March 27, 2001 9:46: THOUSANDS of rail commuters were left re-planning their journeys into work on Monday after a landslide spread 30ft of debris along a track in Mottingham.

The Connex "Dartford Loop" service between Hither Green and Sidcup was plunged into chaos after the landslide near Dutch House Bridge at 6am on Saturday morning.

More than 1,000 tonnes of rock was brought in to shore up the unstable embankment by Railtrack, which said it carried out regular checks on the land around the track.

Railtrack said there has never been any previous indication of loose ground following its checks.

Railtrack spokesman Holly Garner said: "We're working through the night to clear up the track and make it safe.

"This is the first time there has been a landslide on this line, and we will ensure measures are taken to secure the ground before we reopen the service with Connex."

Connex had to run its service on a single track while the emergency work was undertaken.

Connex spokesman Ken Gibbs explained the company had arranged an emergency bus service to run while the problems were being fixed.

He said: "We hope to get the service working again on Tuesday (yesterday). We are managing to run four trains an hour rather than 10 at the moment, with buses covering at off peak times."

Connex South East suspended off-peak services while the track was cleared.

All services on the Sidcup line were diverted via Bexleyheath on Monday morning, causing other services to suffer.

Extra services to Hither Green were also provided to cover for the delays caused by the clear-up operation.

Cranes were used around the 25ft high embankment to bolster the ground with the rock.

The rock fall and consequent rail closure comes a fortnight after the collision of two Connex trains at Hither Green which left nine people injured.

Chris Steel