Rail passengers endured hours of delays on trains to and from Euston station in London after a points failure on Sunday.
Network Rail warned passengers at Euston to expect “major disruption” as all trains were suspended from about 10.40am to 1pm at the earliest.
At lunchtime on Sunday the concourse was packed with frustrated passengers. By 2pm the operator said the lines had reopened but cautioned passengers to check before travelling.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re sorry for the disruption to services in and out of London Euston earlier today while our engineers repaired a fault with the signalling system in the area. Lines have now reopened but while train times return to normal we’d advise passengers to check before they travel by using National Rail Enquiries.”
National Rail Enquiries warned on Sunday morning of cancellations and delays of up to 90 minutes. Trains continued to be delayed in the afternoon as passengers were told to try alternative routes.
It was not just Euston that was affected. Passengers on a train from Coventry were told to get off at Northampton at 11.10am. One of those was Kenneth Wilson, who is partially sighted. Writing on social media, he said he was forced to make his own way to Wellingborough with no replacement bus service.
Passengers on a train from Birmingham to London were also told to get off the train at Tring in Hertfordshire.
Kya Banasko, an artist from Manchester, was travelling to London to watch Arsenal play Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League but said she was expecting to miss the match because of the delays. In a post on X, she wrote: “Got the 9:20 train from Manchester Piccadilly to watch Arsenal play at 2pm. Still on a train due to disruptions and delays and won’t get to Euston til past 3:30. These services are a joke.”
Just after 4pm on Sunday, West Midland Railways and London Northwestern Railway (LNR) were warning passengers there could be further delays as a result of congestion due to the earlier points failure.
Both LNR and Avanti West Coast (AWC) said tickets for journeys that had been disrupted would be valid on some other train services.
Responding to a passenger on Sunday afternoon, AWC’s X account said: “I can understand your frustration, Mick. However there has been a signal failure causing trains to not be able to get in/out of Euston and whilst we do have some services on the move this has caused residual delays across the network.”
Sharing a picture of a severely crowded train, Ken Lancashire messaged AWC to say: “How can it be acceptable to pay your rail fare, that increases every year, and have to travel for 3 hours from @Euston to Manchester in these cramped conditions. All because the government won’t invest in the crumbling railway infrastructure.”
@AvantiWestCoast @AndyBurnhamGM How can it be acceptable to pay your rail fare, that increases every year, and have to travel for 3 hours from @Euston to Manchester in these cramped conditions. All because the government won't invest in the crumbling railway infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/YKky45V0sa
— Ken Lancashire (@1973Kendo) October 15, 2023
Lindsay Noble Hurst posted about her journey from London: “Finally on a train to Manchester after hours of delays and platform bingo at Euston. Told to go King’s Cross at one point but they couldn’t deal with the hundreds that turned up so sent us back. Chaos #eustonstation”
