Media centre

Wednesday 23 Oct 2019

Broken rail means reduced service on Midland Main Line - passengers urged to check before travelling

Region & Route:

Eastern

Network Rail, East Midlands Railway and Govia Thameslink Railway are urging passengers to check before travelling as there is significant disruption to services using the Midland Main Line today.

During overnight track inspections, Network Rail engineers found a broken rail near Hendon station. This means that trains were having to run at a significantly reduced speed on this section of the railway earlier this morning. This portion of the line is now closed whilst Network Rail engineers work to carry out a temporary repair and services are being diverted around the fault. This means journey times are increased and fewer trains are able to run.

A temporary repair is expected to complete by 15:00, which will mean the speed of trains will be able to increase, although this will still be at a significantly lower speed than usual. Further work to allow trains to run at their normal speed will be carried out overnight.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day, so passengers are urged to check before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator. Passengers should also allow additional time for their journeys. Ticket Acceptance and bus replacement services are in place for Thameslink customers.

Gary Walsh, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Midlands route, said: “We would like to apologise for the disruption that passengers using the Midland Main Line have experienced this morning. This is due to a broken rail near Hendon station.

“Safety is Network Rail’s priority and we are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and a full train service will only resume once it is safe to do so. We would like to remind all those due to travel on the route today to check before travelling and we would like to thank all those affected for their patience.”

ENDS