Fire Under Ebbsfleet Bridge Sparks Major Rail Chaos
Rail passengers faced chaos on Friday evening as a fire broke out beneath a railway bridge near Ebbsfleet International. The blaze forced Southeastern to halt all train services between Ebbsfleet and Ashford from around 5pm, sparking an emergency fire brigade response and plunging commuters into disruption.
Services Suspended, Replacement Buses Roll In
The fire was quickly brought under control, but safety checks on the bridge stretched delays well into the evening. Southeastern slammed on the brakes and advised passengers not to travel.
- Replacement buses rolled out, arriving at Ashford by 6:20pm and Ebbsfleet by 6:45pm.
- Travel via Ramsgate and Faversham was offered as an alternative route.
Partial Service Resumes With Delays
At 7:15pm, Southeastern announced the line was back open — but trains would crawl over the bridge at reduced speeds while further inspections continued.
“We will 1 to get trains back to normal as soon as we can once the line opens,” Southeastern said in a statement.
Passengers were warned to brace for continuing delays as services slowly return to normal.
Earlier Signalling Fault Adds Salt to Rail Wounds
To make matters worse, a signalling fault at dartford/" title="Dartford" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Dartford earlier in the day knocked out Platforms 1 and 2 for over two hours, causing chaos before the fire strike. Although fixed by late afternoon, Southeastern warned delays of up to 5 minutes could linger tonight as repairs continue.
Passenger Warnings and Compensation
Commuters are urged to check 1 and allow extra travel time amid ongoing disruption. Those hit hardest can claim compensation via Southeastern’s Delay Repay scheme.
Stay tuned for further updates as rail networks strive to get back on track.
