The Christmas Eve travel is off to a sticky start for train passengers travelling to London Euston after a blocked line is causing delays.
Passengers travelling on Avanti West Coast or London Northwestern Railway services face delays after a fault on a train is blocking the London-bound line between Rugby and Milton Keynes Central.
It means trains to London Euston are diverted via Northampton which extends journey times by 30 minutes, with disruption expected until at least 9am.
Meanwhile, a broken rail between Stevenage and King’s Cross is forcing LNER trains to run slower than usual towards London which is causing delays of up to 10 minutes. The disruption is expected to clear by midday.
On the UK’s road network, drivers were caught in traffic delays on the M5 near Birmingham this morning after a crash that closed the southbound lanes at junction J3. Traffic is now flowing freely.
Overnight snow on the M62 caused disruption at the weekend, and while more is likely to fall throughout December, it is not expected to cause any serious traffic problems today.
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Gatwick Express Christmas service timetable
Gatwick Express will have a revised and limited schedule over the festive period.
Here is a recap of what Gatwick Express services are running and what days there is no service.
- Christmas Eve – Services will finish much earlier than usual
- Christmas Day – No service on any Gatwick Express, Southern or Thameslink route
- Boxing Day – No service on any Gatwick Express or Thameslink route, while a limited Southern service will run to and from London Victoria
- Normal Gatwick Express service will resume on Thursday, January 2
30-minute delays on London trains after blocked railway
A faulty train is wreaking havoc on journeys towards London after it got stuck on the southbound line between Rugby and Milton Keynes Central.
London Euston-bound Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services will divert via Northampton until at least 9am until the issue is resolved.
This means journeys will take 30 minutes longer than usual.
If your journey is delayed, you could claim compensation or delay repay through the train operator.
Disruption on trains between Stevenage and King’s Cross
If you’re travelling on LNER trains to London King’s Cross today, prepare for slight delays.
A broken rail is causing minor delays on services between Stevenage and London King’s Cross, a key route for trains between London and Edinburgh.
Trains face delays of up to 10 minutes and the issue is expected to be resolved by 12pm, National Rail said.
Here is the affected route.
- Trains between Edinburgh / Berwick-upon-Tweed / Newcastle / Middlesbrough / York / Harrogate / Skipton / Bradford Forster Square / Leeds / Hull / Lincoln and London Kings Cross
Traffic delays on the M5 near Birmingham
Christmas Eve travel is off to a sticky start after delays on the M5 following a crash.
It happened southbound before junction J3, with congestion now backing to J2 (Oldbury).
Two lanes out of four remain closed after the road was blocked for around 45 minutes earlier, according to Inrix.
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