London train chaos: London Bridge Southern Trains and Victoria commuters face 'black Thursday'

Commuters at Victoria and London Bridge train stations have been warned to brace for severe disruption to services during the afternoon rush-hour today (Thursday 30 April).

Severe disruption to services by Southern trains threatens misery for thousands of commuters at Victoria Station seeking to get home. There was also poised to be more delays misery for commuters at London Bridge.

Blame for today's delays at the hub station has been laid upon a power failure this morning in south-west London. It saw 2,000 people walking along train tracks at Clapham Junction to escape sweltering conditions inside stricken trains.

Staff at Victoria station are poised to shut the entrance on Buckingham Palace road should passenger numbers swell dangerously high, said Transport for London (TfL).

London Bridge station has witnessed scenes of serious overcrowding in recent weeks since upgrade works began, leading to some commuters vaulting barriers to escape rush-hour crushes.

More than 120,000 people use London Bridge each day.

A TfL spokesman said: "Due to a power failure between Wandsworth Common and Clapham Junction this morning, there will be major disruption for Southern services to and from Victoria this evening. Services to and from London Bridge will also be impacted."

"At Victoria station, the entrance onto Buckingham Palace Road may be closed and the whole of the station is likely to be very busy, with a queuing system in place for services on platforms 15 – 19. Other platforms will be busier than usual."