Heat related disruption 8 July 2026 onwards

[Trainfan2019]

Today, 9th July, I've counted about 50 service cancellations for EMR. A few are 'broken down train ' but the majority are severe weather.

Would it not be better if they actually showed the trains that ARE operating?

 

[The exile]

Last time I took a Marston Vale 150 in this weather the heat was unbearable, the aging units' cooling systems basically seem to just give up above about 30degs - I suspect the decision was taken on the grounds of staff/passenger welfare.

Do you mean systems to cool the engine or the inside of the train? If the latter, it’s called a window.

 

[DarloRich]

Last time I took a Marston Vale 150 in this weather the heat was unbearable, the aging units' cooling systems basically seem to just give up above about 30degs - I suspect the decision was taken on the grounds of staff/passenger welfare.

My reckoning would be the cab for the driver being to hot.

so do I - I wont express my views as they will cause a fight but we need to be better for both staff & passengers. Out of interest are other 150 users cancelling services?

PS: LNWR weren't bothered about passenger welfare on the 230's that were like an oven in the heat. They had cab air con though.......

 

[nitten_travell]

I'm currently on the 1011 Didcot Parkway to Paddington stopper... which is running non-stop between Reading (where we are currently idle) and Paddington due to the warm weather. I'm not sure how missing out three stops can help other than perhaps allowing for a bit of extra padding in the timetable?

On Tuesday afternoon in the opposite direction all of the stoppers had been cancelled from Paddington due to the weather... it didn't even seem that hot, not even to one who'd left Scotland that morning!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2026 ==

Altered service on GWR between Reading and Paddington all this week - no semi-fasts or Oxford terminators as the points have been blocked out again. The difference here is that they’ve explained very clearly in advance what will happen, and when, and have broadly stuck to it... which makes a huge difference as you can plan accordingly. A welcome change this time round (compared with a few weeks ago) is that they’ve explicitly said services will resume after 2100 when it starts to cool down again, rather than leaving us to hope/guess.

Ah - should have read this first!

 

[AM9]

Thirty years ago, when the Robin Hood Line first re-opened, the fares were incredibly cheap due to them being heavily subsidised. These days I don’t think that they are that cheap. There are a few cheap fares between some pairs of stations but the return fare from Nottingham to Mansfield is no longer very much cheaper than many other journeys of similar distance. For the distance it is not very much less than Nottingham to Derby, or Nottingham to Newark.

I agree that the degradation of service in poor weather is not a good excuse for decimating the normal service. but, the fares are still pretty cheap compared to those for similar distances elsewhere:

Mansfield to Nottingham - CDR £8.80, SDS £6.30
Colchester to Clacton - CDR-12.70, SDS £10.10

CDR = off-peak day return
SDS = anytime day single

so the incentive to run a possibly lightly loaded train is far less at those fare levels.

 

[LowLevel]

Thirty years ago, when the Robin Hood Line first re-opened, the fares were incredibly cheap due to them being heavily subsidised. These days I don’t think that they are that cheap. There are a few cheap fares between some pairs of stations but the return fare from Nottingham to Mansfield is no longer very much cheaper than many other journeys of similar distance. For the distance it is not very much less than Nottingham to Derby, or Nottingham to Newark.

Whatever the fares, it doesn’t change the fact that EMR have removed the train service from a large town like Mansfield. Today EMR are currently stating that there is a good service with minor changes, however, all trains are again cancelled after approx 12 noon. You would think that EMR could at least run a couple of trains between Nottingham and Mansfield at peak time this afternoon to enable passengers who travelled into Nottingham this morning to return home by train. The Stagecoach Pronto and Trent Barton Threes buses must be doing very well out of this.

I think the issue is that if they say they're running a service, and it then collapses, then much like the cricket the other week you've got a load of people stranded who'd done the "it won't be that terrible so I'm going to carry on anyway" thing to then try and get home through alternative means stranded on your station kicking off. If you cancel everything the vast majority won't turn up.

I get free travel on the train - I have been opting to pay to take the bus recently.

The 170s can't deal with the Robin Hood Line gradients when it's hot and the crews are largely refusing to work on the 158s which basically have no modern ventilation system on board and a fiberglass cab shell that turns into an oven.

The EMR 170s whilst they are now slowly catching up are in some cases years overdue for major exams and aren't in the same condition as those elsewhere. ScotRail and the ROSCO ran 170416-420 in particular into the ground and the /5s until refurbishment are largely as built with a huge number of running defects left behind by WMR that EMR haven't been able to keep up with. I think every set in the fleet has some of HVAC (heating ventilation air conditioning) fault.

 

[AM9]

Yes, agree not fit for purpose.

I read the new CAF units for the Emirates are designed to not exceed +23c even when outside temperature is +60c, so why we have a/c that are so poor they fail at about third of that temperature differential shows lack of commitment to not upgrading the known weak parts when it was realised 30+ years ago. Of course we don't need to cope with +60 in the desert, but not coping whilst temperatures have been in high 20s earlier this week is unacceptable

40 years ago, the Met office was warning the public, (and government and industry) that climate change was advancing and everybody need to:

1) minimise creating CO2 emissions, particularly by creating power by burning hydrocarbon fuels.​

2) modify infrastructure, equipment and working practices to minimise the impact of higher temperatures and more extreme weather.​

​

Well, from the top of government to the individual in the street, we all ignored the advice, (indeed it is still being ignored by many even though the serious effects of climate change are making its presence more obvious)!

As far as the railway is concerned, at wasn't until the late 2000's and early 2010s when the major rolling stock acquisitions started, e.g. the 80xs, 700s, the CAF MUs and the Statler FLIRTs. Since then, the extensive delivery of Aventras to GA/C2C, WM/LNR, SWR, LO and the Elizabeth line have increased the number of trains that can generally handle the higher temperatures that we are now experiencing.

I am no refrigeration expert, but believe that retrofitting, or even upgrading AC on 20+ year old rolling stock could end up nearing the cost of complete rebuild, so the case for attempting that might be a severe disincentive to TOCs and RoSCos, (think aspects of class 769, - wasn't it the adding of cab AC that eventually caused GWR to withdraw?).

 

[styles]

Recent stakeholder email from Southeastern has this photo of a signalling cabinet at Greenwich with some sort of gadget on top to help reduce internal heat -

Picture1-10

Southeastern Railway Media Centre

newsroom.southeasternrailway.co.uk

Everybody involved looks very impressed.

 

[dk1]

I'll be there on Friday and Saturday, I can't wait!

The Midlands is currently insufferable.

Just caught another home in this unbearable heatwave. Onboard temperature was fabulous. So much so that I didn’t want to get off.

 

[Russel]

Just caught another home in this unbearable heatwave. Onboard temperature was fabulous. So much so that I didn’t want to get off.

I'll be heading to Clacton, so staying on the train is quite a tempting prospect!

 

[DarloRich]

A lineside fire near Northampton wont be helping people/service on a warm day like this!

 

[sh24]

The 170s can't deal with the Robin Hood Line gradients when it's hot and the crews are largely refusing to work on the 158s which basically have no modern ventilation system on board and a fiberglass cab shell that turns into an oven.

Why does heat impact a 170's hill climbing ability?

158's are evil trains in any form of heat. In fact, they are pretty horrible full stop.

 

[LowLevel]

Why does heat impact a 170's hill climbing ability?

158's are evil trains in any form of heat. In fact, they are pretty horrible full stop.

They overheat and the engine management system de-rates and then shuts down one or more engines leaving you with a unit wheezing away trying and failing to cool itself down.

It's been an issue with them since they were new, Central Trains stopped using them on the Cambrian more or less immediately as the same problem occurred.

 

[Tram203]

I think the issue is that if they say they're running a service, and it then collapses, then much like the cricket the other week you've got a load of people stranded who'd done the "it won't be that terrible so I'm going to carry on anyway" thing to then try and get home through alternative means stranded on your station kicking off. If you cancel everything the vast majority won't turn up.

The service can, and does, collapse very frequently for reasons other than hot weather.

Are you essentially saying people using the railway should, before travelling, think to themselves "if all the trains suddenly get cancelled I might well be stuck on a station with no means of getting home, perhaps the car or the bus would be a better option"?

The railway may as well give up now and call in the rail removers, ballast removers and tarmac layers if so.

 

[Jan Mayen]

I see the Bluebell Railway have cancelled the last trip of the day today & both dining trains tomorrow.

 

[sh24]

They overheat and the engine management system de-rates and then shuts down one or more engines leaving you with a unit wheezing away trying and failing to cool itself down.

It's been an issue with them since they were new, Central Trains stopped using them on the Cambrian more or less immediately as the same problem occurred.

Thanks for the explanation. Makes a lot of sense.

 

[wellhouse]

On 1W61 1450 from Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly (Thursday 9th July) the air conditioning is delightfully comfortable. However, it has been announced that owing to the heat, the kitchen is closed, and there is only a trolley service. There is also a 4 day ban on the sale of alcohol on board 'for the weekend'

 

[Snow1964]

On 1W61 1450 from Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly (Thursday 9th July) the air conditioning is delightfully comfortable. However, it has been announced that owing to the heat, the kitchen is closed, and there is only a trolley service. There is also a 4 day ban on the sale of alcohol on board 'for the weekend'

What is point of alcohol sale ban on the train, if they still allow it to be bought at shops at the stations that are served by the train before boarding?

Smacks of not joined up thinking

 

[SteveHFC]

What is point of alcohol sale ban on the train, if they still allow it to be bought at shops at the stations that are served by the train before boarding?

Smacks of not joined up thinking

It could be, but I am guessing and without knowing how alcohol is stored on board, that they have switched some of the fridges off, so have decided not to sell alcohol and concentrate on drinks that will assist with keeping people hydrated - or even just using the capacity for additional stock of soft drinks.

 

[Jimini]

Not really disruption, but I’m on a northbound XC service and we’ve just taken the scenic route through Didcot Parkway rather than using the avoiding line. Just a random quirk, or is it another case of keeping key sets of points in place to reduce risk during the heatwave?

 

[800001]

Not really disruption, but I’m on a northbound XC service and we’ve just taken the scenic route through Didcot Parkway rather than using the avoiding line. Just a random quirk, or is it another case of keeping key sets of points in place to reduce risk during the heatwave?

Most likely down to points. Keep one route set even if means sending freight through station.

 

[yorkie]

I understand the cancellations and delays on the MML are very severe today and I know of some forum members who have been 'rescued' by another member offering them a lift to go north.

I've taken 5 trains so far today, and not had a single ticket check yet.

I had a poor experience on Avanti; the previous train was cancelled and the next one was short formed. The Guard told everyone from the previous train go into one coach. Obviously that didn't happen. No reservations displayed, but due to the Guard's weird announcement, it caused passengers to argue over whether reservations are enforceable or not.

Also a poor experience on TPE; no toilets and this was only announced by the Guard because a passenger told him at an intermediate station.

There is also poor regulation going on, as is - sadly - absolutely normal on the GB railway network; I am on an absolutely packed XC service, which is trundling on at slow speed behind a local stopper. That said, full marks to this TM who is making clear, helpful and apologetic announcements.

I understand the hot weather isn't the fault of the rail industry, but it's sad to see that the railway doesn't consistently try to mitigate the effects. But well done to those staff who do care, and are doing their best to help passengers in difficult circumstances.

 

[syorksdeano]

I think the fastest Leeds to Sheffield Northern trains have been cancelled again.

They have for tomorrow. In fact Northern have quite a few cancellations tomorrow, including Halifax to Hull going to every 2 hours.

 

[bunnahabhain]

Cancelling every train rather than leaving a small handful for those who have no choice is pretty bizarre. That's usually something that is avoided. What is it about that specific route that apparently deserves specially bad treatment?

You're climbing uphill from Nottingham to Kirkby Summit, the bank up from Hucknall to Grives Lane in particular is punishingly steep and has sections as steep as 1 in 50. I've known many a train fail on the bank on hot days in the past.

 

[Retorus]

I understand the cancellations and delays on the MML are very severe today and I know of some forum members who have been 'rescued' by another member offering them a lift to go north.

I've taken 5 trains so far today, and not had a single ticket check yet.

I had a poor experience on Avanti; the previous train was cancelled and the next one was short formed. The Guard told everyone from the previous train go into one coach. Obviously that didn't happen. No reservations displayed, but due to the Guard's weird announcement, it caused passengers to argue over whether reservations are enforceable or not.

Also a poor experience on TPE; no toilets and this was only announced by the Guard because a passenger told him at an intermediate station.

There is also poor regulation going on, as is - sadly - absolutely normal on the GB railway network; I am on an absolutely packed XC service, which is trundling on at slow speed behind a local stopper. That said, full marks to this TM who is making clear, helpful and apologetic announcements.

I understand the hot weather isn't the fault of the rail industry, but it's sad to see that the railway doesn't consistently try to mitigate the effects. But well done to those staff who do care, and are doing their best to help passengers in difficult circumstances.

What an earth were they playing at? How did they think that would end?

 

[londonmidland]

East Midlands Railway 158806 and 777 have ran into issues, having come to a halt at Radford Jn.

EMR have also extended their Essential Travel Only advise until Sunday the 12th.

East Midlands Railway are advising customers to only travel between Wednesday and Sunday if your journey is essential.

 

[Mattplans]

Lots of disruption on the SE metro routes. Record amounts of train cancellations due to 'train faults' as well as a broken down freight train

 

[Snow1964]

GWR DMU fleet seems to be dying too,
copied from GWR travel information

The train being used for the Par to Newquay service has broken down, and a spare is not currently available.

-The train that runs between Exeter St Davids and Okehampton has broken down.

One of the train being used on the Exeter to Barstaple service has developed a fault and has been taken out of service. There is no spare immediately available, and so regretfully we have had to reduce to service from hourly to two hourly. This is likely to be for the remainder of the day.

The train operating between Swindon and Westbury via Melksham has failed and there is no spare train available to replace it

Multiple cancellations Bristol - Westbury -Salisbury too (although these don't yet have a page on travel advice

Rather feels like a DMU crisis, breaking down, no serviceable spares, are they simply be worked unrealistically hard, beyond point where they can repair them fast enough

Live Train Times and Journey Updates | Great Western Railway

See the Great Western Railway TrainTracker for live departure times and up-to-the-minute train journey updates.

www.gwr.com

 

[Mattplans]

Rather feels like a DMU crisis

Perhaps it's a networker crisis? They seem to be breaking down/faulting everywhere. If those GWR DMUs are networkers that is.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Northern are at it again, using the severe seasonal weather as an excuse to reduce services on a number of routes tomorrow.

Hot weather travel advice

Northern | Buy Cheap Train Tickets and Check Train Times

www.northernrailway.co.uk

Affected routes:​

• Manchester Victoria to Wigan North Western: The 0641, 0740 and 0837 trains from Wigan North Western to Manchester Victoria, and the 1613, 1713 and 1813 trains from Manchester Victoria to Wigan North Western will not run.
• Warrington Central to Liverpool Lime Street: This service will not be operating. Please use the Manchester Oxford Road to Liverpool Lime Street service.
• Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street: This peak-only service will not be operating. Please use alternative trains on the route.
• Southport to Manchester Oxford Road: This service will not be operating. Please use the Southport to Stalybridge service.
• Hazel Grove to Manchester Piccadilly: This service will not be operating. Please use alternative trains on the route.
• Manchester Piccadilly to Glossop/ Hadfield: This service will run to a reduced frequency.
• Manchester Piccadilly to Rose Hill Marple: This service will run every 90 minutes.
• Manchester Piccadilly to Buxton: There will be one train per hour.
• Manchester Piccadilly to Alderley Edge: This hourly service will not be operating. Please use alternative trains on the route.
• Blackburn to Rochdale via Darwen: This hourly service will not be operating. Please use alternative trains on the route.
• Manchester Victoria to Leeds via Bradford: This hourly service will not be operating. Please use alternative trains on the route.
• Wigan Wallgate to Leeds: Trains will run between Manchester Victoria and Leeds only.
  
  
  
• Leeds – Sheffield: Yorkshire Flyer fast services will be removed; our stopping service will still run.
• Leeds – Knottingley: There will be one train per hour between Leeds and Knottingley. Services between Leeds and Knottingley via Castleford will be cancelled.
• Leeds – Manchester Victoria via Bradford Interchange: Trains between Leeds and Manchester via Bradford Interchange will be cancelled. We will run trains on other routes between Leeds and Manchester Victoria.
• Leeds to Ilkley/ Skipton/ Bradford: Trains will run to a reduced frequency.
• Hull – Halifax: From approximately 1115 until around 1900, there will be one train every two hours in both directions. There will be additional trains operating in the morning and evening peak periods.
• Sheffield – Scarborough: Trains will run between Hull and Scarborough only.
• York – Hull/ Bridlington: Trains will run between York and Hull and between Hull and Bridlington.

I'm particularly miffed at the Sheffield - Scarborough service being cut back to run between Hull and Scarborough only; the temperature is about 10 degrees cooler on the coast so I was looking to head there for a bit of relief!