With London gripped by a June heatwave, many other operators are advising passengers to travel earlier in the day to avoid the worst of the heat.
The Met Office is advising that temperatures are expected to remain high until at least Saturday, with highs of up to 38C.
The Met Office has issued red and amber weather warnings
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Red and amber weather warnings are in place for extreme heat until Thursday 25 June.
National Rail has advised passengers on Wednesday or Thursday to “only travel if absolutely necessary,” and to check before travelling on Friday.
Many services have been cancelled on Wednesday ahead of the extreme heat, with Network Rail warning there would be “significant disruption” as it imposes speed restrictions to minimise the risk from heat-related issues such as buckled rails and sagging overhead electric wires.
Here is the advice from each key rail line serving London:
Avanti West Coast services have faced disruption on Wednesday morning, with four out of five service either cancelled or more than 30 minutes late.
Avanti has confirmed that they will be introducing temporary travel easements to support customers in completing their journeys more comfortably.
Fewer trains will be running on some routes on Wednesday and Thursday, and there’s a risk of further disruption on the rail network.
Tickets can be used at no extra cost on other Avanti services over the coming days.
The operator also recommends traveling earlier in the day if possible.
Cancelled services on each day include:
- 15:11 London Fenchurch Street to Southend Central
- 16:10 London Fenchurch Street to Pitsea
- 16:21 London Fenchurch Street to Pitsea
- 17:10 London Fenchurch Street to Grays
- 17:40 London Fenchurch Street to Grays
- 18:19 London Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness
- 18:51 London Fenchurch Street to Grays
- 18:55 London Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness
- 14:27 Thorpe Bay to London Fenchurch Street
- 16:35 Southend Central to London Fenchurch Street
- 17:17 Pitsea to London Fenchurch Street
- 17:32 Pitsea to London Fenchurch Street
- 17:57 Leigh-on-Sea to London Fenchurch Street
- 18:03 Grays to London Fenchurch Street
- 18:33 Grays to London Fenchurch Street
Chiltern Railways will run an amended timetable on Wednesday and Thursday “to ensure the safe operation of the railway”, which may result in significant delays and very busy conditions.
The operator is also strongly advising passengers to avoid travelling if possible.
Fewer than 50% of the normal service will run between Birmingham and London Marylebone, between Oxford and London Marylebone, and between Aylesbury and London Marylebone (via Amersham).
East Midlands Railway has introduced temporary travel easements to support customers, and has advised customers to travel before 12pm where temperatures are expected to be cooler.
East Midlands Railway
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All tickets for Wednesday and Thursday can be used at no extra cost to travel on earlier services on the same day, or on any service on Friday June 26.
If you no longer wish to travel, you can claim a full refund from your point of purchase.
Great Western Railway (GWR) is advising customers to only travel if necessary on Wednesday and Thursday.
The operator said that speed restrictions mean it will be forced to run fewer services than usual and journey times will be extended.
The network will be running an amended timetable between Newbury / Didcot Parkway and London Paddington, with services being revised to terminate at Reading, or to run non-stop between Reading and London Paddington.
GWR trains will be unable to call at Slough, Maidenhead or Twyford, on the main line route.
Tickets can be used at no extra cost on Elizabeth line services between Reading and London Paddington, or on GWR services between Reading and London Paddington.
London Northwestern Railway
London Northwestern Railway is advising to only travel if it is essential on Wednesday and Thursday.
A reduced service will be in operation across the whole London Northwestern Railway network on both days.
London Northwestern Railway
Ross Lydall
One train per hour will run between Birmingham New Street, Northampton and London Euston, while two trains per hour will run between Milton Keynes Central and London Euston, with additional cancellations also likely on this route.
Services that start and terminate at Tring will be cancelled.
LNER is strongly recommending passengers to not travel across the LNER route on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
Network Rail may need to introduce some speed restrictions on these dates, increasing journey times and reducing the number of train services able to operate.
Customers traveling on Tuesday are advised to travel before 12pm where temperatures are expected to be cooler.
Those with tickets for Wednesday or Thursday can use them for free of charge on Tuesday June 30.
New seat reservations can be booked free of charge.
South Western Railway
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Customers using South Western Railway services have been advised to only travel if absolutely necessary on Wednesday and Thursday.
On both days, fewer trains will be running across the network, and trains that do run are expected to be busier and journey times will likely be longer than usual.
Tickets for all three days can be used free of charge on Friday June 26.
Trains which usually run between East Croydon and Watford Junction in either direction will be cancelled on both Wednesday and Thursday afternoons – affecting all trains 12pm until the end of each day.
Imperial Wharf, West Brompton, Kensington (Olympia), Shepherd’s Bush, Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction will not be served by Southern trains.
People travelling to or from these stations after 12pm can use their ticket to travel at no extra cost on a number of other services.
The Heathrow Express is running at a reduced service on Wednesday due to the severe weather.
Train will only depart at:
- XX:25 and XX:55 past the hour from London Paddington
- XX:27 and XX:57 past the hour at Heathrow Terminal 5
- XX:02 and XX:32 past the hour at Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3
Gatwick Express services between London Victoria and Brighton will be suspended from early afternoon until the end of service on both Wednesday and Thursday.
The last services to run in each direction are the12:29 from London Victoria towards Brighton, and the 12:39 Brighton towards London Victoria.