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Dozens of passengers sprinted onto platform 12 at London’s Euston station on Monday night amid a cacophony of cancellations. They were desperate to catch the last train from the capital to Birmingham before the line was closed indefinitely.
Fortunately for them, the train left 15 minutes late.
With all subsequent trains cancelled, the 8.40pm Avanti West Coast will be standing room only and first class will be ‘declassified’ to ensure as many passengers as possible have a seat.
The cause was a landslide on the track between Rugby and Coventry.
Throughout Monday, trains to London were delayed or canceled as Network Rail staff worked on site.
The infrastructure organization hoped to resolve the issue by Tuesday afternoon and opted to shut down the line completely on Monday night.
The delay in departure was itself a problem. Network Rail had to delay “occupation” so staff could deal with the landslide.
Tens of thousands of travelers will face severe disruption on Tuesday morning.
The Birmingham-Coventry-Rugby line is usually very busy, with Avanti West Coast intercity trains connecting London and the West Midlands, as well as local and regional services from London North Western Railway and West Midlands Railway. It is shared.
Phil Burns, Network Rail Operations Director, said: “Plans are now in place to remove the soil before inspecting the track to allow it to operate.
To do this safely, both lines will be closed overnight on Monday (February 12) and Tuesday (February 13) mornings.
“We are working to reopen both lines on Tuesday afternoon. Our teams are working around the clock to get trains back up and running as soon as possible, but we apologize for any disruption this may cause to travel. I am sorry.”
A rail replacement bus will run between Coventry and Rugby in 30 minutes.
Avanti West Coast tickets are valid on Chiltern trains between Birmingham Moor Street and London Marylebone, and cross-country/GWR services from Birmingham to London Paddington via Reading.