After a month of near-continuous disruption for rail passengers, 2024 has begun with further chaos. Severe weather and track problems are causing hundreds of train cancellations on the first working day of the year.
The final month of 2023 brought strikes, timetable cuts, chronic cancellations due to staff shortage and a flood on the UK’s only high-speed railway – which led to more than 30,000 Eurostar passengers being stranded on 30 December.
Just as the traditional Christmas and New Year engineering work had ended, heavy rain is jeopardising the return to work.
The main Great Western line from London Paddington to South Wales has been closed between Swindon and Bristol Parkway since Sunday evening.
Trains are being cancelled or diverted, with delays of up to an hour.
GWR said: “Flooding between Swindon and Bristol Parkway means that all lines are currently closed. Trains running between these stations may be cancelled.”
Further west, flooding on the line between Exeter and Plymouth is causing delays and cancellations on trains between Cornwall, Bristol and London.
“Trains which do run through the flooded area will be delayed by 20-30 minutes,” GWR warned.
The line between Derby and Nottingham in the East Midlands is also blocked by flooding.
In West Yorkshire, heavy rain in Leeds means dozens of trains linking the city with Harrogate, Shipley and Ilkley are likely to be cancelled for much of the day.
Northern Trains said: “Services will run between Shipley and Bradford Forster Square only, due to flooding of the line in the Kirkstall area following heavy rain overnight.”
The South Western Railway main line between Bournemouth and Southampton Central is closed because of “urgent repairs to the track”.
Commuters are warned: “Substantial rail damage has been identified on the line between Bournemouth and Southampton and trains are unable to use this portion of track in either direction.
“Specialist teams are on site and working hard to have this fixed as soon as possible.
“Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”
On the main cross-Channel link from Dover to Calais, DFDS Ferries is cancelling some departures “due to adverse weather”. The company said: “Apologies for the inconvenience caused. Customers will be transferred to the first available departure.”
