Train company praised as service returns to normal

All trains on the London Waterloo line were cancelled last week after a bridge over the River Crane on the southern edge of Hounslow Heath was damaged when heavy rainfall caused the river to swell.

The small, temporary loop around the damaged area of track runs through the former Feltham marshalling yard and over a culvert that already existed.

Richard O'Brien, Network Rail's route director for Wessex, said: "Once we had established the level of damage the flood water had caused, we put all our effort into getting train services running as quickly as possible. The solution we've developed will allow passengers to make their journeys safely and with minimal disruption while we carry out the full repairs."

Commuters faces delays of up to two hours last week and a poll on the Chronicle website found that 82% of passengers thought the authorities were not handling the crisis well.

However, while there were delays and cancellations on Monday as the new route bedded in, many have been impressed with the speed at which Network Rail managed to reroute the track and get trains running again.

Luke Burke, who commutes to Waterloo from Feltham daily, said: "I couldn't believe they got trains going again so quickly again having seen the damage to the bridge.

"I noticed the route took a slight diversion yesterday and slowed down a bit but I'm really impressed - I couldn't have taken much more of last week's misery."

Managing director of South West Trains, Andy Pitt, said: "We apologise for any disruption passengers experienced last week and would like to thank customers for their patience during what has been a challenging time.

"While there is still extensive repair work to be carried out on the bridge, the solution we have in place will ensure our customers can get back to normal and complete their journeys with minimal disruption."