A major fault with the electricity supply near Wakefield is causing delays for rail commuters today.
The electricity has had to be switched off between Doncaster and Wakefield, which is blocking all rail lines in the area.
It’s affecting LNER services between Leeds and London Kings Cross, and Northern services between Leeds and Doncaster.
Incredible pictures show major damage to a telegraph pole, which has almost snapped completely in half and is touching the overhead wires.
Northern Powergrid are on site working with Network Rail to try and fix the problem, which requires specialist equipment to sort.
The delays are expected to last until 8pm.
Disruption between Reading and Paddington cleared
Service has returned to normal between Reading and London Paddington after emergency services had to deal with an incident.
There are no more delays in the area.
No trains between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside
A broken down train at Crouch Hill is blocking London Overground services between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside.
National Rail expects the disruption, including cancellations or revisions, to last until 3.30pm.
Meanwhile in London, there are minor delays on the Piccadilly line between Cockfosters and Acton Town while TfL deals with a customer incident at Holloway Road.
The rest of the Underground network has good service.
Disruption between Kings Lynn and Ely has cleared
A signal failure at around 7am today has been repaired, and service has now returned to normal in the area.
It was initially thought the disruption would last until as late as 4pm, but good news if you were planning to travel through the area, as things are back to normal now.
Lines reopen at Glasgow Central
An earlier signalling fault has been fixed and all lines through Glasgow Central have reopened.
However as service recovers National Rail warns trains could still be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.
The disruption is still set to last until 2.30pm.
M4 fully reopens after crash
Both lanes on the M4 eastbound has reopened between junction 2 for Brentford and 1 for Chiswick, following a crash earlier this morning.
There are still delays on approach but all traffic which had been caught within the closure was cleared earlier.
Disruption at Glasgow Central expected until 2.30pm
A fault with the signalling system at Glasgow Central blocked some lines and caused disruption to ScotRail services.
Those lines have fully reopened however trains could still be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.
National Rail predicts the disruption will last until 2.30pm.
Northern service back to normal after missing staff member caused disruption
As we reported earlier, trains between Manchester Victoria and Chester were disrupted due to a member of train crew being unavailable.
The situation has cleared earlier than expected and service on Northern trains has returned to normal.
Latest Network Rail statement on Wakefield rail disruption
A Network Rail spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry for the disruption to services between King’s Cross and Leeds today as a result of a Northern Powergrid issue between Doncaster and Wakefield.
‘Our teams have closed all lines in the area and we are working in partnership with Northern Powergrid to re-open the line as soon as possible.
‘Fewer services are able to run between Leeds and Kings Cross and we are urging all passengers to check their journeys before travelling via National Rail enquiries as journey times may be longer and involve rail replacement services.’
A27 reopens after man died ‘following a fall’
Sussex Police has confirmed the A27 has reopened in both directions after being closed throughout most of the morning.
The closure near Shoreham has now been lifted after a man died on the road ‘following a fall’.
A spokesperson for the force has now confirmed the victim was a 28-year-old man from the Brighton area, and he had fallen from Mill Hill Road bridge.
Police don’t believe there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
Disruption around Romford now ended
Delays and disruption between Shenfield and Romford, caused by a signal fault at Gidea Park, has now ended.
National Rail says service has returned to normal.
Lines reopen between Reading and Paddington but passengers still face 90-minute delays
The emergency services have now left the scene and all lines have reopened.
However as service returns to normal, passengers could still face cancellations, revisions, or delays of up to 90 minutes.
The major disruption is expected to last until at least midday.
A27 still closed in both directions
As we reported earlier this morning, the A27 is closed in both directions near Shoreham after a person died on the road.
Two-hour delays after M4 crash
The M4 is currently closed eastbound between junctions 2 and 1 for London following a crash.
The Metropolitan Police are at the scene and drivers are facing delays of more than two hours.
There are no signposted diversion routes in place as yet, with National Highways diverting drivers via local routes.
Incident between Reading and London Paddington causing delays
Emergency services are currently dealing with an incident between Reading and London Paddington, which has closed a number of lines.
It’s affecting Elizabeth line services between Reading and Abbey Wood, and Great Western Railway services between Penzance/Plymouth/Exeter St Davids/Weston-super-Mare/Bristol Temple Meads/Swansea/Cardiff Central/Cheltenham Spa/Great Malvern/Oxford and London Paddington, and also between Maidenhead and Marlow.
Trains running between these stations could be delayed by up to an hour and 15 minutes, diverted or cancelled, and disruption is set to last until midday.
Statement from Northern Powergrid on damaged telegraph pole
A spokesperson for Northern Powergrid said: ‘On Sunday a third party accidentally struck and caused significant damage to part of our overhead network in the Adwick area of South Yorkshire.
‘Our teams were on the site of the incident within the hour and confirmed for safety reasons, we needed to temporarily switch off power to this part of our network.
‘Unfortunately, this crossed over a Network Rail power line serving the east coast main line, which also had to be temporarily switched off.
‘Due to the location of the incident, we have had to deploy specialist vehicles to get access to the area, so our teams can work safely to carry out the necessary repairs.
‘We’ve worked in partnership with Network Rail to explore a range of options to keep disruption to the minimum.
‘Our teams worked through the night and will be working throughout the day to repair the damage so that power can be safely restored and rail services can resume as quickly as possible.
‘We appreciate how frustrating this third-party damage to our network can be, and thank Network Rail for their collaboration with us, and train passengers for their patience.’
Elizabeth line part suspended due to casualty on the track
The Elizabeth line has been part suspended between Maidenhead and Reading due to a casualty on the track.
Emergency services are at the scene.
There is good service on the rest of the line, as well as all other London Underground lines.
Incredible pictures show damage to overhead wires near Wakefield
We’ve got in touch with LNER and Northern Powergrid to discover the cause of this damage.
Delays in the Birmingham area after signal fault
Chiltern Railways and West Midlands Trains services between Birmingham Snow Hill and Whitlocks Ends/Dorridge are currently facing delays.
Trains are being delayed by up to 20 minutes and the disruption is set to last until 10.15am.
Alternative options as Wakefield and Doncaster delays set to last all day
As we reported earlier this morning, the power to the overhead electric wires has been switched off between Wakefield and Doncaster which means all lines are closed.
Northern Powergrid are on site liasing with Network Rail to get the problem resolved as soon as possible.
Here is travel advice from the relevant rail networks:
LNER
Rail replacement transport will run between Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate from 7am.
You can use your ticket on the following alternatives:
- CrossCountry between York and Leeds and Leeds and Wakefield Westgate
- Northern between York and Leeds and between Leeds and Wakefield Westgate (please note these services may also be affected)
- TransPennine Express between York and Leeds
Tickets dated today can be used on any LNER service tomorrow, October 8.
Northern
Passengers requiring stations to / from Fitzwilliam can use services via Moorthorpe.
Passengers requiring South Elmsall should consider using Moorthorpe as an alternative station.
Passengers travelling between Leeds and Doncaster can travel via York.
You can use your ticket on the following alternatives:
- CrossCountry services between York / Wakefield Westgate and Leeds
- LNER services between York / Leeds and Doncaster (please note these services may also be affected)
- TransPennine Express services between York and Leeds
Any ticket restrictions have been lifted during this disruption.
Replacement transport will run as follows:
Doncaster to Wakefield Westgate:
- 09:30 2x minibus will depart Doncaster, calling at all advertised stations to Wakefield Westgate
- 10:30 1x coach will depart Doncaster, calling at all advertised stations to Wakefield Westgate
- 11:30 1x coach will depart Doncaster, calling at all advertised stations to Wakefield Westgate
- 12:30 1x coach will depart Doncaster, calling at all advertised stations to Wakefield Westgate
Wakefield Westgate to Doncaster:
- 08:50 1x coach will depart Wakefield Westgate, calling at all advertised stations to Doncaster
- 09:50 1x coach will depart Wakefield Westgate, calling at all advertised stations to Doncaster
- 10:50 1x coach will depart Wakefield Westgate, calling at all advertised stations to Doncaster
- 12:50 1x coach will depart Wakefield Westgate, calling at all advertised stations to Doncaster
- 13:50 1x coach will depart Wakefield Westgate, calling at all advertised stations to Doncaster
Grand Central
Services able to continue their journeys as scheduled, however, they are diverting via Pontefract Monkhill. This may add an additional 15 minutes to your journey time.
Here’s the latest on the London Underground
Overall the Tube network is running smoothly this morning, with only minor delays on three lines:
- Bakerloo between Queen’s Park and Elephant & Castle due to an earlier faulty train at Maida Vale
- Central between Leytonstone and Epping / Hainault via Newbury Park due to an earlier signal failure at Chancery Lane
- Elizabeth between Shenfield and Whitechapel while Network Rail fix a fault with the signalling system at Gidea Park
