Flooding causes disruption on West Coast Main Line

Rail passengers face disruption on the West Coast Main Line today (Monday, 25 November) after Storm Bert caused the River Nene to overflow, flooding the railway and surrounding areas between Milton Keynes and Rugby.

All trains through Northampton station have been suspended, and the flooding is expected to cause delays throughout the day as engineers monitor water levels and assess damage to tracks and signalling equipment.

Local roads in Northampton are also affected, preventing rail replacement buses from running.

Network Rail is working closely with London Northwestern Railway and Avanti West Coast to operate a reduced service, with trains diverted away from Northampton.

Carole Bayliss, strategy director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “We’re very sorry to passengers disrupted by flooding in Northampton, which will mean major disruption on the West Coast Main Line today. While our teams monitor water levels and wait until it’s safe to assess the extent of flood damage to the railway fully, we’re urging passengers to check with National Rail Enquiries before travelling.”