An extreme heat weather warning has come into effect across parts of England, prompting Network Rail to impose speed restrictions and advise passengers not to travel. Temperatures could reach nearly 40C in some regions, leading to significant disruption to train services.
Red Weather Warning in Effect
The Met Office has issued a rare red warning for extreme heat, covering an area from London to Swansea and from Somerset to Birmingham. The warning is in place from 9am on Wednesday, June 24, until 9pm on Thursday, June 25. Passengers in these areas have been urged to avoid non-essential travel and to travel before midday if possible, carrying a water bottle.
Speed Restrictions and Service Disruptions
Network Rail warned that speed restrictions have been imposed to minimize risks from heat-related issues such as buckled rails and sagging overhead electric wires. As of 7:30am on Wednesday, train performance website trains.im reported that 11% of services across Britain were either cancelled or delayed by more than half an hour, compared to 4.7% a week earlier.
Several train operators have faced disruptions. Avanti West Coast experienced the most disruption on Wednesday morning, with four out of five services either cancelled or delayed by over 30 minutes. Chiltern Railways said it is running fewer than half its usual services until Friday to ensure safe operation, affecting London Marylebone services to and from Birmingham, Oxford, and Aylesbury via Amersham.
Operator-Specific Advice
Great Western Railway issued a plea for essential travel only on Wednesday and Thursday, citing speed restrictions that force fewer services and longer journey times. It is also running fewer trains between London Paddington and Reading because Network Rail is not moving some points on the route to reduce the risk of failures in high temperatures.
LNER's managing director David Horne said in a post on X: "All Lincoln-London and 50% of Leeds-London services will not run. There are also some amendments to our Hull and Middlesbrough services. Please follow our travel advice - because of the risk of disruption, we strongly advise do not travel today. Tickets dated today or tomorrow will be accepted on alternative dates up until 30 June."
Refund and Ticket Flexibility
Passengers with tickets for Wednesday or Thursday are allowed to travel earlier in the day when temperatures are lower, or on Friday. Those who no longer wish to travel can obtain a full refund without any fee.
