Chaos at London Euston after signal meltdown
Written by News on 09/08/2019
Thousands of rail passengers had their journeys delayed after all lines were blocked in and out of Euston Station.
The severe disruption was caused by a fault with the signalling system.
Pictures on social media showed huge crowds gathered inside the station in central London after services ground to a halt.
Problems were first reported around 4pm on Thursday and National Rail warned passengers of “major disruption” after all services in and out were stopped.
Lines were said to be reopened about an hour later but delays continued well beyond 9pm.
Among those affected were passengers hoping to use Virgin Trains services on Thursday.
The company was advising customers to travel on Friday if possible – their tickets will still be valid.
A tweet from Virgin Trains said: “We’re currently expecting severe delays, alterations and cancellations to services in/out of London Euston.
“This is due to a fault with the signalling system causing all lines to be blocked at Euston until further notice. We’d advise you to travel tomorrow [Friday] where possible.”
A tweet from Euston Station said: “Power has been restored at Euston and signals are now working again.
“We’re sorry to passengers as significant disruption is expected while trains get back to normal.”
Chris Dickinson, 25, from Burnley, said his journey from Manchester Piccadilly was delayed by nearly six hours.
He said: “I’d like to say I was surprised, but I’m not, it seems like a flaw the railways have had for as long as I’ve used them regularly, and it’s just a matter of time until something like it happens to you.”
He said passengers were told the delay was due to “overhead power line damage”.
Meanwhile, rail passengers have faced severe disruption between Edinburgh and Glasgow as firefighters drain a flooded tunnel.
Crews have spent much of the day at the Winchburgh Tunnel near Broxburn in West Lothian after 50mm of rain fell in the area on Wednesday.
The downpours have led to rail services between Edinburgh and Glasgow and Dunblane being delayed or cancelled for almost 24 hours.
ScotRail tweeted to say it was “expecting disruption to services through Winchburgh to continue for the rest of the day”.
(c) Sky News 2019: Chaos at London Euston after signal meltdown
