Rail passengers at London Euston are facing severe disruption after a signalling fault between Euston and Watford Junction blocked several lines. Network Rail reported that the problem could cause services to be severely delayed or cancelled.
In an update on Saturday evening, the publicly-owned organisation responsible for the rail tracks said it expected the disruption to continue “until the end of the day”. Trains running on the major rail section “may be cancelled, delayed by up to 90 minutes or revised”, Network Rail said in a social media post.
Operators affected and alternative arrangements
Avanti West Coast, which runs services to Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, said it was putting on rail replacement coaches to take passengers from Euston to Watford and Milton Keynes to bypass the problem. Other operators affected included London Overground, Southern, London Northwestern Railway and Lumo.
Passengers took to social media to express their frustration and warn others heading to Euston about likely delays. Akira Murakami, an associate professor at the University of Birmingham, posted on X: “Due to a traffic light malfunction, all trains departing from London's Euston Station are delayed. It seems like after the delay announcements, they're being canceled one by one, so it might be a good idea to look for another way to get home.”
Nicola Ruth tweeted a picture of Euston’s crowded station concourse and said: “Here's my real life Halloween horror – all lines blocked leaving Euston this evening.”
Impact on Underground and alternative routes
The issues also disrupted Tube services, with Euston Underground closed by Transport for London as a result of overcrowding at the station. One Tube passenger told The Standard they were told by the driver of their Northern line train that they would not stop at Euston because of problems with intercity services.
Many passengers affected by the signalling failure looked for alternative routes to reach their destinations. That caused Marylebone station, and services leaving from the central London terminal, to be very busy, according to Network Rail.
In an update issued at 8.30pm, Network Rail said some trains were able to pass through the affected stretch of track into Euston.
