Commuters hit by delays on First Great Western, Greater Anglia and Stansted Express and Gatwick Express routes

Rail commuters were hit by a number of rush-hour delays today, with services to three major airports affected.

A landslip in the Bristol area led to delays and cancellations to First Great Western services.

Trains were unable to call at Bristol Parkway station and a bus replacement service had to run between Patchway and Bristol Parkway.

Buses also had to replace trains between Broxbourne and Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire due to overhead line problems which affected trains run by the Greater Anglia and Stansted Express companies.

This problem led to delays of up to 60 minutes between Broxbourne and Stansted Airport station.

Greater Anglia passengers also had to contend with a signalling problem that led to delays between Stratford in east London and Liverpool Street station in London.

Greater Anglia, with Heathrow Express, was also hit by a lineside equipment problem which caused delays to services in and out of Paddington station in London.

Gatwick Express services, with those run by First Capital Connect and the Southern train company, were affected by a broken-down train at East Croydon in south east London.

PA