Stafford - 21st November 2025

[Masbroughlad]

Does anybody know what is happening in the Stafford area please? I need to get from Stafford to Oxford and at least the next two direct trains are cancelled.

Are all lines blocked or could I make my way there with some changes, avoiding the problem?

Or should I get the car keys out and drive.....

 

[dragon814]

Does anybody know what is happening in the Stafford area please? I need to get from Stafford to Oxford and at least the next two direct trains are cancelled.

Are all lines blocked or could I make my way there with some changes, avoiding the problem?

Or should I get the car keys out and drive.....

Complete signal failure, supposedly affecting the whole route from Birmingham to Crewe.
Currently on a bus trying to get home to Derby

 

[tumbledown]

London Northwestern Railway customer advice:​

Your ticket can be used at no extra cost on rail replacement buses between the following stations in both directions until further notice:

• Rugby and Crewe
• Nuneaton and Crewe
• Stafford and Crewe
• Wolverhampton and Crewe
• Lichfield Trent Valley and Stafford via Rugeley Trent Valley

Wolves to Birmingham and Rugeley TV to Birmingham seem to be running.

 

[Paul AC]

Power supply fault reported at Stoke-on-Trent 'box', so that will be affecting Stoke and Stafford. I've just passed through Manchester Piccadilly and they are telling London passengers to go via Leeds or Sheffield.

 

[Masbroughlad]

Partly for this section and/or ticket advice.

I have an off-peak, open return, starting today - Stafford to Oxford. Would I get a full refund, if I cancel and drive?

What a pain - M6 on a Friday night!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Nov 2025 ==

How likely is the 1821 from Stafford to run? Will the inward bound working into Manchester even be there?

Just weighing up my travel plans. I can't travel tomorrow and so, need to be there tonight.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

It's OK. Avanti has issued a magic wand 'DO NOT TRAVEL' alert. Like parking on the motorway with your hazards on. As soon as you do so, all problems are prevented / resolved and no further action required.

 

[sh24]

There is a remarkable number of Avanti services held as far back as Leighton Buzzard. What a mess.

 

[_toommm_]

Partly for this section and/or ticket advice.

I have an off-peak, open return, starting today - Stafford to Oxford. Would I get a full refund, if I cancel and drive?

What a pain - M6 on a Friday night!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Nov 2025 ==

How likely is the 1821 from Stafford to run? Will the inward bound working into Manchester even be there?

Just weighing up my travel plans. I can't travel tomorrow and so, need to be there tonight.

You will indeed, from whoever you bought it from.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Partly for this section and/or ticket advice.

I have an off-peak, open return, starting today - Stafford to Oxford. Would I get a full refund, if I cancel and drive?

What a pain - M6 on a Friday night!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Nov 2025 ==

How likely is the 1821 from Stafford to run? Will the inward bound working into Manchester even be there?

Just weighing up my travel plans. I can't travel tomorrow and so, need to be there tonight.

Yes.

Avanti:

If you abandoned your journey as a result of the disruption, then you can claim a fee free refund from where you bought your ticket. If you continued with your journey but were delayed by 15 minutes or more, you can claim Delay Repay compensation from the train company you travelled with.

 

[sh24]

Partly for this section and/or ticket advice.

I have an off-peak, open return, starting today - Stafford to Oxford. Would I get a full refund, if I cancel and drive?

What a pain - M6 on a Friday night!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Nov 2025 ==

How likely is the 1821 from Stafford to run? Will the inward bound working into Manchester even be there?

Just weighing up my travel plans. I can't travel tomorrow and so, need to be there tonight.

My default assumption with something like this is to take what you can see moving, not hope for the disruption to clear. So drive it is

 

[MontyP]

It's OK. Avanti has issued a magic wand 'DO NOT TRAVEL' alert. Like parking on the motorway with your hazards on. As soon as you do so, all problems are prevented / resolved and no further action required.

I'm beginning to think that Avanti should just have that message permanently on their website

 

[Peter0124]

Avanti haven't been having the best week.

Trains appear to be moving now though, 1H67 just passed Colwich running 172L

 

[Masbroughlad]

National Rail says 1821 and 1921 from Stafford as running.

Just wondering if they will be jammed to the rafters or whether people gave up.

 

[tumbledown]

National Rail says 1821 and 1921 from Stafford as running.

Just wondering if they will be jammed to the rafters or whether people gave up.

1821 starting short from Birmingham NS now.

 

[Masbroughlad]

1821 starting short from Birmingham NS now.

Can't get to Birmingham though. What a farce! So much for a pleasant train journey and evening in my hotel! Will.be drive and straight to bed!

 

[SCDR_WMR]

National Rail says 1821 and 1921 from Stafford as running.

Just wondering if they will be jammed to the rafters or whether people gave up.

Stafford station was empty at 1630. Crewe on the other hand is madness. Euston had to close the shutters too

 

[Peter749]

Trains are now running thru Stafford but with a lot of delays - you might have to change at Birmingham

 

[itfcfan]

The last Avanti train to leave Birmingham New Street southbound was at 16:30 (an hour ago).

Is the disruption at Coventry (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/coventry-20251121/) causing additional problems at Birmingham or is this all to do with the problem at Stafford causing a held trains all the way down the WCML?

 

[Peter749]

The last Avanti train to leave Birmingham New Street southbound was at 16:30 (an hour ago).

Is the disruption at Coventry (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/coventry-20251121/) causing additional problems at Birmingham or is this all to do with the problem at Stafford causing a held trains all the way down the WCML?

If you read the page you quoted it says

"An earlier fire next to the track between Birmingham International and Coventry means that trains must run at a reduced speed on the line towards Coventry.
As a result, services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 15 minutes. - Disruption is expected until 18:00."

The indecent at Stoke Signalling Center is unrelated to Lineside Fires in the Coventry area

 

[Masbroughlad]

National Rail saying all direct trains from Stafford to Oxford are cancelled.

 

[itfcfan]

If you read the page you quoted it says

"An earlier fire next to the track between Birmingham International and Coventry means that trains must run at a reduced speed on the line towards Coventry.
As a result, services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 15 minutes. - Disruption is expected until 18:00."

The indecent at Stoke Signalling Center is unrelated to Lineside Fires in the Coventry area

Thank you. I did read the page, hence my question. It refers to LNR as the only affected TOC (not Avanti). I don't know the area well, so I don't know if the problems are only on the slow lines (if they exist?!) which is why only LNR is listed as affected. Or if this is a general issue affecting Avanti too.

 

[voyagerdude220]

The indecent at Stoke Signalling Center is unrelated to Lineside Fires in the Coventry area

Ooooh

 

[Oxfordblues]

1H18 11:53 Euston-Manchester is finally on its way after sitting at Stafford for nearly 3 hours.

Edit: 5 hours late into Stoke (minus 5 minutes)

 

[ChilliSauce]

It's OK. Avanti has issued a magic wand 'DO NOT TRAVEL' alert. Like parking on the motorway with your hazards on. As soon as you do so, all problems are prevented / resolved and no further action required.

Exactly .. that is in my mind the equivalent of pulling the shutters down and turning the light off .. As in we are not going to get involved in helping our customers. Which is of little use for those already travelling and trying to get somewhere. When have you ever seen Avanti provide a replacement bus when there are problems north of say Carlisle ....err never! They can't even bring themselves to run the Euston / Glasgow as far as Carlisle .. but terminate short at Preston because "It Suits Them"

 

[Masbroughlad]

Shambolic. Got a refund and now have no choice but drive. Travel tomorrow is not an option. I have to work at 0600 in Oxford! Hope the motorway is quiet. Lol. I know the answer to that already.

Good job I enjoy the railway and understand it and the fragmented mess it is. If I were a potential new customer, I wouldn't be coming back....

Thanks for the advice and information everyone. Happy and safe travels.

 

[replacementbus]

Anyone have any insights on what actually happened at Stoke signal box? All of the signals in the area seem to have defaulted to danger, but trains were still being run, albeit very sporadically, and with no obvious connection to any kind of online tracking or platform notification systems...

 

[spp]

Problems cleared 3 hours ago but theres still replies to LNW on twitter from less than an hour ago saying they’re locked out of Euston.

 

[allbarbarry]

Very chaotic out of Piccadilly this evening - what has happening on the ground was completely out of synch with journey planners and other information available online.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Very chaotic out of Piccadilly this evening - what has happening on the ground was completely out of synch with journey planners and other information available online.

Indeed, there was apparently a broken down train at Manchester Oxford Road too which was causing havoc.

I turned up at Piccadilly and was told to get EMR to Sheffield and then XC from there. When I got on the Norwich, it was no longer calling at Sheffield. Brilliant!

 

[Masbroughlad]

Indeed, there was apparently a broken down train at Manchester Oxford Road too which was causing havoc.

I turned up at Piccadilly and was told to get EMR to Sheffield and then XC from there. When I got on the Norwich, it was no longer calling at Sheffield. Brilliant!

All a bit of a dogs' dinner really.