Rail commuters warned of rush-hour misery after cable vandalism
RAIL commuters in the West Midlands are being warned of another difficult rush-hour tonight due to the aftermath of a serious vandalism attack on signalling cables.
Train services across the region have been in chaos throughout the day as Network Rail engineers have tried to repair the signalling problem, which impacted trains in and out of Birmingham New Street.
All lines into the station are now open but the backlog of trains is still causing congestion on the network, with latest predictions estimating the problem will not get to normal until 4:30pm at the earliest.
Trains to, from and through Birmingham New Street are estimated to be delayed by up to 25 minutes, while the congestion means some services may still be altered or cancelled altogether.
The current services affected are:
CrossCountry between Nottingham and Cardiff Central, Newcastle and Reading and also between Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport / Leicester
London Midland between Birmingham New Street and London Euston / Walsall / Longbridge / Rugeley Trent Valley / Lichfield Trent Valley / Redditch / Liverpool Lime Street / Northampton
A limited bus service is running on the following routes:
• Lichfield City to Sutton Coldfield
• Lichfield City to Lichfield Trent Valley
• Longbridge to Redditch via Alvechurch and Barnt Green
However, Arriva Trains Wales and Virgin Trains services are no longer affected.
Network Rail earlier released pictures of the vandalism, which appeared to show attempts to burn and cut cables powering signals at Proof House junction, south of New Street Station.
A Network Rail spokesman said: “Early indications are that foul play caused today’s signalling failure. As well as putting their lives at risk, railway trespassers and vandals can face fines and prison sentences.
“Thousands of people were delayed getting to work today. The cost to the industry will run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. This is taxpayers’ money which could have been invested in improving the railway.”
Delays to the region’s roads are relatively minor but with an increasing amount of traffic due at rush-hour then congestion levels are expected to increase.
One blackspot to avoid is the A5 between Cannock and Brownhills, where the road is currently blocked between the Chester Road and Norton Canes after a lorry overturned shedding its load of steel girders. Traffic on the northbound stretch between the Turf Island and the Rising Sun Island is at a standstill.
