UK weather: Are your trains running today? Train companies warn of cancellations - LIST
UK HEATWAVE conditions will cause maximum temperatures of 39C today as a plume of heat from continental Europe licks at the country. Which trains companies expect delays and cancellations today?
BBC weather: Heatwave to 'break down' after thunderstorms
UK weather forecasters are expecting a plume of heat from Europe to spike temperatures towards extreme highs today. By the end of Thursday, forecasters are predicting the mercury to hit 39C. On its current course, the heatwave would break countrywide records by 0.5C, and July records by 4C. Train companies have warned the extreme temperatures could result in sweeping cancellations and delays.
Which train services are cancelled today?
Train tracks are particularly susceptible to extreme heat, as this can cause them to buckle.
Network Rail has installed a limit for trains, with a 60mph speed limit in place from 11.30am today.
In some places, speed limits will mean trains can travel no faster than 20mph.
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The following train companies are expecting cancellations as a result of the hot weather:
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Trains
- Gatwick Express
- Grand Central
- Greater Anglia
- Great Northern
- Great Western Railway
- Hull Trains
- London North Eastern Railway
- London Northwestern Railway
- London Overground
- Southeastern
- Thameslink
- TransPennine Express
- Virgin Trains
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Is the London Underground disrupted today?
Rails on the London Underground are not exposed to direct sunlight like overground tracks, meaning they don’t have the same risk of buckling.
There are no scheduled cancellations today, but extreme heat could pose a risk to passengers.
Most of the heat in the underground is generated by trains and passengers crammed into carriages.
READ MORE: How hot will it get today?
Some underground lines last year saw temperatures approach 40C when the weather was 30C outside.
BBC weather presenter John Hammond took a thermometer on the tube in 2018 and found the heat reached 39C on the Piccadilly line.
Transport for London recommends people carry a bottle of water with them and not to pull the emergency passenger alarm on board.
They say it is easier to get help at a station if you are feeling unwell.