Trains cancelled - live: Rail services reduced as UK public urged not to travel

Simon Calder to answer your travel questions live

The mercury is rising - and, with it, the chance that your train will be delayed or cancelled.

On Monday and Tuesday, as temperatures are set to soar and potentially hit 40C in the UK, train operators are reducing services to cope with the heat.

So what does it mean for your imminent public transport journeys? And are you still allowed to travel by train?

Our expert Simon Calder will be on hand tomorrow, Tuesday 19 July, to answer all your questions in an ‘Ask me anything’ event between 4-5pm.

Helen Coffey18 July 2022 15:51

Adjoining London terminals of King's Cross and St Pancras busy with passengers

Monday lunchtime at London St Pancras International was busy when Simon Calder recorded his daily podcast for The Independent.

“There seem to be an awful lot of people here at St Pancras,” he reports. “And I’ve seen loads across the road at King's Cross who have not be deterred by the ‘do not travel unless absolutely necessary’ line.

“Clearly a lot of people would say, ‘It’s for me to say whether my journey is absolutely necessary or not’.”

Eurostar trains from London to Paris are returning to normal. There was widespread disruption during the morning due to vandalism on the high-speed line north of the French capital.

The cross-Channel train operator is telling passengers: “It will be very hot over the next few days in all Eurostar destinations. Remember to bring plenty of drinks for your journey. There are no 100ml liquid restrictions with us.”

Simon Calder18 July 2022 14:21

ScotRail emergency timetable to end on Wednesday

Rail services across the UK are expected to return to normal on Wednesday after the heatwave speed restrictions and line closures.

In Scotland, the trains will actually be far better from 20 July onwards than they were last week. The emergency timetable, in place since 23 May, will end – with 700 services per day restored.

Around one-third of daily trains were axed because train drivers exercised their right not to work overtime. Evening services were especially hard hit.

The drivers’ union, Aslef, has been in dispute over pay. But earlier this month members voted to accept an improved pay offer made by ScotRail.

The train operator said: “We've been relying on drivers working overtime or on their rest days to run a normal timetable, as the pandemic meant that training new drivers was significantly delayed.

“Without Covid and that impact on training, we would have trained around an extra 130 drivers today.

“Our train planning team are working flat out to carry out the changes required for the near 700 services to be reintroduced. This includes scheduling the movement of trains to where they need to be, with rosters for on-train staff and schedules for drivers being altered.

“If you’re planning to travel from Wednesday, 20 July, please see our normal timetables.”

(Simon Calder)

Simon Calder18 July 2022 13:54

When are the next train strikes?

Amid widespread cancellations, delays and slow-moving trains due to the mid-July heatwave, commuters and holidaymakers are also having to work around various train strike dates over the course of summer.

The next industrial action dates are 27 and 30 July - the former is a nationwide rail strike by RMT union members working at Network Rail, while the latter involves Aslef members at Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains as part of an ongoing dispute over pay.

Travellers heading off by train during August won’t escape the strike disruption, either - staff working for Network Rail and 14 train operators will walk out on Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August.

Further walkouts will affect trains on 17, 19 and 21 August, too, drastically curtailing services over one of the busiest weekends of the year across Great Britain.

Simon Calder has the full story:

Lucy Thackray18 July 2022 13:15

Some train journeys to double during heatwave, says Network Rail boss

Train journeys could double amid heatwave temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, Network Rail’s chief spokesman Kevin Groves told Sky News.

Mr Groves explained that trips which usually take two hours could take “more than four hours” amid fears around rails “buckling” in the extreme heat.

He told presenters that heat restrictions on UK trains would continue until around 8pm tonight, and reiterated the organisation’s warning to only travel by train if absolutely necessary during Monday and Tuesday.

“Certainly later on today that (buckling) is a strong possibility, which is why, from about midday today through till 8pm tonight, there will be large swathes of England and Wales that will have emergency heat-related speed restrictions placed on the rail network,” he said.

“Our advice to passengers if they can, today and tomorrow, is only travel if it’s really necessary; otherwise try and shift your arrangements to later in the week and you’ll get a full refund,”

Lucy Thackray18 July 2022 12:41

Network Rail explains why speed restrictions are necessary during extreme hot weather

“A summer heatwave can cause as many problems for the railway as a downpour,” says Network Rail.

The infrastructure provider has imposed speed limits ranging from 20mph to 90pm across the network – and teams have also been out painting tracks white.

Network Rail explains: “Because rails are made from steel, they expand as they get hotter, and can start to curve – this is known as ‘buckling’.

“Slower trains cause lower forces on the track – this reduces the chance of buckling.

“Most of the network can operate when track temperatures heat up to 46C – roughly equivalent to air temperature of around 30C – but rails have been recorded at temperatures as high as 51C.

“We paint certain parts of the rail white so they absorb less heat – and expand less. Typically, a rail painted white is 5C to 10C cooler than one left unpainted.”

Simon Calder18 July 2022 11:59

Eurostar delays ‘due to vandalism’

While Eurostar plans to run all its services as normal despite the heat in the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, trains linking London St Pancras with Paris are running over an hour behind schedule.

Trains are following the “classic” route between Arras and Paris rather than the high-speed line.

Passengers are being told: “Our train is delayed because of a problem with the overhead power supply near Paris.”

Arrivals at St Pancras International up to and including the 12.30pm are showing delays of 60 minutes or more.

But a train manager tweeted: “Update for passengers on #ES9004 to Paris.

“We’ll be diverted after Lille due to vandalism on the high-speed line. There will be a brief stop in Lille to pick up a “pilot” as our driver is not trained on this route. Apologies for the likely 1 hour late arrival.”

Passengers delayed by an hour or more are entitled to compensation.

Simon Calder18 July 2022 11:34

ScotRail services run slower

Even though the highest UK temperatures are expected in England, not Scotland, a stretch of railway west of Glasgow city centre is subject to a 20mph speed restriction.

Network Rail Scotland said: “The stretch of railway between Hyndland and Finnieston in Glasgow is one of the busiest in Scotland.

“With extreme temperatures forecast, we’ve put a 20mph speed restriction in place there until tomorrow night to protect the overhead wires from potential damage.

“We will be implementing further speed restrictions between 1-8pm today. These restrictions will impact most train routes during the warmest part of the day, helping to minimise potential damage caused by today’s forecasted temperatures.”

(Network Rail Scotland)

Simon Calder18 July 2022 11:20

East Coast main line closure: Simon Calder explains why

Speed restrictions will be in force across Great Britain until Tuesday night as a result of the extreme heat. Trains running at high speed increase the risk of rails buckling.

Yet on the flagship UK rail line between London King's Cross and Yorkshire, Network Rail is going one stage further: closing the East Coast main line (ECML) completely between the capital, Leeds and York from 12 noon to 8pm on Tuesday.

Unlike other electrified lines, such as the West Coast main line and Great Western Railway, the ECML was something of an economy project – with overhead wires more prone to problems, and with wood rather than concrete supporting the track across some junctions – making it “slightly more fragile in extreme heat” compared with other express lines, according to Network Rail.

(Simon Calder)

Simon Calder18 July 2022 11:04

EMR, Northern and Avanti West Coast announce train cancellations

At St Pancras International, East Midlands Railway has cancelled at least half of its inter-city links from Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and Leicester to London St Pancras. The first arrival from Sheffield ran 15 minutes late due to speed restrictions.

With the highest temperature expected on Tuesday, line closures are expected in northern England. Northern Trains says: “Some routes will be closed completely, especially on Tuesday in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber and you should not attempt to travel as there will be no alternative options.”

Avanti West Coast is also cancelling many trains from Birmingham and Manchester to London.

Simon Calder18 July 2022 10:39

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