Major disruption on railway in East Midlands affecting people attending Radio 2 event in Leicester

There was major disruption on the rail network on Sunday evening (17 September), with no trains running on the Midland Mainline on the London St Pancras route to Nottingham and Derby.

East Midlands Railway say a multiple points failure at Trent South Junction and Trent East Junction following a lightning strike was the cause of the problems.

Thousands attended the Radio 2 in the Park event at Victoria Park in Leicester over the weekend, and journeys home were disrupted, with more traffic on the roads than expected. The event finished at 9.15pm.

East Midlands Railway say the disruption to the rail line was expected for the rest of the Sunday evening, and that tickets are valid for travel on alternative routes, and will be accepted today (18 September) too.

BBC Radio 2 posted an update on X, formerly known as Twitter, urging people to make alternative travel arrangements.

The two-day event saw Beverley Knight and Jessie Ware before, as well as a closing headline slot by Kylie.

Network Rail has sent fault teams to the site, who are trying to restore some of the points to allow trains to move in the area.

East Midlands Railway say they are working on arrangements to get passengers moving too.

Leicestershire Police are telling people to speak to station staff for advice on alternative travel options, while Leicester City Council says there is a dedicated taxi pick up point on University Road for concert-goers at Victoria Park.