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| Main rail line crippled by delays | Main rail line crippled by delays |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Services on the West Coast main line continue to be severely disrupted after overhead power cables came down at Watford Junction. | Services on the West Coast main line continue to be severely disrupted after overhead power cables came down at Watford Junction. |
| It means there are no trains in or out of London Euston, as many people return to work after Christmas and New Year. | It means there are no trains in or out of London Euston, as many people return to work after Christmas and New Year. |
| The problems came as a section of the same line in Staffordshire closed after a plane crashed between the tracks. | The problems came as a section of the same line in Staffordshire closed after a plane crashed between the tracks. |
| Network Rail said "extensive damage" meant services at Euston were unlikely to resume until mid-morning on Monday. | Network Rail said "extensive damage" meant services at Euston were unlikely to resume until mid-morning on Monday. |
| A light aircraft hit the line near Stafford on Friday, killing three people on board. | A light aircraft hit the line near Stafford on Friday, killing three people on board. |
| Not a good weekend for us, and our customers in particular Chris GibbVirgin Trains | Not a good weekend for us, and our customers in particular Chris GibbVirgin Trains |
| Train services were reduced while engineers worked to remove the wreckage and fix the damaged tracks. | Train services were reduced while engineers worked to remove the wreckage and fix the damaged tracks. |
| However on Sunday, before the line was fully back to normal, damaged power cables further south at Watford Junction hit the service again. | However on Sunday, before the line was fully back to normal, damaged power cables further south at Watford Junction hit the service again. |
| The Chief Operating Officer for Virgin Trains, Chris Gibb, was at Milton Keynes station where passengers had to leave trains and use replacement buses to continue their journeys south. | The Chief Operating Officer for Virgin Trains, Chris Gibb, was at Milton Keynes station where passengers had to leave trains and use replacement buses to continue their journeys south. |
| He said: "No sooner had we fixed the problems caused by the light aircraft that crashed near Stafford, unfortunately the overhead wires came down at Watford Junction, blocking all four tracks there. | He said: "No sooner had we fixed the problems caused by the light aircraft that crashed near Stafford, unfortunately the overhead wires came down at Watford Junction, blocking all four tracks there. |
| "So not a good weekend for us, and our customers in particular." | "So not a good weekend for us, and our customers in particular." |
| Network Rail said engineers were working through the night to repair "extensive damage" to the line. | Network Rail said engineers were working through the night to repair "extensive damage" to the line. |
| A spokeswoman advised passengers to check with train operators before starting journeys. | A spokeswoman advised passengers to check with train operators before starting journeys. |
| London Midland and Virgin Trains run services in and out of Euston. | London Midland and Virgin Trains run services in and out of Euston. |
| Virgin Trains normally run about 10 services an hour from Euston to Milton Keynes. | Virgin Trains normally run about 10 services an hour from Euston to Milton Keynes. |
| RAIL ENQUIRIES For more information on train times call 08457 48 49 50 National Rail EnquiriesVirgin TrainsLondon Midland The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites | RAIL ENQUIRIES For more information on train times call 08457 48 49 50 National Rail EnquiriesVirgin TrainsLondon Midland The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites |
| Virgin services north of Milton Keynes are operating and there are replacement bus services between London Euston, Milton Keynes Central and Luton. | Virgin services north of Milton Keynes are operating and there are replacement bus services between London Euston, Milton Keynes Central and Luton. |
| London Overground Services are not affected between London Euston and Watford Junction. | London Overground Services are not affected between London Euston and Watford Junction. |
| A spokesman for Virgin Trains added that Virgin tickets would be valid on other rail operators where alternative routes were possible. | A spokesman for Virgin Trains added that Virgin tickets would be valid on other rail operators where alternative routes were possible. |
| He advised passengers to delay their journeys. | He advised passengers to delay their journeys. |
| "I know many people will find that impossible, but if it is possible to delay a journey, or at least schedule a meeting for later in the morning, that may make things easier," he said. | "I know many people will find that impossible, but if it is possible to delay a journey, or at least schedule a meeting for later in the morning, that may make things easier," he said. |
| Do you travel on this line? Have you been affected by these disruptions? You can send us your experiences using the form below: | |