Rail passengers faced chaos on Wednesday as the network struggled to recover from two days of disruption and closures caused by the heatwave.
There were vast crowds at Euston battling to board the few mainline services out of the capital on Wednesday morning.
Avanti West Coast said its services were “severely disrupted” today as a result of damage to overhead wires at multiple locations. Network Rail repairs were ongoing. Fires were sparked yesterday alongside the track at Hatch End. More than two dozen services departing from King’s Cross and Euston were cancelled or delayed this morning.
Services on the East Coast Main Line, the main rail artery connecting London and Edinburgh via York and Newcastle, was damaged yesterday after a fire spread on to the track near Sandy.
The route between King’s Cross and Peterborough was expected to remain closed until at least midday.
Thameslink was able to resume limited services from 9am, despite a 3am “do not travel” alert as it was thought there would be no trains north of London until at least midday, and no replacement bus services.
There were minor delays on the Jubilee, District and Central lines due to train cancellations but nothing like the disruption of the previous two days.
Latest figures from the Department for Transport showed that train journeys fell to 82 per cent of normal on Monday, the first day of soaring temperatures, while Tube journeys fell to 52 per cent of pre-pandemic levels for the time of year.
National Rail told customers to check before setting off on their journeys and to only travel if absolutely necessary. It said: “A huge amount of work has been completed overnight to fix problems with the track and overhead wires caused by the heat yesterday.
“Network Rail teams are continuing to work tirelessly to make the repairs so we can get services back up and running for passengers but there is still disruption to services throughout the day. So, for anyone travelling today, please take time to check before you travel.”
