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Wednesday 20 Jul 2022

Passengers at the southern end of the Midland Main Line advised not to travel early on Wednesday morning following record-breaking temperatures

Region & Route:

Eastern

Rail passengers using the Midland Main Line north from St Pancras are being advised not to travel first thing on Wednesday morning while safety checks continue.  It follows record temperatures in the East Midlands on Tuesday which were higher than the design limits for track and overhead line equipment.  

Services were stopped on between Bedford and Kettering and London on Tuesday afternoon as a safety precaution.  To make sure the heat has not damaged any infrastructure the lines need to be inspected by a qualified engineer in the daylight.  This work began on Tuesday night and will resume at first light on Wednesday.  Lines will reopen as soon as they have been cleared by the inspectors.

There will be no Thameslink services until late morning at the earliest on Wednesday on the routes between Bedford and London via St Albans; London and Sutton via Wimbledon or Mitcham Junctions, London and East Grinstead, Littlehampton or Orpington; and between Peterborough and Hitchin.  EMR Intercity and Connect services are likely to have some cancellations in the morning.  

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.

“As long as no serious faults are found we expect to have the route between Bedford and London open during the morning and the lines out to Kettering soon afterwards. 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.”