Trains cancelled as passengers warned to only travel ‘if necessary’ during extreme weather

Train passengers across Britain are facing significant disruption as rail operators implement widespread service cuts in anticipation of extreme hot weather.

The industry is bracing for a range of issues, including sagging overhead electric wires, buckled rails, and lineside fires, all exacerbated by soaring temperatures.

Commuters are being advised to travel earlier in the day where possible and to ensure they carry a water bottle.

Online journey planners are currently unable to display accurate timetables due to the prevalence of short-notice cancellations.

Avanti West Coast has confirmed plans to operate a reduced timetable between Tuesday and Thursday, warning customers of a “risk of further disruption.”

In response, the company has eased ticket restrictions, allowing passengers to board an earlier service than booked at no additional cost. Those holding tickets for departures within this period are eligible for a full refund if they opt not to travel.

Chiltern Railways has axed more than half its services over those three days “to ensure the safe operation of the railway”.

This affects London Marylebone services to and from Birmingham, Oxford and Aylesbury via Amersham.

The operator said: “We strongly advise you to avoid travelling if possible.

“Trains are running at greatly reduced levels to ensure everyone’s safety, which means you may experience significant delays and very busy conditions.”

Great Western Railway issued a plea for its services to be used for “essential travel only” on Wednesday and Thursday, which is when the Met Office has a severe red warning in place.

The operator said prolonged high temperatures can affect equipment on its older regional train fleet, including engines and cooling systems.

It is also running fewer trains than normal between London Paddington and Reading until Friday.

This is because Network Rail is not moving some points – pieces of metal that enable trains to change tracks – on the route to cut the risk of failures, which are more likely in high temperatures.

LNER said passengers travelling on Tuesday can board an earlier service, adding “we strongly advise that you do not travel across the LNER route” on Wednesday or Thursday.

There is disruption across the Transport for Wales network, including between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay, and between Coryton and Penarth.

South Western Railway issued an alert stating it will run fewer services than normal between Tuesday and Thursday.

Its services in Hampton, south-west London were also affected by flooding on Tuesday morning after heavy rain overnight.

Flooding also caused severe delays on the Elizabeth line between Heathrow airport and London Paddington.

Several London Underground lines were suffering from major disruption on Tuesday morning.

This included the entire Circle line being suspended because of a signalling failure.