Rail passengers face a second day of disruption today after cracks were discovered on high-speed trains.
Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, Hull Trains and TransPennine Express were all affected on Saturday.
GWR and LNER both advised people not to travel after the Hitachi 800 trains had to be taken off the lines.
GWR operates 93 trains of this model and has urged customers to request refunds, warning that the disruptions could continue “into the following week.”
The problem concerns the GWR trains between Paddington and Bristol, Swansea, Penzance, Hereford and Cheltenham Spa.
Suburban and rural services that are still functioning will therefore be “very busy”.
Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway offer alternative routes to GWR ticket holders.
A spokesperson for GWR said: “We had to cancel a significant number of long-distance trains on Saturday and the disruptions are expected to continue on Sunday and the following week.
“Train timetables are currently under development and will be published as soon as possible.”
LNER services between Edinburgh, Newcastle, York and London are also affected and the operator also urged people not to travel on Sunday.
A spokesperson said, “Our sincere apologies to customers affected by the disruption. Please do not travel this weekend.
“Tickets dated May 8-9 will be valid until Sunday May 16 inclusive.”
Hull Trains and TransPennine Express (TPE) were also affected, but Hull Trains said normal service resumed on Saturday afternoon.
There was no update from TPE for Sunday, although he said on Saturday there was a “significant impact” on his service from Newcastle to York.
Hitachi Rail said the problem was caused by “cracks in the lifting points under the car of some Class 800 trains” which were spotted during routine checks.
A spokesperson said: “Safety is our number one priority and as a precaution the decision has been made to stop the …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-09 01:33:00
