A frozen train bought rush-hour misery to hundreds of commuters as it blocked the main route from the Kent coast up to London on Thursday.
The first service of the day which leaves Dover Priory Station just before 5am ground to a halt 15 miles down the line just outside the village of Sandling.
A frozen contact rail was blamed for the breakdown and a further train was despatched in an attempt to pull the stricken service clear.
But this move was unsuccessful, forcing the cancellation of all main line commuter services from the coast to Ashford, Tonbridge and London.
A member of staff at Folkestone West Station said: "We call those first carriages up the ‘ghost train’ as there is hardly anyone on it this far down the line.
"But it has proved a disaster today as where it froze up no services can get past. There is no other rail.
"So the line up to London was completely blocked and a knock on effect meant services were in the wrong place so other trains from Ashford, Tonbridge and Paddock Wood were cancelled as well.
"Conditions all across the network were bad - it's fair to say it's a nightmare for commuters. All we did was advise them to use their own transport."
Travellers were turned away from stations across East Kent and most said they were resigned to the conditions.
Keith Appleton, 36, travels each day to his City job from Folkestone.
He said: "I actually avoided the very earliest trains as I felt when I saw it start to snow it was pretty unlikely they would run.
"But I arrived in time to catch the 7.47am - only to be told the service I would have caught on a normal day had broken down and was blocking the line.
"I think that's what you call a no-win situation."
Around two inches of snow fell in East Kent and road services became increasingly treacherous because of ice.
But the fall was actually less than predicted.
POSTED: 25/01/2007 10:45:34
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