Commuters face journey home from hell with rail network in total meltdown as trains run slow to stop rails buckling in 38C heat
COMMUTERS tonight face a journey home from hell as the rail network is in total meltdown after trains were forced to slow down during today’s 38C heatwave.
Passengers were stranded on a Virgin train without an any air conditioning outside London Euston today and had to be rescued to by rail workers.
Network Rail announced that speed restrictions would be in place in until 8pm amid fears that tracks could buckle in the heat if trains travel too fast.
Speed limits on most commuter lines will be cut from 60mph to 30mph on what has become the hottest July day on record.
Former Manchester United and Aston Villa footballer Dion Dublin shared a picture of the chaos at Euston after the station put out a “major disruption” alert.
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Extreme weather action teams have been “activated” to keep passengers safe and trains running after today became the second hottest day on record.
London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway have now advised passengers not to start new journeys as high temperatures are disrupting its services.
Today has seen pavements melting in what has been dubbed “Furnace Thursday”.
A spokesman for the operators said: “We are sorry to have to issue this advice. We don’t make these decisions very often nor do we take them lightly.
“Faced with multiple heat related incidents across our network the responsible thing is to focus on people already travelling.
Faced with multiple heat related incidents across our network the responsible thing is to focus on people already travelling.
West Midlands Railway
“We will be doing all we can to get people home this evening.”
Tickets dated for Thursday will be accepted for travel on Friday.
The scorching temperatures caused damage to overhead electric wires between London St Pancras and Luton, blocking all lines.
This is affecting East Midlands Trains and Thameslink services.
East Midlands Trains posted a message on Twitter urging passengers “DO NOT TRAVEL” and warned it had been unable to secure ticket acceptance via alternative routes.
Thameslink said “you are strongly advised not to travel”, and said journey times will be extended by up to 90 minutes.
DO NOT TRAVEL
Nick King, network services director at Network Rail, said: “We have a number of heat-related incidents across the rail network this evening that are causing disruption to services.
“We are sorry that some passengers are experiencing uncomfortable conditions and inconvenience.
“Our teams are working flat out to fix the issues as quickly as possible and get people on the move.
“We’re asking anyone travelling this evening to check with their train operators or visit the National Rail Enquiries website to see how their journey is affected.”
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, advised passengers in the south east to consider changing their travel plans on Thursday owing to the heat.
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London North Eastern Railway, which runs inter-city services on the East Coast Main Line, advised customers against travelling as some services had been cancelled or delayed due to speed restrictions between Peterborough and London King’s Cross.
The current record of 38.5C was set in Faversham, Kent, back in August 2003.
The UK appeared to fall just short of breaking a new record with 38.1C recorded in Cambridge this afternoon.
The previous hottest July day was recorded in July 2015 with a temperature of 36.7C, however, the weather today has topped that by nearly two degrees.
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