Passengers travelling to the UK’s second busiest railway station are suffering severe disruption after an engineering train came off the tracks.

The low-speed derailment happened near London Victoria at around 3am on Tuesday.

Gatwick Express services are suspended and Southern trains are cancelled, delayed or diverted.

Disruption is expected to continue for the rest of the day due to the complexity of removing the stricken train, which is blocking lines serving five platforms.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail, which is responsible for maintaining Britain’s rail infrastructure, said: “We would like to apologise to passengers affected by ongoing disruption on Southern trains into London Victoria this morning owing to a derailed engineering train.

“We are working to remove the derailed vehicle as quickly as possible.

“Passengers are advised to travel later in the day if possible and avoid London Victoria and seek an alternative route via London Bridge or London Blackfriars as trains will be delayed, diverted or cancelled.

“Passengers should check the latest travel information via the National Rail Enquiries or Southern Rail websites."