The extreme weather led to wildfires across the South East, with key rail infrastructure damaged by the flames. The East Coast Main Line, which links King’s Cross station in London with Yorkshire and Scotland, remained closed south of Peterborough this morning. LNER, the leading train operator on the line, said: “Due to emergency repairs to the rail 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 south of Peterborough yesterday caused significant damage to signaling equipment. “Network Rail is working to repair it as quickly as possible, but the extent of the damage means that services will be suspended for the duration of today, Wednesday 20 July,” LNER added. Meanwhile, no trains are running northbound from St Pancras station and services on the West Coast Main Line from Euston have been severely disrupted.
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The East Coast Main Line is now open but passengers are being told to ‘avoid traveling where possible’
Trains are once again running the length of the UK’s flagship rail link, the East Coast Main Line from London King’s Cross to Yorkshire, the North East of England and Scotland. After the line was completely closed to passenger trains on Tuesday, rail operators hoped to resume services on Wednesday – starting with a 5.45am departure. a Lumo express from King’s Cross to Edinburgh. But that train, along with all other morning departures and arrivals at the London terminal, 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 south of Peterborough caused significant damage to signaling equipment. “There will be a reduced service to and from London Kings Cross for the rest of today. “It is recommended that journeys to and from London Kings 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 Calder20 July 2022 16:54 1658331199
Trains 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 through link between Scotland and London on the main route from Glasgow through the North West of England. But many trains are long delayed. 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 Sandwell & Dudley – normally an inner-city 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. Alternatively, passengers can request a full refund. Next West Coast Pendolino (STUART WALKER) Simon Calder20 July 2022 16:33 1658327199
Travelers have been left “unsettled” and “unsettled” by train cancellations
Travelers have been left “unsettled” and “unsettled” after dozens of train services were canceled due to 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 drove to Birmingham International, where they have been left waiting for hours. He said: “I’ve been up since 4.30am, anxious, trying to get an answer from wherever we can. I was watching the trains this morning from Birmingham New Street to London Euston and one was literally canceled at five minutes notice.’ He added that the communication from the train companies was “disgusting”. “It’s a huge, huge stress,” he said. “I can’t sleep, 4am. this morning, distressed, to see if there were 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 a train coming out (yesterday) but that (today) they would be running 100 percent. I explained to (the staff) that I had to be home for a funeral in the morning. “I was really upset this morning as I was assured that I would be able to go 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 couldn’t take time off work to travel with me so the whole saga was extremely difficult for me. I have to know plans in advance, struggle to adapt to changes, struggle with communication, etc.” William Janes and Lily Ford, PA20 July 2022 15:26 1658324486
Merseyrail sets ‘strike timetable’
Passengers in Merseyside will be able to travel by train next Wednesday despite a strike by Network Rail staff, Merseyrail has said. RMT union members working as signalmen or maintenance staff are to strike from 2am on July 27 for 24 hours. Although no Merseyrail staff will be walking off, only limited services will be possible on lines flagged by non-union staff and management. The train operator says it will run an hourly service from 7.30am. until 6.30 p.m. on July 27 “to help passengers make essential journeys”. All train services 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, chief executive of Merseyrail, said: “I would stress to those planning to travel on July 27 that services will be hourly, will only serve limited stations and are likely to be very busy.” Simon Calder20 July 2022 14:41 1658319378
‘Resilience taskforce’ launched by Network Rail
As millions of rail passengers face cancellations, delays and uncertainty in the wake of extreme heat, Network Rail has launched a ‘resilience taskforce’. The infrastructure owner and operator says the expert-led team will focus on gathering information from other countries and comparing it with international rail networks more used to extreme heat and temperature fluctuations. Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “The weather we have experienced this week has put enormous pressure on our infrastructure, our staff and our passengers, and with extreme weather events becoming more frequent as our climate continues to change, we need to pull out all the stops to make our railway as resilient as possible.” Simon Lane, former NSW rail chief executive respectively, will “explore operational standards, policies and practices that could enable services to continue to operate safely and without severe speed restrictions in extreme heat”. Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent transport organization Transport Focus, will look at how Network Rail communicates with passengers ahead of and during periods of extreme weather, as well as its planning for disruptive events. Simon Calder20 July 2022 13:16 1658317022
Fixed signaling issue between Stratford and St Pancras
The signaling problem between Stratford International and St Pancras has now been resolved, Southern Rail says. The operator warns that delays may be continuous. “The work has been completed and the line has reopened. Please allow extra time for your journey as we work to restore services and crew to their correct locations,” they said on Twitter. Tickets for the line are accepted on Tube, DLR and Fastrack trains. Lucy Thackray20 July 2022 12:37 1658315861
Disruption continues on the rail network
Network Rail reports continued disruption on various routes until at least 1pm.
Disruption between Virgina Water and Wokingham / Frimley (affecting those traveling to Ascot) Disruption between Stratford International and London St Pancras International Delays between Earlswood and Gatwick Airport
In addition, lines were reopened after severe damage to overhead power lines between Lancaster and Carlisle. Trains running between these stations may still be cancelled, delayed or revised when service is restored. Damage to overhead power lines earlier today between Windermere and Oxenholme Lake District is also causing disruption to journeys through these stations. Rail replacement has been provided between Windermere and Oxenholme Lake District. Helen CoffeyJuly 20, 2022 12:17 p.m 1658311933
The level crossing melts in the heat
Pictures shared by Network Rail show level crossing signaling equipment has literally melted after yesterday’s record temperatures fueled fires across the South East. “We ask you to check your travel before traveling on the East Coast Main Line today as we expect severe disruption,” he tweeted alongside the images. “We are repairing the line after a fire on the route between Peterborough and London King’s Cross.” Helen Coffey20 July 2022 11:12 1658310288
Passengers leave the train stuck in a tunnel and walk along the tracks
Passengers left a train stuck in a tunnel in New Street, Birmingham and walked along the tracks to…
