Fire At London Station Causes Commuter Chaos

A fire on the tracks on one of London's busiest railway routes into the capital has caused chaos for commuters.

Firefighters were called to Vauxhall railway station in south London at around 2.40am and the track could be seen smouldering hours later when commuter traffic was at its peak.

One of London's busiest stations, Clapham Junction, has been evacuated due to overcrowding and British Transport Police are urging people to avoid the area.

Electrical cabling and the power to the tacks at Vauxhall had to be switched off to allow the emergency service staff to reach the blaze.

London Fire Brigade station manager John Ryan said: "Once the power was isolated firefighters quickly got to work to tackle the fire.

"We're currently assessing how much electrical cabling has been affected and damping down pockets of fire."

Trains in and out of Vauxhall and Waterloo were disrupted with passengers saying they were left stranded at stations across the South West Trains network.

Those who did manage to get on board said trains were "dangerously full".

Some commuters have been reporting their 40-minute journeys have taken over two hours.

A South West Trains spokesman said: "As a result of a fire underneath a platform at Vauxhall station, services to and from London Waterloo are severely disrupted, with significantly fewer trains running than normal.

"Passengers are strongly advised to check before travelling. We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to passengers this morning."

Travellers have been advised to avoid the service unless "absolutely necessary".

Passengers have been told their usual tickets will be accepted on Southern, Great Western Railway and Transport for London services.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.