Category Archives: Rail transport

UK weather: Storm Henk hits parts of south as Met Office issues warning

Posted on by

Damage to buildings and floods likely as first named storm of 2024 sweeps across southern Britain

Commuters faced misery on roads and rail networks and people were told to prepare for flooding as the first named storm of 2024 – Henk – swept across parts of southern Britain, bringing winds of up to 80mph (128km/h).

About 2,000 homes in Cornwall experienced power cuts and trees were brought down by the wind. People were asked to stay away from coastal areas hit by the storm and in some areas police advised people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

Continue reading...

‘Absolute mayhem’: Eurostar passengers tell of stress and tears

Posted on by

Those affected decry ‘disgusting’ lack of communication, while others had to pay £1,000 to travel the next day

What promised to be a romantic New Year’s Eve in Paris ended in tears and travel trauma for Sean Winterbottom and his partner, Amy. The couple were among about 30,000 passengers to have their Eurostar journey cancelled on Saturday because of a flooded tunnel under the Thames.

“We were going to go for a flash dinner and … we had bookings, hotel reservations and everything,” Sean said of the trip they had been looking forward to for months.

Continue reading...

Eurostar Channel services restarting on Sunday as flooding is cleared

Posted on by

Tunnel under Thames near Ebbsfleet was closed not by weather, but burst pipe, with Southeastern Railway also affected

Eurostar said services through the Channel tunnel would resume on Sunday but there were warnings of further delays and busy stations.

“Unprecedented” flooding was brought under control on Saturday, meaning at least one of the affected tunnels – under the Thames near Ebbsfleet, not under the Channel itself – could be used.

Continue reading...

‘Not what I had in mind’: Eurostar cancellations leave thousands stranded

Posted on by

Dismay at St Pancras International in London as services cancelled due to flooding of Thames tunnel

When Ilse Deurloo arrived at St Pancras station after a festive holiday with her boyfriend in London, she was shocked by the scenes of chaos and disruption as thousands of travellers were left stranded.

“This is not what I had in mind,” said Deurloo, 20, who was planning to return home to Amsterdam on Saturday. Her train, like all expected high-speed services between Ebbsfleet International and London St Pancras International, was cancelled due to flooding in a tunnel under the Thames. Thames Water said it believed the incident was caused by a fire control system malfunction.

Continue reading...

All Eurostar trains into and out of London cancelled due to flooding

Posted on by

Southeastern trains on same route also affected, while windy conditions expected to sweep UK

Thousands of travellers faced disruption to their new year plans after all Eurostar trains in and out of London were cancelled on Saturday after “unprecedented” flooding in a tunnel on the line.

There were no high-speed services running between London St Pancras international and Ebbsfleet international in Kent on Saturday, and Southeastern trains on the same route were also suspended. A total of 41 Eurostar trains were cancelled.

Continue reading...

Berlin’s plan for driverless magnetic trains derided by climate groups

Posted on by

Local government proposal to revive 1980s M-Bahn described as energy-hogging and vain fantasy project

Plans for a driverless magnetic train that would swoop through Berlin and carry passengers and goods are under way as part of the local government’s attempts to boost the German capital’s green credentials.

The project, put forward by the city’s new conservative-led government, is said to have sufficient political backing and, say its backers, would help Berlin achieve its goal to become net zero by 2045.

Continue reading...

Keep UK trains running at Christmas and save engineering works for January, say campaigners

Posted on by

‘It doesn’t have to be this way’: Britain’s transport networks again grind to a halt during festive period

There was a familiar sense of misery for many travellers in the week before Christmas as hundreds of trains were cancelled, motorways were closed and ferry passengers queued for miles waiting to board their ships.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, transport campaigners say, as politicians and transport bosses have the power to ease some of the problems facing travellers.

Continue reading...

Christmas getaway travel disruption likely to continue through weekend

Posted on by

Weather warnings issued for drivers and London’s King’s Cross and Paddington stations will be closed

Christmas getaway travel disruption is expected to continue throughout the weekend, with millions of car journeys under way and major London railway stations due to close on Sunday.

The AA estimated that 16.4m car journeys will take place on Saturday and warned of “lengthy jams”.

Continue reading...

Labour warns of ‘Christmas chaos’ on the trains after record payouts for delays

Posted on by

Three rail companies saw their highest ever number of payments to passengers for delayed services in November

In analysis that might not come as news to rail passengers already stranded this festive season, Labour have warned of potential “Christmas chaos” on trains after data showed a record level of payouts for rail delays in November.

Three train operating companies – Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway (GWR) and East Midlands Railway – saw their highest ever number of payments to passengers for delayed services last month, above pre-Covid levels, the party said.

Continue reading...

Christmas getaway disruption continues amid Dover, road and rail delays

Posted on by

Eurostar and Eurotunnel services resume on Friday but drivers face 60-minute queue for French border controls

Christmas getaway disruption was continuing on Friday with long queues for cross-Channel journeys, motorway closures and train cancellations on one of the busiest days of the year for travel.

In the late afternoon the Port of Dover in Kent said it was taking about 60 minutes to process cars before French border controls.

Continue reading...

Eurostar cancellations add to disruption on storm-hit rail network

Posted on by

Last-minute Eurotunnel strike by French unions in Calais halts services as Storm Pia causes travel problems across country

Passengers are suffering fresh disruption in the Christmas getaway after severe weather left rail lines blocked around Britain, while a strike by French Eurotunnel workers has halted Eurostar trains and cross-Channel shuttle services.

Strong winds from Storm Pia, including gusts of up to 80mph in northern Britain, have blown down trees on tracks around the country.

Continue reading...

Avanti West Coast cancellations and delays prompt calls for urgent review

Posted on by

Transport for the North says service is deteriorating fast, with fewer than half of trains running on time

Northern political and transport leaders have called on the UK government to urgently review Avanti West Coast’s operations amid a renewed surge in intercity rail cancellations and delays.

The intervention came as it emerged that morale at the train operating company has plummeted to the point where only 3% of staff say they feel valued, according to an internal Avanti survey seen by the Guardian.

Continue reading...

Cheshire East council says it faces bankruptcy due to HS2 link cancellation

Posted on by

Local authority covering some of richest areas in England says it spent £11m preparing for rail line

A council in one of the wealthiest parts of the UK has warned it faces potential bankruptcy due to the “devastating” impact of cancelling the northern leg of HS2.

Leaders of Cheshire East council in north-west England said the authority had spent £11m preparing for the high-speed rail link, and this would now have to be written off. Most of this money – £8.6m – had been funded by borrowing and would now have to be funded from the council’s already stretched revenue budget.

Continue reading...

Berlin to Paris night train runs for first time in almost a decade

Posted on by

‘Berlin link’ journey hailed as milestone moment in rise of cleaner alternatives to air travel in Europe

The first night train from Berlin to Paris in almost a decade pulled into Paris Gare de l’Est at 10.24am on Tuesday morning, hailed as a milestone moment in the renaissance of cleaner alternatives to air travel in Europe.

The maiden journey of the new “Berlin link” left the German capital at 8.18pm on Monday night, fully booked and carrying the French transport minister, Clément Beaune, who had hugged his German counterpart, Volker Wissing, before departing.

Continue reading...

UK’s Christmas getaway traffic will peak earlier than usual, AA predicts

Posted on by

Friday 22 and Saturday 23 December expected to be the busiest days on the roads

Festive getaway traffic is expected to peak earlier than normal this year as Christmas Day falls on a Monday.

The AA predicted that Friday 22 December and Saturday 23 December will be the busiest days on the UK’s roads in the festive period.

Continue reading...

Watchdog calls for investigation after thousands trapped in trains in London

Posted on by

Network Rail’s chief executive, on board one of the stranded trains, describes it as a ‘painful experience’

London’s passenger watchdog has called for an investigation after thousand of people were trapped on trains on Thursday evening when power lines were damaged.

Passengers, who were given little information during the ordeal, were stuck for more than three hours on dark, cold trains – including on Elizabeth line trains, which have no toilets and rely on the overhead lines for power.

Continue reading...

Passengers trapped on cold, dark trains as travel chaos hits west London

Posted on by

Faulty electric cables cause hours of disruption for passengers and many people are still trapped onboard trains

Hundreds of passengers have been stuck on cold, dark trains in west London for hours as travellers suffered significant delays due to damaged overhead electric cables.

All trains have been stopped between London Paddington and Reading, Network Rail Western confirmed. Great Western Railway said disruption was expected on the London Paddington to Reading line until the end of Thursday. The disruption also affects the Elizabeth line.

Continue reading...

TransPennine Express cancelled more than one in eight trains over summer

Posted on by

Regulator says figures show much of Britain’s railway is ‘still not delivering reliable journeys’

TransPennine Express cancelled more than one in eight trains over the summer, according to figures that show much of Britain’s railway is “still not delivering reliable journeys”.

Nationally, fewer than seven in 10 trains ran on time and 3.5% of trains were cancelled on the day between 1 July and 30 September, which was slightly better than the same period last year, figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) showed.

Continue reading...

Rail strikes: passengers face weekend of disruption in England

Posted on by

No trains will run on East Midlands and LNER services from London to Scotland will have a limited service

Rail passengers face severe disruption this weekend as two 24-hour strikes by train drivers from different companies halt many long-distance routes.

Saturday’s strikes by members of the Aslef union at LNER and East Midlands kick off a series of similar actions running until Friday, while an overtime ban across all operators in England will also hit services nationwide until next weekend. The action will also affect some cross-border services into Scotland and Wales.

Continue reading...

At least 33% of women suffer sexual offences while commuting, BTP finds

Posted on by

British Transport Police survey respondents said most incidents took place during evening rush hour

Over a third of women have been subjected to sexual harassment or sexual offences while commuting by train or tube, according to a survey commissioned by British Transport Police (BTP).

It found that 51% of those who have been victims of sexual offending said that other passengers tried to help them, however, only 18% of people who witnessed an incident reported it to police.

Continue reading...