LNER urges passengers ‘do not travel’ on East Coast rail line today

Rail passengers are being warned not to travel today between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh due to urgent repairs to a bridge.

LNER passengers are able to use their tickets on other services until Tuesday if their journey is impacted.

These include CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Great Northern and Thameslink, and ScotRail.

In a statement, LNER said: ‘If you are on board an LNER service, your Train Manager will keep you updated with information about the incident and the impact on your journey today.

‘Our on-board team are working hard to keep you comfortable whilst we get you moving again.

‘If you need any urgent help – onward travel connections/flights, medical needs, etc., please speak to a member of the on-train team.’

Network Rail has said a bridge south of Chester-le-Street was damaged overnight. Staff, including structural engineers, are currently on site.

Additionally, staff are expected on site at 11:30 to investigate the points failure between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Dunbar.

The route normally runs from London’s King’s Cross to Edinburgh, stopping at Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark Northgate, Retford, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh Waverley, and then onward to Aberdeen and Inverness.

Today’s travel warning comes amid the height of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is well underway and wraps up later this month.

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