Media centre

Wednesday 18 Nov 2015

Storm damage affects train services in the West Midlands

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

Overnight storm damage caused by high winds means there are no trains between Birmingham and Lichfield this morning.

Services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton are also disrupted.

A tree was blown onto the overhead wires in the Wylde Green area on Tuesday night causing significant damage. Engineers had to wait until the windspeed dropped and it was safe to remove it before repairs could start.

As a result there will be no trains between Birmingham and Lichfield until at least 10am and replacement buses will be used instead.

A tree was also blown onto the line at Coseley, again causing significant damage. Both lines are currently blocked and there is expected to be disruption throughout Wednesday.

As a result Virgin Trains and CrossCountry services through the area are being diverted and London Midland services are being replaced by buses.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "I apologise to passengers for the delays to their journeys this morning as a result of the storm damage. Our teams worked throughout the night to deal with weather-related issues to help keep as many trains and passengers moving as possible today.

"The high winds caused damage across the rail network and we continue to work at several locations to bring the railway back into use.

“We’re working closely with train operators to get people safely where they’re going, but some journeys may take longer and passengers are advised to check before travelling to find out if their journey is affected.”

A number of chainsaw gangs were on standby overnight to deal with trees, branches or other obstructions which were blown onto the railway and train operators have run special ‘route proving’ trains at slow speed before the start of service this morning to make sure lines are clear and safe for passengers.

Passengers should check www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest information before travelling.