Rail passengers in the UK face significant disruptions as major stations remain closed due to strikes and engineering work
London: After Christmas, many folks are trying to travel around Britain. But if you’re planning to take the train in the next few days, be ready for some hiccups. There’s a mix of rail engineering work and strikes causing chaos.
Most stations are back up and running after a couple of days of being closed, but the two busiest ones—Liverpool Street and Paddington—are still shut tight.
On the West Coast main line, which connects London Euston to places like the West Midlands and North Wales, there’s been a power failure between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central.
National Rail has warned that trains might be cancelled or delayed by up to 40 minutes, and this mess is expected to last until noon.
Meanwhile, the line between Glasgow and Motherwell is out of action due to repairs on overhead wires. Avanti West Coast is advising passengers not to head north of Preston on Saturday morning.
For those traveling from East Anglia, the usual routes to London are a bit of a hassle. You can take a train to Witham in Essex, hop on a bus to Billericay, and then catch a train to Stratford, where you can connect to the Underground.
If you’re heading to Stansted airport, the Stansted Express trains are still running, starting and ending at Tottenham Hale.
Paddington, which serves South Wales and the West of England, will be closed until Monday. Passengers from places like Cornwall and Cardiff can catch hourly trains to London Euston instead.
These trains are supposed to be nonstop, but they’ll actually stop at Reading to switch drivers, which is a bit of a pain. Expect longer journey times and fewer trains overall.
Over at St Pancras, the line heading north is shut down for bridge replacement work, so no trains to Luton or Nottingham until Monday.
London Euston is picking up some of the slack, with advice to travel to Milton Keynes and then take a bus to Bedford.
Network Rail is also busy at Crewe, one of the UK’s key junctions, so expect cancellations and diversions there too.
On New Year’s Eve, Avanti West Coast train managers will kick off a series of strikes that’ll last for five months. They’re fighting for better pay for working on their days off.
During the first two strike days, there will be a significantly reduced timetable, with just one train per hour to Birmingham, Manchester, and Preston. No trains will be running to Macclesfield on those days.