Thursday 7 May 2026
Travel update: Reduction in services for London Euston following damage to overhead powerlines on the West Coast Main Line
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South
Damage to overhead line equipment between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes on the West Coast Main Line will impact passengers travelling to and from London Euston on Friday (8 May). An amended timetable is expected to run until the end of the day.
Wiring above the railway was damaged on Thursday (7 May) and engineering teams from Network Rail are working hard to assess and repair the damaged wires. Due to the complexity of the damage, repairs are likely to continue throughout Friday (8 May) resulting in an amended timetable agreed in collaboration with train operators.
Services on Friday (8 May) for London Euston will be amended as follows:
- Liverpool services: One train will arrive and depart from Liverpool every hour (usually two)
- Manchester: Two trains will arrive and depart from Manchester every hour (usually three)
- Birmingham: Two trains will arrive and depart from Birmingham every hour (usually three)
- Tring: All services which terminate at Tring will be cancelled; stopping services will continue to call at the station.
Passengers have been urged to check with National Rail Enquiries and train operators before travelling and advised that services may be busy.
Network Rail’s West Coast South route director, Gary Walsh, said: “I am sorry to passengers impacted by the damage to overhead powerlines on the West Coast Main Line.
“Our engineers continue to work tirelessly to fix the issue, and we have worked closely with our train operator colleagues to offer an amended timetable today (Friday 8 May).
“To carry out a full repair and restore our usual service, we need to reduce the number of trains travelling along the West Coast Main Line. Please, if you are planning to travel to or from London Euston, please check for the latest information before you travel and allow extra time.”
Overhead line equipment – or OLE – is the name for the overhead wires and other equipment you can see on electrified railway lines. It carries 25,000 volts of electricity to power electric trains.
It’s a critical part of the railway that allows Network Rail to run faster and greener electric services, replacing trains running on diesel.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
North West and Central Media Relations
Press Office
Network Rail
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk