Network Rail has said it will close the East Coast Main Line (ECML) for all locations between London King’s Cross and York and Leeds due to the extreme weather expected on Tuesday 19 July. Passengers are being warned not to travel.
The closure will be in place from 12:00 until 20:00 with a skeleton service running in the morning. It comes amid forecasts of record temperatures (39 to 40 degrees) and the declaration of a national emergency from Monday. A combination of extremely high local forecast temperatures and temperatures well in excess of those for which the infrastructure is designed for on the East Coast corridor has led to this decision.
Sam MacDougall, operations director for Network Rail said: “Closing the line to traffic is always a last resort but it is the right thing to do to keep people safe on Tuesday given the unprecedented heatwave forecast. The forecast temperatures are well above those which our infrastructure is designed, and safety must come first.
“On Monday we are reducing the speed at which trains can run which will limit the number of trains running and extend journey times significantly so we’re asking passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary.
“The best way to keep everyone safe and prevent passengers from becoming stranded on trains in the extraordinary heat is to proactively close the East Coast Main Line routes south of York and Leeds during the very hottest temperatures. I am sorry for the disruption this will cause.”
The closure means many train companies will not run any services and others will be very limited. Passengers are being asked to re-plan their journey for another day where possible or get a refund.
Conditions on other routes will be closely monitored with further changes to service possible. Additional response staff will be out on the network to respond to incidents, but the heat makes working conditions challenging for them too.
Jason Webb, Director of Customer Information Rail Delivery Group said: “These are extreme temperatures and while the whole industry is pulling together to deliver the best possible service under the circumstances, we must ask people to only travel if absolutely necessary. If you have no choice but to travel on lines that are open, please take all sensible precautions to keep yourself safe and well, like bringing water for your journey.
“If your train is disrupted and you choose not to travel then you are eligible for a fee free refund. Some operators will also offer customers the ability to travel either Wednesday or Thursday if they prefer to delay their travel – please check with your operator. We are sorry for the disruption caused.”
Train service information for Tuesday:
LNER: Do not travel between London King’s Cross and south of York & Leeds. No trains will run (this includes Wakefield, Doncaster, Retford, Lincoln, Newark, Grantham, Peterborough, and Stevenage), only travel if necessary to other destinations. More information about ticket acceptance and refunds is available here.
Great Northern and Thameslink: No trains will run to or from King’s Cross or Moorgate on either the Thameslink or Great Northern routes. There will be no trains on these routes all day. This means no service between Peterborough / Cambridge / Stevenage and London, or on the sub-urban routes between Stevenage via Hertford North / Welwyn Garden City and Moorgate.
CrossCountry: Services are scaled back on Monday and Tuesday and will terminate at Leeds in the west and Newcastle in the North. Full details are available here.
East Midlands Railway services which cross the East Coast: No trains will run between Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber. Liverpool Lime Street/ Nottingham/Norwich services will only run between Manchester Piccadilly and Grantham and Doncaster / Lincoln / Peterborough services will be cancelled. Full details of the changes to services are here.
Northern and TransPennine Express: Services likely to be affected by the restrictions. Northern journey planner available here and TransPennine Express here.
Hull Trains: Only running a single service in each direction early in the morning with two further shuttle services between Hull and Doncaster. Service will be diverted and will not call at Howden and Selby. Click for the planned reduced timetable.
Grand Central: Only travel if essential. A reduced timetable will be in place.
Lumo: Customers travelling to or from London Kings Cross are advised to only travel, if necessary before 12:00 or after 20:00 and please do not travel between 12:00 and 20:00. Customers travelling to or from Edinburgh, Morpeth or Newcastle are advised to only travel if essential. Further information on train times and live real time delay/cancellation/disruption information can be found here.
Photo credit: Network Rail
