A broken down train at
Strood station caused major disruption on the Southeastern
network

by Martin Jefferies and Dan Bloom

Rail passengers in Kent endured a miserable journey to work this
morning, as a broken down train caused major disruption to dozens
of services.

Hundreds of commuters were left stranded at platforms while
Southeastern staff investigated a train fault at Strood that had
left all lines through the station blocked.

A message posted on Twitter by National Rail Enquiries said the
fault had been caused by a passenger pulling an emergency handle on
the 6am Broadstairs to St Pancras service.

A Southeastern spokesman said: "The driver went back and did the
safety checks but as he pulled away it happened again, and the
train got stuck half-in and half-out of Strood station.

"All the passengers had to be taken off the train. It's
unfortunate but it was a simple train fault that caused it."

Many trains
were cancelled, while others were subject to delays of up to 40
minutes.

Chaos unfolded as commuters were told to make their way to
Rochester station and catch trains to Victoria instead. Tickets
were being accepted on London Underground services, as well as on
trams between Elmers End and East Croydon.

The broken down train was finally moved at around 8am but it is
thought disruption will continue for much of the morning.

Visit Southeastern's live running information for further updates.

Were you caught up in the chaos? Share your experiences below or e-mail pictures to medwaymessenger@thekmgroup.co.uk.