Rail disruption continues today after yesterday’s record high temperatures.
The extreme weather led to wildfires across the Southeast, with key rail infrastructure damaged in the fires.
The East Coast Main Line, which links London’s King’s Cross station with Yorkshire and Scotland, was still closed south of Peterborough this morning.
LNER, the main train operator on the line, said: “Due to urgent repairs to the railway line between King’s Cross and Peterborough, all lines are closed.
“Please do not travel to or from King’s Cross today.”
A fire near the railway line south of Peterborough yesterday caused considerable damage to signaling equipment.
“Network Rail are working to repair this as quickly as possible but the extent of the damage means that services will be disrupted today, Wednesday 20 July,” LNER added.
Meanwhile, there are no trains north of St Pancras Station and services on the West Coast Main Line from Euston are severely disrupted.
Key points
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The East Coast Main Line is now open but passengers have been told to ‘avoid travel where possible’
Trains are now running again along the entire length of the UK’s flagship rail link, the East Coast Main Line from London King’s Cross to Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland.
After the line was completely closed to passenger trains on Tuesday, train operators hoped to resume services on Wednesday – starting with the 5.45am departure of the Lumo express from King’s Cross to Edinburgh.
But that train, along with all other morning departures and arrivals at the London terminus, was canceled due to infrastructure damage caused by a fire south of Peterborough.
The main operator, LNER, said: “Following bad weather and high temperatures on Tuesday 19 July, a fire near the railway line south of Peterborough caused significant damage to signaling equipment.
“There will be a reduced service to and from London Kings Cross until the end of today.
“It is recommended that journeys to and from London King’s Cross today, Wednesday 20 July, are avoided where possible due to the severity of the disruption.”
Tickets can be used on Thursday or Friday on any LNER train.
(Simon Calder)
Simon Calder July 20, 2022 4:54 pm
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Trains are running on the West Coast Main Line – but with long delays
Trains are now reported to be running on the West Coast Main Line between Preston and Carlisle, restoring the connection between Scotland and London on the main route from Glasgow through North West England.
But many trains have long delay.
Avanti West Coast said trains “may be cancelled, delayed by up to 180 minutes or diverted”.
Damage to overhead cables in the West Midlands means that Sandwell & Dudley – normally an intercity stop between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton – will not be served.
“Disruption is expected by the end of the day,” says Avanti West Coast.
Tickets dated Monday 18, Tuesday 19 or Wednesday 20 July will be accepted for all day travel tomorrow (Thursday 21 July) or Friday 22 July until 12 noon.
In addition, passengers can request a full refund.
Avanti West Coast Pendolino
(STUART WALKER)
Simon Calder July 20, 2022 4:33 pm
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Commuters left “concerned” and “disturbed” by the canceled train
Commuters were left “worried” and “distressed” after dozens of train services were canceled due to the extreme heat.
Lee Ball was trying to travel with his wife Libby and 10-year-old daughter Amelie from their home in Droitwich, Worcestershire, to London Euston as part of a trip to Brussels for an Ed Sheeran concert.
The 46-year-old said their train from Droitwich to Birmingham New Street was canceled with less than 30 minutes’ notice so they traveled to Birmingham International where they were left waiting for hours.
He said: “I’ve been up since 4.30am, anxious, trying to get an answer from anywhere we can. I watched the trains from Birmingham New Street to London Euston this morning and one was literally canceled at five minutes notice.
He added that the communication from the rail companies was “appalling”.
“It’s a huge, huge concern,” he said. “Can’t sleep, 4am this morning, anxiety, to see if there have been any updates.”
Nicole Dixon, 26, missed her uncle’s funeral in Carlisle after all available trains from Euston were cancelled.
“I’m incredibly annoyed, disappointed and a bit exhausted,” said the private PA.
“I was told there was a slim chance of running a train (yesterday) but that (today) they would 100 percent run. I explained to (staff) that I had to be home in the morning for a funeral.
“I felt very irritated this morning, as I was assured that I would be able to make it to the funeral.”
Alex Davies, a charity worker from Crewe, said he was “physically and mentally exhausted” from trying to organize his journey home from Portsmouth via London Euston.
The 28-year-old said: “I’m autistic and I need a lot of help from my wife but she hasn’t been able to get time off to travel with me so the whole saga has been extremely difficult for me. I have to know plans in advance, struggle to adapt to changes, struggle with communication, etc.
William Janes and Lilly Ford, PA July 20, 2022 3:26 p.m
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Merseyrail sets out ‘strike timetable’
Merseyside passengers will be able to travel by train next Wednesday despite a strike by Network Rail staff, Merseyrail has announced.
RMT union members working as signalmen or maintenance staff are to strike from 2am on July 27 for 24 hours.
Although Merseyrail staff will not walk out, only limited services will be possible on the routes signaled by non-union staff and management.
The train operator says it will run an hourly service from 7.30am to 6.30pm on July 27 “to help passengers make essential journeys”.
All train routes are based on journeys to and from Liverpool Central:
- Southport via Crosby
- Ormskirk via Aintree
- Kirkby via Kirkdale
- Moorfields and Liverpool Central.
- Rock Ferry via Hamilton Square and Birkenhead Central
- New Brighton via Hamilton Square and Birkenhead Park
- West Kirby via Hamilton Square and Birkenhead Park.
On Thursday 28 July some early trains will be cancelled.
Andy Heath, managing director of Merseyrail, said: “I would stress to those intending to travel on July 27 that services will be hourly, only serving limited stations and likely to be very busy.”
Simon Calder July 20, 2022 2:41 pm
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“Sustainability Working Group” launched by Network Rail
As millions of rail passengers face cancellations, delays and uncertainty as a result of the extreme heat, Network Rail has launched a ‘resilience taskforce’.
The infrastructure owner and operator says the expert-led group will be “focused on gathering information from other countries and making comparisons with international rail networks that are more used to dealing with extreme heat and temperature fluctuations”.
Andrew Haynes, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “The weather we’ve experienced this week has put enormous pressure on our infrastructure, our staff and our passengers, and extreme weather events are becoming more common as our climate continues to change , we need to pull out all the stops to make our railway as sustainable as possible.
Simon Lane, former chief executive of NSW Rail respectively, will “investigate the operational standards, policies and practices that could enable services to continue to operate safely and without severely limiting speed limits in extreme heat”.
Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent transport organization Transport Focus, will examine how Network Rail communicates with passengers in the run-up to and during periods of extreme weather, as well as when planning for disruptive events.
Simon Calder July 20, 2022 1:16 pm
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The signaling issue between Stratford and St Pancras has been fixed
The signaling problem between Stratford International and St Pancras has now been fixed, Southern Rail says. The operator warns that there may be delays.
“The work has been completed and the line has now reopened. Please allow extra time for your journey while we work to restore services and crew to their correct positions,” they tweeted.
Line tickets are accepted on Tube, DLR and Fastrack trains.
Lucy Thackray July 20, 2022 at 12:37 pm
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The disruption in the rail network continues
Network Rail is reporting ongoing disruption on various routes until at least 1pm.
- Disruption between Virgina Water and Wokingham / Frimley (affecting commuters to Ascot)
- Interruption between Stratford International and London St Pancras International
- Delays between Earlswood and Gatwick Airport
Lines were also reopened after severe damage to overhead power lines between Lancaster and Carlisle. Trains running between these stations may still be cancelled, delayed or revised until service is restored.
Damage to overhead power lines earlier today between Windermere and Oxenholme Lake District also caused disruption to journeys through those stations. Rail replacement is in place between Windermere and Oxenholme Lake District.
Helen Coffey July 20, 2022 at 12:17 pm
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The crossing is melting with heat
Pictures shared by Network Rail show level crossing signaling equipment literally melted after yesterday’s record temperatures fueled fires in the South East.
“Please check your journeys before traveling on the East Coast Main Line today as we expect severe disruption,” a tweet read alongside the images.
“We are repairing the line after a fire on the route between Peterborough and London King’s Cross.”
Helen Coffey July 20, 2022 11:12 am
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Passengers abandon the train stuck in the tunnel and walk along the tracks
Passengers abandoned a train stuck in a Birmingham New Street tunnel and walked onto the tracks…
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