The extreme weather is wreaking havoc on the railways after damage to the vital signalling system, causing delays on the London Euston route.
Passengers have been enduring an almost week-long heatwave as hot weather continues to grip the UK and western Europe, leading to disruption on rail and road.
Travellers on Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services should brace for delays and even cancellations today after a lightning strike damaged the signalling system.
The lightning hit the infrastructure between Crewe and Liverpool South Parkway and Warrington Bank Quay, forcing all lines to close.
This is causing delays on the route between London Euston, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Preston and Liverpool Lime Street, National Rail warned.
Train delays could run up to 30 minutes, so it is worth noting down the times as you might be eligible for delay repay.
The issue is expected to last until the end of the day.
Full list of affected Avanti and London Northwestern Railway routes
Here are the disrupted routes:
Avanti West Coast
- Between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street / Preston / Blackpool North / Lancaster / Glasgow Central / Edinburgh, and between Birmingham New Street and Glasgow Central / Edinburgh, and between Wolverhampton and Glasgow Central, and also between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street / Blackpool North / Glasgow Central
London Northwestern Railway
- Between Birmingham New Street/ Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street
The Euston live departure board lists the 8.07am Avanti train to Liverpool Lime Street as cancelled, along with the 8.10am Avanti train to Birmingham New Street.
The Euston to Liverpool Lime Street train at 9.05am has also been cancelled.
Ground rail temperatures have reached above 50C this week, and this can cause them to buckle, Network Rail said.
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Yesterday, hundreds of commuters were stuck in a tunnel on their way to London after two trains suffered a technical glitch during the record-breaking heatwave.
One of the affected trains was an empty Eurostar service, and the disruption had knock-on delays on departures from St Pancras, with long queues of holidaymakers snaking up through the concourse.
Delays were also reported on the French side before the issue was resolved.
Large parts of the UK are set to endure another sweltering day, with temperatures reaching above 30C in London and the South East.
Clouds might bring possibly thundery showers later, the Met Office forecast shows.
Lightning last night has also damaged the signalling system between Skipton and Carlisle, affecting Northern services this morning. Northern and TransPennine Express trains between Leeds and Castleford have also been disupted after a fault with the signalling system.
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