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A Southern Rail train split in two as it departed London Bridge station sparking further chaos for commuters who have already been blighted by delays all day.

The train was leaving the major commuter hub on Friday afternoon when the middle carriages of the eight-car train separated, the rail operator said.

Passengers were told to avoid London Bridge station and find another route home after the train broke in half as it pulled away from the platform.

Police officers were sent to the station in a bid to help passengers get home as huge crowds amassed on platforms.

Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs the Southern train, said the emergency brakes immediately kicked in and that no-one was injured.

The train was leaving for Tattenham Corner at 3.50pm when the carriages broke away from one another and were left 10 feet apart.

Passenger Delroy Smith, 50, from south London, was stranded on the train for an hour.

"The train just shut down and there was no power," Mr Smith said, describing the moment the carriages broke apart.

"We got stuck for over an hour. And the train had no bathrooms or toilets so people were getting pretty angry. Then they pulled us back into London Bridge."

Photos from the scene show departure boards listing the delayed trains as huge crowds gather in the station.

Others on Twitter said people were "desperate to get home", calling the station a mess.

Southern Rail urged people to take other routes home from Blackfriars and Victoria.

Commuters on the Southern network were already facing an evening of rush hour delays and cancellations because of a major power failure on Friday morning.

The signalling problems also hit services on the Gatwick Express and Thameslink routes.

It sparked fury among passengers trying to get to the airport, with reports of missed flights and expensive taxi fares to catch the plane on time.

A GTR spokesperson said: “An eight-car train has separated into two sections as it departed platform 10 of London Bridge station this evening.

"The emergency brakes automatically activated and brought sections of the train to a stop. This incident occurred at low speed and did not create a safety risk.

"The cause will be fully investigated and we apologise to passengers for any disruption to their journey.”