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Katie Boyden and Noora MykkanenPublished Oct 15, 2024, 6:29am|Updated Oct 15, 2024, 5:02pm
Commuters should brace themselves for disruption across the road and rail networks tonight after the Met Office warned of heavy rain.
Spells of heavy downpours could lead to travel disruption and flooding, the forecaster said.
The warning is in place for parts of Wales, South West of England and North West from 6pm until midday tomorrow, and in parts of Northern Ireland from midnight until 6am.
Meanwhile, train passengers threatened with prosecutions after using railcards at the wrong time of the day could get compensation after Northern Rail’s U-turn on its own ticketing rules.
One of the passengers is Sam Williamson, 22, whose delight over a £1.85 saving on a rail fare turned into a nightmare after Northern sent him a letter trying to prosecute him over ‘an innocent mistake.’
Now Northern has announced it will withdraw these types of prosecutions and review previous cases, the Telegraph reports.
Live coverage wraps up
Noora Mykkanen
Thank you for following our live blog today.
Tune back in tomorrow for the latest travel news.
If you have a transport story in the meantime, please get in touch with noora.mykkanen@metro.co.uk.
Heavy rain could hit road and rail travel tonight
Noora Mykkanen
Heavy rain is set to sweep across parts of England and Wales tonight, bringing potential travel misery on rail and roads.
There’s a slight chance of flooding in places which could cause bus and trains delays. Spray and flooding on roads could hamper driving conditions and cause road closures.
Here are the areas where the Met Office yellow weather warning is in place from 6pm until midday tomorrow.
North West England
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Cheshire East
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Greater Manchester
- Halton
- Lancashire
- Merseyside
- Warrington
South West England
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bristol
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Dorset
- Gloucestershire
- North Somerset
- Plymouth
- Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
- Torbay
Wales
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Gwynedd
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Wrexham
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire
- Staffordshire
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Telford and Wrekin
- West Midlands Conurbation
- Worcestershire
Another yellow warning for rain has been issued in parts of Northern Ireland from midnight until 6am tomorrow.
- County Armagh
- County Down
London Underground lines suspended after incident
Noora Mykkanen
Circle, Hammersmith & City and part of the Metropolitan line have been suspended just as the rush hour gets underway.
It comes after a person was taken ill on a train at Barbican, the latest TfL travel status update shows.
- Circle line – No service on the entire line
- Hammersmith & City – Suspended and no service on the entire line
- Metropolitan line – Part suspended between Wembley Park and Aldgate, while the rest of the line has good service
Man carrying 18 knives at train station is arrested
Noora Mykkanen
A man has been arrested after he was found carrying 18 knives at Edmonton Green train station.
The 23-year-old was arrested after a stop and search yesterday afternoon which he resisted, the police said.
Along with the knives, officers also discovered class A and B drugs.
The Met Police said the knives were ‘likely destined for south London gangs.’
Train fire blocks a railway line in Kent
Noora Mykkanen
The railway line has been blocked in Bearsted, Kent, after smoke was seen coming from under a train.
It has blocked all trains between Ashford and Maidstone East.
Southeastern passengers face chaos as trains running through the station will be cancelled, delayed or revised until about 5pm.
The fire service confirmed it is attending the incident.
National Rail said that replacement buses have been ordered ‘however we do not currently have an ETA for these to be in place.’
NEW: Because of emergency services dealing with an incident at #Bearsted, trains cannot currently run from Ashford towards Maidstone East. More to follow.
— Southeastern (@Se_Railway) October 15, 2024
Romsey disruption set to last until rush hour
Katie Boyden
As we reported earlier, a fault with the signalling system between Romsey and Eastleigh means all lines are blocked via Chandlers Ford. As a result, South Western Railway trains are unable to run between Salisbury and Romsey
Services will be revised to run between Salisbury and Eastleigh only, as Chandlers Ford and Romsey will not be served.
Disruption is expected until approximately 5pm.
Broken down train causes delays between Dorridge and Leamington Spa
Katie Boyden
A broken down train between Warwick and Leamington Spa means the line running from Birmingham towards London Marylebone is blocked. As a result, trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes.
Disruption is expected until 3pm.
A rescue train is on its way to move the broken down train out of the way.
You may use your ticket at no extra cost on the following operators:
- Avanti West Coast between Birmingham New Street and London Euston
- CrossCountry between Birmingham New Street and Reading via Leamington Spa
- Great Western Railway between Banbury and London Paddington
- London Northwestern Railway between Birmingham New Street and London Euston
- West Midlands Railway between Coventry and Leamington Spa
Disruption to trains between Meadowhall and Barnsley
Katie Boyden
A trespasser on the railway earlier today means train services may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised whilst a normal timetable is restored.
Disruption is expected until 3.30pm.
It’s affecting Northern services to and from Leeds, and also between Huddersfield and Sheffield.
Update after M1 crash in Leicestershire
Noora Mykkanen
— National Highways: East Midlands (@HighwaysEMIDS) October 15, 2024Lane 3 has reopened past the scene on the #M1 northbound between J20 #Lutterworth and #J21 #Leicester #M69 following a collision.
Lanes 1 and 2 remain closed whilst emergency services continue to work at scene.
There are 2 miles congestion on approach to these lane closures. pic.twitter.com/r9pWj4pu3t
Motorway closure after crash on the M1
Noora Mykkanen
Part of the M1 has closed in Leicestershire after a crash on the motorway.
Traffic has stopped northbound after a vehicle ‘rolled over,’ travel analyst Inrix said.
All three lanes northbound have been closed, National Highways alert shows.
Normal traffic conditions are not expected until about 1.45pm, it said.
No SWR trains between Romsey and Eastleigh for hours
Noora Mykkanen
South Western Railway passengers have been warned of cancellations and delays after a faulty signal.
It is set to wreak havoc on services between Romsey and Eastleigh until 5pm as all lines are blocked.
— SWR Help (@SW_Help) October 15, 2024â±ï¸ We have now received an update and disruption to our services is now expected until 17:00.
This may change but we will update you if it does.
Pressure on government to step in over anytime tickets
Noora Mykkanen
MPs have called on the government to intervene as it emerged that railcard holders had been prosecuted after mistakenly using discounted Anytime Single tickets to travel at peak times.
Four MPs have now backed a motion in parliament calling the government to investigate train fare structures and practices.
The motion was tabled by Ayoub Khan, an independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, with support from Labour MP Jon Trickett, and independent MPs Iqbal Mohamed and Adnan Hussain.
It urged the government to step in to ‘ensure fair treatment and protection for all rail passengers, particularly vulnerable younger travellers who rely on railcards for affordable travel.’
Northern Rail comments on the railcard drama
Noora Mykkanen
The rail company said it withdrew two cases yesterday and two more will be axed at the end of the month as they are already in the system.
A Northern spokesperson told Metro: ‘We understand that fares and ticketing across the railway can, at times, be difficult to understand, and we are reviewing our processes for ensuring compliance with ticket and railcard terms and conditions.
‘With regard to recent reported cases involving use of the 16-25 Railcard with fares under £12 before 10am, we are withdrawing any live cases and will also look to review anyone who has been prosecuted previously on this specific issue.
‘We are actively engaged with government and industry to simplify fares to help customers.’
Fewer than 25 cases since 2020 need to be reviewed, Northern said.
Northern Rail forced to make U-turn on railcard cases
Noora Mykkanen
The train operator has been forced to make a U-turn on prosecutions accusing passengers of using their railcard at the wrong time of the day.
Several Northern passengers who had bought a discount ticket using a 16-25 Railcard and mistakenly used it at the wrong time of day risked being taken to court, a fine and a criminal record.
Sam Williamson paid £1.85 less for a train ticket to travel from Broadbottom to Manchester. About a month later, he received a letter from Northern saying he paid £1.90 less than he should have.
The 22-year-old consultant told Metro: ‘The company potentially trying to prosecute me feels like a wildly disproportionate response from Northern over an innocent mistake that could have been settled in minutes if they had allowed it.’
He had assumed the ticket was for ‘anytime’ travel.
However, the terms and conditions for the 16-25 Railcard say the discount does not apply on journeys costing less than £12 before 10am between Monday and Friday.
Now Northern Rail has announced it is withdrawing these types of prosecutions and reviewing previous cases, according to the Telegraph.
It comes after it emerged that the National Rail Conditions of travel state that passengers who accidentally board a train with a restricted ticket should be charged the difference between the fare they paid and the lowest available ticket price.
Sam welcomed the news of Northern’s U-turn, saying it is ‘a good start’ and calling for others who have already been ‘unreasonably convicted on similar offences have it overturned.’
Major train disruption in Rochdale extended
Noora Mykkanen
Passengers travelling between Leeds, Rochdale and Manchester have been caught in chaos this morning after an electricity supply failure.
It has caused signalling problems for Northern trains running through Rochdale station.
The major disruption has now been extended at least until 10am.
Road closures on the M27 start tonight
Noora Mykkanen
Sections of the M27 will close from tonight until Saturday, followed by a string of further closures across the exit and entry slip roads at three junctions.
Read more about the October motorway closures below.
Huge chunk of major motorway used by 140,000 cars a day to close for two weeks
Traffic delays on the M65 after a crash
Noora Mykkanen
Motorists near Preston face long delays of up to 50 minutes after an earlier crash.
All traffic was held briefly on the M65 westbound between J3 Riley Green and J2 M61 after the smash.
Congestion is building in the area, with National Highways estimating around six miles of tailbacks.
— National Highways: North-West (@HighwaysNWEST) October 15, 2024Traffic is stopped on the #M65 westbound between J3 #RileyGreen and J2 #M61 due to a collision.
Traffic Officers are on scene.
There are 6 miles congestion on approach causing 45 min delays above normal journey time. pic.twitter.com/M9h6JiLVbG
All lanes reopen on A14 after crash
Katie Boyden
National Highways warns that there are still 20 minute delays in the area after the A14 was reopened eastbound between junctions 1 and 2, following a crash.
Electricity supply problems causing delays in Rochdale area
Katie Boyden
Following a failure of the electricity supply in the Rochdale area earlier today, this has now caused signalling probems, affecting services running through this station.
Services running through Rochdale may be cancelled, delayed by up to an hour or revised.
The disruption is expected to last until 9am, and affects the following services:
- Northern between Leeds and Manchester Victoria / Wigan Wallgate / Wigan North Western / Chester
- Northern between Clitheroe and Rochdale / Wigan North Western
- Northern between Blackburn and Rochdale / Headbolt Lane
Disruption caused by signal fault between Moorgate and Finsbury Park
Katie Boyden
Some lines between the two London stations have had to close, causing delays on Great Northern services to and from Moorgate.
Trains could be cancelled, revised, or delayed by up to 15 minutes, and the disruption is set to last until 8.30am.
MORE : Elderly man attacked at London bus stop ‘for letting women and children on first’
MORE : The Tube line ‘haunted by the Girl on the Train’ ghost
MORE : Huge chunk of major motorway used by 140,000 cars a day to close for two weeks
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