All trains running at the station have been cancelled while mechanics work to fix the leak, reports Marco Marcelline
Update: Trains are now running as normal.
Services at Lea Bridge Station have been stopped due to a burst water main on Lea Bridge Road.
The Echo noted a powerful cascade of water coming from the bridge onto the southbound line when it visited the station this afternoon.
All trains arriving and departing at the station are currently cancelled as a result of flooding. Lea Bridge Station has services running to and from Stratford, Bishops Stortford, Hertford East and Meridian Water.
The burst main left inconvenienced commuters scrambling to organise alternative travel routes to work.
Bookshop manager Ahmed Sharaf, who lives in Lea Bridge, said the line closure meant he would be at least an hour late to work.
Instead of a six-minute train ride to Stratford, where he would have taken the central line, he was forced to take two buses to Leyton Station before completing his work commute to Mile End.
He told the Echo that this meant he had no time to buy coffee before work, an everyday ritual for him.
Ahmed added that it wasn’t the first time he had to reroute his commute owing to line cancellations. “Cancellations cause a lot of pressure for me, they have happened before because of strikes,” he said.
Ian Thomas, a Network Rail representative, said that his team had de-electrified the line to ensure that it was safe for Thames Water to fix the burst mains. He said that the line was closed at around 11am today and he had recorded seven bars of water pressure coming through the bridge onto the track. Ian added that trains would only begin to run again when the leak was contained and no longer coming through the bridge.
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A Thames Water mechanic working at the scene told the Echo that his team were confident that trains would begin to run again before rush hour. At the time of publication trains were still cancelled, however. The earliest scheduled train to Stratford is at 7.31pm, while the first set to stop at Tottenham Hale is at 7.52pm.
The mechanic added that the leak first began about “a week ago”, and that the causes should be completely resolved in the next few days.
A spokesperson from Greater Anglia said: “Services between Stratford and Tottenham Hale are unable to run due to a burst water main flooding the railway near Lea Bridge.
“Engineers are on site and working to fix the fault. Customers should check the Greater Anglia website, app, or social media channels for updates.
“At the moment, Stratford to Meridian Water services are unable to run. Stratford to Bishops Stortford services are diverted via Liverpool Street – passengers travelling between Stratford and Bishops Stortford may travel via Liverpool Street at no extra cost.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience caused. Customers who are delayed for more than 15 minutes can claim delay repay here: www.greateranglia.co.uk/delayrepay”.
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