Cross-country trains cancelled as 'major fault' causes chaos with 'don't travel' warning

Trains running from London to Scotland have been disrupted after a signalling fault blocked all lines.

Passengers attempting to travel from London Euston were hit with disruptions and cancellations on all lines on Friday after a “major fault with the signalling system” was discovered in Stafford.

Journeys to Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as busy destinations such as Manchester, Liverpool and North Wales are all affected by the fault.

Avanti West Coast urged passengers not to travel, with disruption expected until the end of the day.

A number of ticket acceptances have been put in place, including on LNER services from London’s King Cross to Edinburgh.

In Scotland, ticket acceptance has also been implemented between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh with ScotRail.

A statement from Avanti West Coast on Friday said: “Departures from London Euston are suspended due to a major fault with the signalling system in the Stafford area.

“This affects multiple Avanti West Coast routes, including journeys to/from Manchester, Liverpool, Scotland and North Wales. Please do not attempt to travel as major disruption is expected until the end of the day.

“If you have an Avanti West Coast ticket dated November 21, you can now use it at no extra cost on November 22, on any Avanti West Coast service via the same route.

“Alternatively, if you abandoned your journey as a result of the disruption, then you can claim a fee-free refund from where you bought your ticket.

“If you continued with your journey but were delayed by 15 minutes or more, you can claim Delay Repay compensation from the train company you travelled with.”

The Caledonian Sleeper service from London Euston to both Glasgow and Edinburgh have also been cancelled due to a technical fault with the train.

Passengers booked onto these services can use their Caledonian Sleeper tickets to travel on the 6.30pm Avanti service from London Euston to Glasgow, or the 7.30pm LNER service from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh.

Passengers can also travel with Avanti on Saturday on their 8.30am, 9.30am and 10.30am services from London Euston to Edinburgh.