Railways Minister Calls for “Urgent Plan” from Rail Operators as Crack Disruption Continues | UK News

The railways minister called on the industry to urgently define a plan to resume normal service after some trains had to be pulled over the weekend.

Cracks were discovered on some trains on Saturday, which allowed the Class 800 series manufactured by Hitachi of Japan to be taken off the lines for security checks.

The hardest hit were the Great Western Railway and the London North Eastern Railway, with both operators warning passengers they should expect disruptions on Monday.

Railways Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “Today I called on the rail industry to urgently define a comprehensive plan to ensure services can resume safely as soon as possible .

“I expect operators to explore all alternative service options to help people complete their trip, and I have asked Hitachi for a safety inspection plan, as well as a repair strategy at longer term.

“Our goal is to make sure trains are returned to service as quickly as possible, once they are fully approved as safe. Only then can we begin to rebuild a reliable and punctual schedule for passengers.

“I would also like to thank the passengers for their patience during what could be a significant period of prolonged disruption, which is likely to continue for some time.”

Train operators and Hitachi representatives were invited to an urgent meeting with MPs on Sunday to discuss the issues.

Hitachi apologized and said the trains had been pulled out as a precaution.

“We are working as quickly and safely as possible to investigate the issue in the rest of the fleets,” the company said on Twitter.

Great Western Railway has canceled a significant number of services and said it expects the disruptions to continue into the coming week.

“The problem continues to be investigated by Hitachi and once the trains have been checked and cleared, we hope to be able to get them back into service as soon as possible,” said GWR, which is owned by FirstGroup.

LNER has promised to reserve or refund tickets for …