frankmoh]

From someone I know commuting this morning, it's been awful. Half hourly 8 car Southern trains on a route which normally has 12tph peak service (with 10 car Southern services). Oh and no trains for Penge West and Anerley. Excellent example of 'demand lead timetabling', that. I despair.

At least in both cases there are the nearby stations of Penge East and Crystal Palace, although if one has trouble walking then I can see the issue.

 

[Skoodle]

Does anyone know why the Windrush Line remains suspended this morning? Is there damage to the track/infrastructure or is everything out of place after a disruptive end to the day yesterday?

Kudos to anyone working in Control during these incidents. When I looked late last night, there were still trains (and therefore crew) from all over Kent trapped at Charing Cross and Waterloo East. Getting people home and the trains back in the right place must be a huge task.

I know this is a bit late, but morning shift drivers were cabbed to the stranded trains to bring them back to the depot. Most of the trains had to be prepped by Alstom before service could commence.

The corner of the affected building is very close to the rail infrastructure and as we could see in videos, the fire jumped across on to the viaduct.

Structure examinations had to be done not only on the viaduct for trains to run over, but also for Windrush trains to drive under. Also examinations of signals/cables etc.

A 5mph ESR was put in place for any trains going past on the UP and DOWN ELL, the signaller told me when giving me the instruction that it was the London Fire Brigade who requested it.

Looking back, I can only imagine it's to reduce vibrations that could cause the burnt structure to collapse, it's only 9m from the corner of the building to the nearest rail. It's also 2.5m from the walking route to Silwood Sidings, which had only reopened last week from the last fire!

 

[Bald Rick]

Looking back, I can only imagine it's to reduce vibrations that could cause the burnt structure to collapse,

Correct. LFB were very concerned

 

[Farningham]

I know this is a bit late, but morning shift drivers were cabbed to the stranded trains to bring them back to the depot. Most of the trains had to be prepped by Alstom before service could commence. The corner of the affected building is very close to the rail infrastructure and as we could see in videos, the fire jumped across on to the viaduct. Structure examinations had to be done not only on the viaduct for trains to run over, but also for Windrush trains to drive under. Also examinations of signals/cables etc. A 5mph ESR was put in place for any trains going past on the UP and DOWN ELL, the signaller told me when giving me the instruction that it was the London Fire Brigade who requested it. Looking back, I can only imagine it's to reduce vibrations that could cause the burnt structure to collapse, it's only 9m from the corner of the building to the nearest rail. It's also 2.5m from the walking route to Silwood Sidings, which had only reopened last week from the last fire!

Windrush to West Croydon reduced to half hourly today (20th) and patchy cancellations on Crystal Palace service, with nothing at all to/from New Cross. From the footbridge at New Cross Gate a number of stabled units can be seen in the sidings in the distance, are some or all of these trapped pending sorting out the dangerous building?

 

[Skoodle]

Windrush to West Croydon reduced to half hourly today (20th) and patchy cancellations on Crystal Palace service, with nothing at all to/from New Cross. From the footbridge at New Cross Gate a number of stabled units can be seen in the sidings in the distance, are some or all of these trapped pending sorting out the dangerous building?

No, it's just removing an extra cause of delays. The 5mph speed restriction is by Canal Junction, which is used by Crystal Palace/West Croydon and New Cross trains. Clapham services are not affected. It looks like control have taken the decision to remove the New Crosses to fully use the 8 minute headway between Crystal Palace/West Croydon trains to absorb the delays. Adding in the New Crosses would just cause carnage at this point.

 

[plugwash]

Its been there for 3 decades. Should have been considered before it was commissioned.

3 decades ago there were a lot less lithium ion batteries around...............

 

[traingeek97]

I know this is a bit late, but morning shift drivers were cabbed to the stranded trains to bring them back to the depot. Most of the trains had to be prepped by Alstom before service could commence.

The corner of the affected building is very close to the rail infrastructure and as we could see in videos, the fire jumped across on to the viaduct.

Structure examinations had to be done not only on the viaduct for trains to run over, but also for Windrush trains to drive under. Also examinations of signals/cables etc.

A 5mph ESR was put in place for any trains going past on the UP and DOWN ELL, the signaller told me when giving me the instruction that it was the London Fire Brigade who requested it.

Looking back, I can only imagine it's to reduce vibrations that could cause the burnt structure to collapse, it's only 9m from the corner of the building to the nearest rail. It's also 2.5m from the walking route to Silwood Sidings, which had only reopened last week from the last fire!

Thank you for the detailed reply.