Train passengers have been told to only travel if necessary by some operators on Thursday as parts of England face yet another heatwave. Chiltern Railways and East Midlands Railway issued alerts to “only travel if essential” as they warn services could be disrupted by the scorching temperatures. Other operators will either run a reduced timetable or are warning about the potential for short-notice cancellations.
Reduced services and warnings
Northern said it will run fewer trains than normal on some routes in the North West and Yorkshire on Thursday because of the extreme heat. It told passengers that high temperatures “increase the risk of issues on the railway and with the reliability of our trains”, which means it must make adjustments to its usual timetable “to keep trains running”.
Heat-related issues that can affect the railway include buckled rails, sagging overhead electric wires and lineside fires. Steel rails can exceed 50C when the air temperature is 30C.
Ticket restrictions eased and hydration advice
Some ticket restrictions have been eased, and passengers are being asked to check for travel updates before setting off, as well as carry water with them to stay hydrated.
Chiltern Railways and East Midlands Railway changes
Chiltern Railways said temperatures are expected to reach highs of 38C on parts of its network on Thursday. It will operate a reduced timetable between 11am and 8pm. Changes include off-peak services between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street operating hourly rather than half-hourly and no Chiltern Railways services from Birmingham Snow Hill from 10:15am until the end of the day. Some services between London Marylebone and Oxford will also be cancelled.
Michael Stewart, commercial and customer strategy director at Chiltern Railways, said: “We are asking customers to travel only if essential on Thursday because of the exceptionally high temperatures forecast across our network. By operating a reduced timetable during the hottest part of the day, we can provide a more reliable and comfortable service for customers.”
East Midlands Railway said trains between Nottingham and Worksop, and on the Nottingham to Leicester regional stopping route, will not run on Thursday after midday. The Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich route will run between Sheffield and Norwich only.
