Rail passengers in northwest England disrupted on busy travel weekend

On the last day of the East Midlands Trains franchise, the RMT union is staging a final strike

All aboard: East Midlands Railway (EMR) starts running trains from Sheffield to London on Sunday 16 August (Simon Calder)

One of the busiest weekends of the year has proved dismal for thousands of travellers.

Dozens of long-distance trains have been cancelled or severely delayed, particular in northwest England.

Damage to overhead electric wires on the West Coast Main Line brought many services to a standstill, with wholesale cancellations and diversions on Virgin Trains and London Northwestern Railway.

All services between Blackpool and London were cancelled, as well as many between Liverpool, Manchester, Crewe and the capital.

Virgin Trains also warned of disruption north of Preston because of the severe weather.

A separate Network Rail signalling failure between Manchester and Liverpool was blamed for multiple cancellations on TransPennine Express services. The trains that ran were severely overcrowded, leading to further delays.

On the East Coast Main Line north of London, passengers on LNER and other train operators experienced delays after a trespasser was found on the line between Potters Bar and Welwyn Garden City. After they were removed, National Rail said: “Some short-notice alterations and cancellations may take place to recover services.”

Further rail disruption awaits on Saturday due to a strike by members of the RMT union working for East Midlands Trains (EMT).

The train operator’s franchise ends on the same day as staff walk out in a dispute over compulsory Sunday working and what the union calls “wage discrimination”.

“No one should underestimate the resilience and determination of our EMT members to see justice,” said Mick Cash, the RMT’s general secretary.

East Midlands Trains plans to run services on the main line to and from London St Pancras, but other routes will see fewer trains, with one every two hours on the Manchester-Sheffield-Nottingham route and between Derby and Matlock.

The link from Nottingham to Norwich will not operate. “Ticket acceptance is in place with LNER, Greater Anglia and CrossCountry on all reasonable routes,” the train operator said.