Train cracks to cause prolonged rail chaos

BRITAIN’S rail network will endure a “prolonged period” of chaos after hairline cracks were discovered under the carriages of some high-speed trains, the rail minister has said.

In one of the biggest recalls of national infrastructure, 182 Hitachi Class 800 series trains were taken out of service to investigate the damage to aluminium sections of their chassis for signs of metal fatigue.

Two of the busiest railways, run by Great Western Railway (GWR) from

London Paddington to Cornwall and by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) from the capital to Scotland, were severely affected as operators urged people not to travel.

Chris Heaton-Harris, the rail minister, said that the checks were “precautionary”, but demanded train operators provide adequate replacement bus services as well as a simple compensation process for the thousands affected.

The journey backlog will prove particularly difficult to clear because many stranded passengers hoping to travel today will discover trains already fully booked owing to reduced capacity to meet social distancing requirements.

The prospect of more cancellations and packed services could also hamper efforts of commuters trying to return to work after lockdown, as well students heading back to university.

Hitachi apologised after trains were recalled from 5am.

The extent of the disruption was tracked by Realtime Trains, which monitors the performance of the rail network. By 1pm yesterday, 140 planned services had been cancelled. Only last

month, GWR took six of its Hitachi intercity trains out of service after fatigue cracking was found in its suspension system, which prevents carriages from swaying.

The latest cracks were found on the lifting points under the carriage of some of the trains.

A spokesman for GWR said the cracks had been found in “more than one” of the Class 800 trains, introduced only a few years ago.

The TransPennine Express returned ten of its 19 Hitachi trains to service after they were given the all clear. One of the remaining nine was discovered to have the cracks.

It is feared the disruption will continue this week for LNER routes from London to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and on GWR between London Paddington, Bristol, Cardiff and Penzance, despite more than 30 of its 93 Class 800 trains being given the all clear.

The first Class 800 trains ran in October 2017, but on the first journey from London to Bristol an air conditioning unit leaked on to passengers.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, an independent

watchdog, said: “Safety must always come first. However, it is very disappointing this is happening on a relatively new set of trains.” Travellers at stations across the country were stranded as trains were cancelled from early yesterday morning. Some passengers heading to airports were forced to pay hundreds of pounds to take taxis to complete their journeys. Others booked hotels for the night in the hope the network would be restored today.

Mr Heaton-Harris said he shared the frustration felt by passengers, and urged people to check before travelling.

He added: “Safety is always our absolute priority, so these trains have been taken off the network to undergo full and rigorous checks.”

Speaking after a meeting with rail bosses, he said he had asked train operators to put on extra staff to help people complete their journeys, as well make information on refunds clear.

LNER warned it would be running a reduced service due to the recall.

A spokesman said: “Due to a number of Hitachi Class 800 trains from several train companies being taken out of service for checks as a precautionary measure, there will be a reduced number of services in operation. The issue is being investigated and once trains have been checked, we hope to be able to get them back into service as soon as possible.”