Sunday, December 22, 2024

London Underground severe delays with rest of UK facing snow travel chaos

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The morning rush hour hasn’t got off to a great start in London with severe delays and suspensions across five Underground lines.

The District and Hammersmith & City lines as well as the London Overground have part suspensions thanks to a track fault in Plaistow.

The first trains from Willesden Junction, and between Barking Riverside and Gospel Oak, are not running this morning.

There are severe delays on the Metropolitan line after a points failure at Northwood, and the Piccadilly line is severely delayed due to a points failure at Northfields.

Meanwhile, commuters are facing a second day of disruption on the rails and roads this morning as weather warnings for snow and ice cover vast swathes of the UK.

Yesterday saw dozens of train services cancelled, delayed or revised as icy tracks and flooding blocked railway lines.

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Snow and ice could impact train services all morning

National Rail says it expects snow and ice across the UK will impact the rail network throughout the morning.

The six Met Office yellow warnings cover all of Northern Ireland, most of Wales, north and west Scotland, and the east coast, central and southern England.

Right now, trains between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog have been suspended and replaced with buses on the Transport for Wales network.

They explain how snow and ice can affect the railways:

  • Snow built up on the tracks can block points (the equipment that allows trains to move between tracks)
  • Ice can coat the overhead power cables, preventing trains from drawing the power they need to run and leaving them stranded
  • Icicles on tunnels, bridges and other structures can also damage trains and overhead power cables
  • Where snow lies deeper than 30cm, trains can’t run safely unless they have been fitted with snow ploughs

What’s going on with the London Underground this morning?

It’s a chaotic start to the morning on the Tube.

  • London Overground: Severe delays Sydenham to West Croydon while we fix a points failure at Selhurst
  • District line: Severe delays due to an earlier points failure at Plaistow
  • Hammersmith & City line:  Severe delays due to an earlier track fault at Plaistow
  • Metropolitan line: Severe delays Moor Park to Harrow-on-the-Hill, southbound only, due to an earlier points failure at Northwood
  • Piccadilly line: Severe delays Hammersmith to Uxbridge while we fix a points failure at Northfields
  • Jubilee line: Minor delays due to a shortage of trains

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