Commuters at King’s Cross faced significant disruption today after a trackside fire near Stevenage caused widespread delays across multiple train services. National Rail has reported delays of up to 90 minutes along with numerous cancellations on key routes.
Firefighters were called earlier to extinguish flames affecting signal cables close to Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Although the fire has now been put out, the damage to essential railway infrastructure has resulted in extensive delays for trains travelling to and from London King’s Cross, Hull, Edinburgh, Brighton, and Newcastle.
Network Rail has issued a strong warning urging passengers not to travel unless absolutely necessary due to the ongoing disruption. This incident follows an earlier event where a person was struck by a train between Broxbourne and Cheshunt, which has also contributed to delays on the Greater Anglia network.
Paul Rutter, Network Rail East Coast route director, said: “We’re sorry to passengers impacted by the lineside fire at Stevenage today and the ongoing disruption. Our engineers are working to repair the damage, but services will face major disruption for the rest of the day.”
To help ease travel difficulties, National Rail confirmed that delayed passengers can use alternative routes at no extra cost. Tickets are being accepted on the following services:
- Avanti West Coast between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston
- CrossCountry via any reasonable route
- East Midlands Railway between Sheffield/Leicester and London St Pancras International
- Greater Anglia between Cambridge and London Liverpool Street
- LNER, London Underground, Northern, and TransPennine Express via any reasonable route
Network Rail has confirmed “significant damage” to signalling equipment, which has caused a sharply reduced service throughout the day. Passengers are advised to check live travel updates regularly and consider alternative routes where possible.
For now, patience is essential for anyone travelling through King’s Cross. Passengers should check before they travel and stay safe amid the ongoing disruption.
Originally published by UKNIP.
