An extreme heat weather warning has prompted a “do not travel” alert for train passengers across large parts of England, as temperatures are forecast to reach 38C. The Met Office’s rare red warning, in effect from 9am on Wednesday until 9pm on Thursday, covers an area from London to Swansea and from Somerset to Birmingham.
Network Rail has imposed speed restrictions to reduce the risk of buckled rails and sagging overhead wires. As a result, many services have been cancelled or delayed, with train performance website trains.im reporting 11 per cent of services across Britain either cancelled or delayed by more than half an hour as of 7.30am on Wednesday, up from 4.7 per cent a week earlier.
Avanti West Coast experienced the most disruption, with four out of five services either cancelled or more than 30 minutes late. Chiltern Railways is running fewer than half its usual services until Friday, affecting routes from London Marylebone to Birmingham, Oxford and Aylesbury. Great Western Railway has pleaded for essential travel only, saying speed restrictions will force fewer services and extended journey times on its London Paddington to Reading line.
LNER’s managing director David Horne advised strongly against travel, stating that all Lincoln-London and half of Leeds-London services would not run, with amendments to Hull and Middlesbrough services. Tickets dated Wednesday or Thursday will be accepted on alternative dates up until June 30, and passengers who no longer wish to travel can get a full refund without a fee.
Passengers in areas covered by the red warning are urged to avoid non-essential travel and, if they must travel, to do so before midday and carry a water bottle. The disruption is expected to continue through Thursday as the heatwave persists.
