Rail passengers have been advised to travel only if “absolutely essential” as extreme heat threatens to disrupt services across Britain. Temperatures are forecast to reach 37C in southern England and Wales, potentially hitting 40C in some areas over the next three days.
Network Rail has imposed speed restrictions, particularly affecting intercity services from London to Birmingham, Manchester, and beyond. Chiltern Railways has already cancelled more than half its normal timetable, while LNER strongly recommends against travel on Wednesday and Thursday.
A red extreme heat warning from the Met Office covers Wednesday and Thursday. Network Rail deputy chief executive Jake Kelly said: “Extreme heat can have a significant impact on the railway, so safety must come first.” He urged passengers to check before travelling on Tuesday and only travel if essential within the red zone.
Extreme heat can cause steel rails to buckle, overhead wires to sag, and signalling systems to fail. The disruption adds to ongoing issues on the Midland mainline after a fatal collision on Friday between two EMR trains at Bedford, which killed a driver and injured about 100 passengers.
Chiltern Railways commercial director Michael Stewart advised: “We strongly advise you to avoid travelling over the next three days if possible.” Both Chiltern and LNER have said tickets booked for Wednesday and Thursday can be used on Friday instead.
