Train services badly affected
LINE CLOSED COMPLETELY SOUTH OF CITY YESTERDAY AFTERNOON DUE TO THE HEAT
TRAIN services between Leicester and London were cancelled yesterday due to the record-breaking heatwave.
The Midland Mainline south of the city was shut completely from lunchtime because of the high track temperatures.
East Midlands Railway (EMR), which operates services from Leicester, Loughborough and Market Harborough to London St Pancras, said: “All services south of Leicester stopped at lunchtime yesterday and the line was closed on safety grounds.”
The train operator had been operating hourly services, instead of its usual twice-an-hour trains, on both its London-to-Sheffield and London-to-Nottingham routes that stop in the county.
All London trains from Leicester – up to 8.33pm last night – were cancelled, but some trains were still able to go north to Nottingham.
An EMR spokesman said last night they were looking at resuming services south of Leicester but were “reviewing the situation and things may well change”.
He said it all depended on the latest advice issued by Network Rail, which manages and maintains tracks and other rail infrastructure.
CrossCountry Trains, which operates the Leicester to Birmingham route, also confirmed passengers faced delays yesterday.
It followed the train company’s decision to shut the line between Leicester and Stansted Airport on Monday and yesterday.
“Due to the heatwave, Network Rail has implemented speed restrictions across the network to keep our passengers safe,” said a CrossCountry Trains spokesperson yesterday. Network Rail confirmed the closure of the Midland Mainline yesterday.
A spokesperson said: “Network Rail and train operators have upgraded travel advice for services heading north out of London into the weather warning ‘red zone’ to DO NOT TRAVEL.
“With free refunds and ticket swaps available, the advice is to stay home and replan your journey.”
Gary Walsh, route director for Network Rail in the East Midlands, said yesterday: “We’re sorry to
have to close the Midland Mainline south of Bedford during the hottest part of the day today. We want to offer the best possible service to passengers and closures are always a last resort.
“Our railway, like the rest of the
country, is facing record temperatures this week.
“We’ve been carefully monitoring our track and overhead power lines all day on Monday and the data told us that the unprecedented forecast temperatures would require a blanket 20mph speed restriction during the very hottest part of the day.
“At that speed the train service would simply become unworkable on the busiest part of the network.”
Paul Barnfield, operations director at EMR, said: “Urging people not to travel is never a decision we make lightly but, in this instance, with such extreme temperatures forecast, it is the right and sensible thing to do.
“Extreme heat can cause the tracks to buckle and bend and so we need to take sensible precautions to keep our customers and staff safe.
“On this occasion, we have been left with no alternative other than to urge customers not to travel.”
He added: “Customers with tickets for Tuesday can use them today or contact us to discuss a refund or exchange. Finally, I would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding and hope they can find ways to avoid the worst of the heat.”
Passenger numbers were reported to be down by 20 per cent at the UK’s main railway stations on Monday, according to Network Rail.
A spokesperson said they did not have the actual figures to hand but believed that rail travellers were heeding the ‘no travel’ warnings issued.