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The morning commute is being disrupted due to a combination of factors such as trains damaged by Storm Henk, crew members being out of position, and other unforeseen events. These issues are expected to cause continued train disruptions throughout the day on Wednesday.
Railway executives expressed regret to commuters who were left stranded at London Waterloo, one of the top three busiest stations in the UK, on Tuesday night. In a joint announcement at the station, Stuart Meek from South Western Railway and Matt Pocock from Network Rail stated: “The strong winds caused trees to fall on the tracks, resulting in train delays or damage at various points throughout our network.”
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“We made the collective decision to temporarily halt our services for a few hours in order to prioritize the safety of our valued customers and team members.”
As a result, there were subsequent delays and cancellations throughout the remainder of the day.
“We anticipate the disturbance caused by this storm to persist throughout the day.”
In other areas of south-east England, there are numerous issues. East Croydon, located south of London, is ranked as one of the top 20 busiest train stations in the UK. On a typical work day, one out of its six platforms is not operational, leading to delays and possible cancellations.
In the southern region, the town of Uckfield in Sussex is currently isolated because of a signal malfunction.
There is a damaged train stuck on the line north of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, causing limited train movement to Ely and King’s Lynn.
Passengers on the Great Western Railway are currently facing difficulties at multiple locations. In Cornwall, there is a flood on the line between Liskeard and Looe, leading to its closure. Taxis are being used as a substitute for train services.
The ongoing flooding in Devon, specifically between Totnes and Plymouth, is causing disruptions and causing delays and cancellations.
The main railway connecting London Paddington to South Wales remains closed due to ongoing flooding in Chipping Sudbury. Trains are experiencing 40-minute delays as a result. The closure has been in effect since New Year’s Day.
Transport for Wales has issued a warning of significant delays on the railway routes connecting Swansea to Shrewsbury, Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and Barry to Bridgend in Wales.
The lack of staff in the northern region continues to be an issue. Avanti West Coast has had to cancel some trips between Birmingham and London Euston due to a deficit in train personnel.
Signalling cables were recently stolen in West Yorkshire, resulting in a disruption of service at Wakefield Westgate and the cancellation of certain LNER trains.
The East Coast main line, which links London King’s Cross to Yorkshire, northeast England, and Scotland, is experiencing disruptions due to a shortage of train crew and a larger than normal number of trains needing repairs simultaneously.
There are cancellations on TransPennine Express between Leeds and Hull because of an unreliable train driver, flooding between Sheffield and Cleethorpes, and a train malfunction causing a service from Manchester airport to Glasgow to be cancelled.
Due to Storm Henk’s impact on air travel in south-east England, a significant number of passengers experienced delays or were mistakenly taken to the incorrect airport. On Tuesday, British Airways made the decision to cancel 30 short-haul flights to and from London Heathrow, and an additional eight flights were grounded on Wednesday.
Source: independent.co.uk
