Extreme heat continues to affect rail services

There will be no trains on much of the Thameslink network until late on Wednesday morning (20 July) and there will be a significantly reduced service between Peterborough and Stevenage.

There will also be no service between Cambridge and King’s Lynn until at least 09:00.

This follows the extreme weather experienced on Monday and Tuesday.

Network Rail says the Midland Mainline out of St Pancras to Bedford and the East Midlands will remain closed in the morning for further safety checks after searing temperatures put track and overhead power lines under extreme stress for the previous two days.

A fire on the railway line in Sandy, Bedfordshire (see Network Rail press release), has also caused major damage to signalling equipment and a level crossing on the East Coast Mainline, closing the route between Peterborough and Hitchin. Complex repairs need to be completed by Network Rail engineers and teams also need to inspect the track for damage.

Between Cambridge and King’s Lynn, there are also reports of overhead power line damage.

As a result, all Thameslink and Great Northern routes will be disrupted on Wednesday morning:

• There will be no Thameslink trains on the following routes until at least late morning:
  • Bedford and London via St Albans
  • London and Sutton via Wimbledon or Mitcham Junction
  • London and East Grinstead, Littlehampton or Orpington
  • London and Rainham
• No service is expected between Peterborough and Stevenage
• There will be no service between Cambridge and King's Lynn until at least 09:00

A spokesperson for Thameslink and Great Northern said: 

“The extreme temperatures experienced on Monday and Tuesday will continue to impact our services on Wednesday morning while Network Rail completes repairs and safety checks. This means that for many they will not be able to travel until late morning at the earliest.

“We’re really sorry for the difficulties this will cause but the safety of our passengers must come first.

“Please do check before you travel at nationalrail.co.uk or on our websites where anyone delayed as a result of the disruption can also claim Delay Repay compensation.”

Gary Walsh, route director for Network Rail in the East Midlands explained: 

“We’re really sorry that the impact of the extreme weather at the start of this week is affecting passengers for a third day. Our teams will be out travelling the rails at first light to carry out the necessary inspections to allow us to fully reopen the network as soon as possible.

“We have extra response teams on shift who will respond as quickly as possible if any damage is found. I’d ask all passengers to check with your operator before you set off.”

Simon Pumphrey, Infrastructure Director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said:

“The heat has caused numerous challenges for the railway. Our teams remain on site to deal with the damage caused by the fire at Sandy. We’re working as hard as we can, but the complexity of the work means there will be significant disruption to trains on the East Coast Main Line tomorrow.

“As well as dealing with this incident, we also need to manually inspect the route between Peterborough and King’s Cross for any other damage and carry out any repairs.

“We’re sorry if this impacts on your plans and we’re doing what we can to restart services as soon as possible.”

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