UK travellers face third day of delays as weather woes continue
Rail passengers face another day of delays due to poor weather conditions, repair work and a rail strike.
Flights and train services across the country have been hampered by the extremely hot weather and thunderstorms for the past two days. Now, heavy downpours across England and Scotland could also have an adverse affect on travel.
Those travelling by air or train on Saturday have been advised to check before they travel, with reduced services across a number of lines.
Which services are affected?
East Midlands Trains (EMT) customers have been warned to expect reduced services to and from London. This is due to repair work on damaged overhead line equipment and a revised timetable on several local routes because of RMT industrial action.
The London St Pancras-Nottingham-Sheffield line also has a reduced service, with customers advised to check before they travel.
Midland Main Line routes into London will also face disruption as work continues to repair damage to an overhead line equipment in West Hampstead.
What should I look out for?
A yellow weather warning is in place for much of England and Scotland, with vast swathes of rain expected to fall on Saturday and Sunday.
Up to 20mm of rain fell in parts of London and the south-east of England overnight on Friday into Saturday, with forecasters expecting up to another 20mm during the morning, which could lead to travel problems.
Delays or cancellations to train and bus services are possible.
What have the rail firms said?
Jake Kelly, East Midlands Trains managing director, said: “We’re sorry to everybody who has experienced disrupted journeys over the past two days.
“We are working very closely with Network Rail while they work to repair the overhead line equipment and fully reopen the railway, which will in turn allow us to reintroduce our full train service to and from London St Pancras.
“Whilst this work takes place, we do have a significantly reduced timetable in place on our London route over the weekend and our advice for customers is to avoid travelling on this route wherever possible and make alternative arrangements.
“Due to the RMT industrial action, there will also be some changes to services on our local routes on Saturday, with revised timetables and replacement coach operations in place on some lines.”
Misery for travellers
It comes after air passengers suffered major disruption on Friday due to the heatwave and a technical problem with the UK’s air traffic control system.
Passengers using Heathrow and Gatwick airports had to contend with delays due to the extreme conditions across Europe.
The air traffic control company Nats said a technical problem with a system at the Swanwick Air Traffic Control centre had been identified shortly after noon, which restricted the rate of arrivals.
A Heathrow spokesman said the technical issue has now been resolved, adding: “We apologise to passengers for any disruption that this caused.”
On Saturday morning, Gatwick Airport said: "We aim to run a normal schedule today, however due to ongoing adverse weather across Europe, passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest information."