London Underground suffers more delays because of train shortage

A points failure at Blackburn has closed lines running through the Lancashire station.

Disruption is expected to continue until 7.30pm.

This is affecting Northern routes between:

• Blackpool North and York
• Preston and Colne
• Blackburn and Wigan Wallagte / Headbolt Lane / Rochdale

Good luck getting your Christmas presents delivered on time now the Stena Line services between Holyhead and Dublin are suspended.

It will be weeks before ferries resume well into the New Year.

Holyhead Port, owned by Stena Line, will stay shut until at least January 15 after Storm Darragh destroyed a structure on the berth of Terminal 3 on December 6.

‘In addition, a new freight route from Dublin to Heysham has been added to assist continuity of trade flows.

Several Tube lines are experiencing delays as we near rush hour.

Here’s the current situation on the London Underground:

• District – severe delays due to a customer incident at Aldgate East earlier today.
• Hammersmith & City – severe delays for the same reason.
• Piccadilly – no services between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge due to ‘difficult track conditions’, with severe delays on the rest of the line.
• Central – minor delays from Leytonstone to Hainault due to train cancellations.
• Circle – minor delays due to the earlier customer incident at Aldgate East

Rail routes between Stevenage and Cambridge / Peterborough have reopened after a person was hit by a train earlier today.

But cancellations and hour-long delays are expected to continue until 6.30pm.

Affected routes are:

• Great Northern between London Kings Cross and Letchworth Garden City / Ely / Kings Lynn
• Grand Central between London Kings Cross and Bradford Interchange / Sunderland
• Hull Trains between London Kings Cross and Hull / Beverley
• LNER between London Kings Cross and Lincoln / Leeds / Hull / Bradford Forster Square / Skipton / Harrogate / York / Middlesbrough / Newcastle / Edinburgh / Aberdeen
• Lumo between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh
• Thameslink between Brighton and Cambridge, and also between Horsham and Peterborough

Emergency services are responding after a person was hit by a train between Stevenage and Cambridge / Peterborough.

All lines between these stations are currently closed, causing cancellations and delays of up to 30 minutes while emergency services carry out their work.

Disruption is expected to last until 4pm, affecting the following services:

• Great Northern
• Thameslink
• LNER
• Hull Trains
• Lumo
• Grand Central

The A19 is currently closed in both directions between Junctions with the A67 and the A174 after two lorries crashed just south of Middlesbrough early this morning.

One lorry’s cabin roof has collapsed, the side and rear of its container has been torn off, with its contents strewn over the road.

The other lorry’s roof is hanging off. Dents are also visible in the central reservation barrier near Crathorne, Yorkshire.

National Highways said: ‘The road is expected to remain closed into the afternoon for clear-up works.’

Drivers currently face delays of 70 minutes, with disruption expected to continue until 4pm.

The key route under the River Thames is due to undergo nine months of closure and repairs after the new Silvertown Tunnel opens next Spring.

But initial plans to start work in 2025 have been pushed back until April 2026 at the earliest due to a lack of ‘long-term’ funding from the Government.

This is despite the government allocating £450million to TfL in the latest budget.

Initial estimates that repair of the 116-year-old road tunnel would cost up to £178million are likely to have risen.

Services between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stourbridge Junction face 20-minute delays due to a tree blocking the track.

Disruption is expected to continue until 12pm on the following West Midlands Railway routes between:

• Stratford-upon-Avon and Kidderminster / Worcester Foregate Street / Worcester Shrub Hill
• Whitlocks End and Kidderminster
• Dorridge and Worcester Foregate Street / Worcester Shrub Hill

The A1 in Northumberland is closed in both directions between the A697 for Northgate and the A1068 for Alnwick this morning.

This is because of a multi-vehicle crash.

Emergency services including the air ambulance are currently at the scene.

There is disruption on the A21 in Kent because of a crash involving two cars.

The road is closed in both directions between the B2169 for Lamberhurst and the B2079 for Filmwell.

Emergency services are on scene and drivers are advised to allow extra journey time this morning.

There are issues across the London Underground network this morning, with severe delays on some lines and some suspended or part-suspended.

Circle line: No service while a faulty train is fixed at Farringdon. Tickets are being accepted on Chiltern, Thameslink, London Overground and buses via any reasonable route.

Hammersmith & City line: No service between Edgware Road and Barking, severe delays on the rest of the line while a faulty train is fixed at Farringdon. Tickets are being accepted on Chiltern, Thameslink, London Overground and buses via any reasonable route.

Metropolitan line: No service between Aldgate and Baker Street, severe delays on the rest of the line while a faulty train is fixed at Farringdon. Tickets are being accepted on Chiltern, Thameslink, London Overground and buses via any reasonable route.

Minor delays have also been reported on the Central and Jubilee line.

While many Londoners have a love-hate relationship with the London Underground, it is an iconic part of life in the capital.

Here are the 13 most beautiful stations on the TfL network.

The latest update on the M62 from National Highways says the motorway now has 55-minute delays on approach in West Yorkshire.

Two out of four lanes are closed eastbound between J27 and J28 due to a three-vehicle crash.

National Highways said: ‘Our Traffic Officers are on scene and recovery has been requested. There’s a 55 minute delay on approach.’

Drivers face delays on the M62 after a crash near Morley on the outskirts of Leeds.

The crash happened on the eastbound carriageway before junction J28 (Dewsbury Road).

As a result, traffic is backing up to Willow Valley Golf course near Brighouse.

Motoring experts have revealed Britain’s worst roads for Christmas getaway – and the best times to travel to avoid the chaos.

Read more below.

Passengers travelling on Southeastern trains in Kent have been warned of a temporary line closure to remove a tree close to the line at Halling.

No trains will run between Strood and Paddock Wood, Tunbridge, from around 10am until 12.30pm so that tree can be removed.

Southeastern said it is working to arrange replacement buses.

While most of the Tube network is behaving this morning, two commuter lines are experiencing delays – the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines.

Here is what to expect if you’re travelling on either one this morning.

• Metropolitan line – There are minor delays between Chesham and Moor Park due to a train being damaged by vandalism. The next Tube will depart from Chesham at 6.59am
• Piccadilly line – The stretch between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge remains closed due to difficult track conditions and passengers should use the Metropolitan line to complete their journeys. The rest of the line has minor delays because of a shortage of train