Commuters warned to expect Monday morning chaos on trains into London Euston

Long-suffering commuters can expect extra cancellations and overcrowding on trains into London Euston during the rush hour on Monday morning (March 9).

Network Rail issued a strong “check before you travel” warning with a “thinned out” timetable for London Northwestern and Avanti West Coast trains services from Rugby, Northampton, Milton Keynes Central, Tring, Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead.following damage to overhead power lines on Saturday.

Fewer trains than normal will be able to run between Watford Junction and Euston on the West Coast main line, despite overnight repairs.

Two of the four tracks are closed in and out of London and urgent work commenced at 9pm tonight (Sunday) to replace around 1,000 metres of overhead cable, which supplies power to the trains, and will continue until 6am.

Network Rail engineers will be working through the night with the aim of minimising disruption to services on Monday morning.

But the extent of the damage means there will not be enough time to fully complete repairs in one night, which is why a slightly reduced timetable will be in operation on Monday and further work is likely to be needed on Monday night.

James Dean, director for Network Rail’s West Coast Mainline South route, said: “We are sorry to passengers who have either already been affected by this dewirement, or whose journeys might be impacted on Monday.

“Repairing 1,000 metres of wires is a significant job and our engineers will be working tirelessly from 9pm this evening to repair the wires, but because of the sheer amount of damage there is, unfortunately they won’t be able to complete the job in one night.

“This means some disruption will continue into Monday. Passengers should continue to check their journeys with their train operator or via National Rail Enquiries.”