Rail passengers warned of major disruption

Rail services across the West Midlands will continue to be disrupted after Storm Darragh damaged lines.

West Midlands Railway is warning passengers to expect disruption on Birmingham’s Cross City Line, which runs from Lichfield via Birmingham to Redditch and Bromsgrove. The line remained entirely closed on Sunday following significant storm damage sustained on Saturday.

Engineers from Network Rail are working at multiple locations on the route to repair damaged overhead wires caused by fallen trees. The line is expected to remain closed for much of Monday to enable the repairs to be carried out safely.

Passengers have also been urged to check before travelling on the West Coast Main Line, due to ongoing emergency work in Warwickshire. All available services will be diverted via Birmingham as engineers complete critical safety works at Polesworth.

Damage to the overhead line equipment means some early morning services between London and Scotland will take longer or be cancelled.

Due to Network Rail engineers being required to attend multiple incidents to remove debris and make repairs, emergency repairs at Polesworth have been affected.

Passengers across the rail network are being asked to check their entire journeys before setting out as storm-damaged infrastructure is causing disruption in other parts of the network, including between Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford.