No trains are running from London to Scotland due to disruption caused by the unprecedented heatwave.
Dozens of trains were cancelled or delayed across England on Wednesday morning because of problems caused by the extreme heat, after temperatures hit 40C on Tuesday – the hottest on record in the UK – causing damage to overhead wires, tracks, and signalling systems.
Network Rail announced on Wednesday morning that there are no trains running from London to Scotland, adding that teams had been working through the night to resolve issues caused by extreme heat.
LNER, the east coast’s main route to London from Edinburgh, issued a “do not travel” warning for services between Peterborough and London after a fire broke out near the tracks causing “significant damage to signalling equipment”.
Lumo also confirmed on social media on Wednesday morning that no services will run to and from London Kings Cross.
A spokesperson for the network said: “Due to damage to the railway as a result of the hot weather, at the request of Network Rail, Lumo will not be running any services to and from #LondonKingsCross today.
“With alternative routes also blocked, customers are advised not to travel unless absolutely necessary.”
Avanti West Coast, which runs trains between Glasgow and London, suspended services on Tuesday and updated customers in the evening that services are expected to continue to be impacted on Wednesday.
The Caledonian Sleeper also announced on Wednesday morning that services were cancelled.
The operator told customers on social media: “As a result of network related issues on both the West and East Coast Mainlines, early morning services to and from London and central Scotland are being cancelled by operators.
“For guests who travelled south from Inverness, Aberdeen and Fort William we advise that where possible you should return on our services and for guests on our services starting from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Euston, we advise you to return home.
“Where this is not possible and for those currently in a location away from home, please continue to review our service alterations website page for further updates. Once confirmation is received of services operating on each Mainline we will post updates.
“Please once again accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience caused by the incidents related to the extreme temperatures.”
The widespread cancellations come as ScotRail services returned to levels seen earlier in the year following the conclusion of a pay dispute with drivers’ union Aslef.
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