Dozens of inter-city trains on two of Britain’s key long-distance lines have been cancelled as safety checks are carried out on rolling stock.

LNER, which operates on the East Coast Main Line, and GWR, serving the west of England and south Wales, both warned passengers not to travel due to the disruption.

Hull Trains, another East Coast operator, and TransPennine Express (TPE) between Newcastle and Liverpool were also affected.

The problem stems from concerns about jacking points on the fleets of class 800 Hitachi trains that provide the vast majority of long-distance services on the East Coast and Great Western line.

Hitachi Rail said in a statement that it took the decision to carry out precautionary checks after routine inspections overnight revealed cracks on some carriages.

The company added: “We understand the frustration caused and we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers and operators.”

LNER said that it hoped to reintroduce the trains back into service as soon as possible after they had been checked but added that the delay “could affect a significant number of our services”.

On the line from London King’s Cross to Yorkshire, Newcastle and Scotland, many short-notice cancellations were made.

LNER told passengers: “Due to a problem under investigation, services route wide are subject to delays and cancellations.

“Please do not travel, tickets will be valid up to and including Sunday 16 May 2021 (a new reservation must be made).”

Passengers who need to travel on Saturday are able to use Avanti West Coast between London Euston and Manchester, but only if they have an open ticket.

They can also use East Midlands Railway between London St Pancras and Sheffield with onward connections to Leeds and York “and via any other reasonable route”. 

For shorter journeys passengers can also use Thameslink services between London, Stevenage and Peterborough – though this line has seen cancellations due to staff shortage.

GWR said all 93 of its Hitachi 800s were being inspected after cracks were spotted on more than one train – and warned that the disruption was “highly likely” to continue until the end of the day.

“It’s a question of how quickly the trains can be inspected,” a spokesperson said. “Once more inspection has been carried out we’ll have a better understanding as to whether that disruption is going to continue into tomorrow.”

To and from London Paddington, GWR is warning: “Due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time at London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on some lines.

“Train services running to and from this station have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”

GWR says that on its key links to Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, Cheltenham, Hereford and Plymouth: “There will be no train service or only an extremely limited service with no alternative means of transport”.

Local services between Paddington, Reading and Oxford as well as in the Bristol and Exeter areas will continue, along with 75 per cent of Plymouth-Penzance services.

TPE said its Nova 1 trains were being checked and advised customers not to travel on the Newcastle to Liverpool route on Saturday.

In a statement, a TPE spokesperson said: “This problem is being investigated by the train manufacturer and, once trains have been checked, we hope to be able to release them back into service as soon as possible.

“This will affect a significant number of services on our Newcastle to Liverpool route and we are advising customers not to travel on this route today.”

Hull Trains cancelled services from London King’s Cross to Doncaster and Hull but was able to resume services at around 1.30pm on Saturday.

A spokesperson said: “We are pleased to confirm that, following thorough checks by Hitachi on the Hull Trains fleet of Class 800 series trains, services will now resume as normal.

“Due to the significant disruption that has taken place we expect our services to be extremely busy and we cannot guarantee that social distancing guidelines will be adhered to. All passengers must wear a face covering.

“Those customers who were booked on cancelled services today can receive a full refund without any fees by applying through our website.”

Hitachi Rail said in a statement: “Safety is our number one priority and as a precaution, the decision was taken to halt the entry into service of our intercity fleets pending inspection.

“Having been cleared for service, some trains are now running again across the network.

“We are working as quickly and safely as possible to investigate the issue across the remainder of the fleets.”

Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris said he had asked train operators to deploy extra staff to help passengers complete their journeys and access refunds.

He added: “Whilst some trains are starting to be reintroduced, disruption is likely for a prolonged period, particularly on GWR.

“I share the frustration of passengers who are experiencing significant disruption, and would ask people whose journeys are affected to check before travelling.”

Read More