East Coast rail line disrupted by signal failure

East Coast rail line disrupted by signal failure

Hundreds of passengers were stranded on trains on the East Coast main line because of a signal failure.

Five passenger trains and five freight trains were brought to a standstill due to the problem in the York area, Network Rail said.

Other services were disrupted or cancelled. Passengers were being advised to travel only if absolutely necessary.

The East Coast main line runs between London Kings Cross and Scotland.

A Network Rail spokesman said the problem was with its signalling software and at this stage officials had no idea how long it would take to fix.

The affected train companies included CrossCountry, East Coast, First TransPennine Express, Grand Central and Northern Rail.

East Coast introduced a revised timetable.

A number of replacement bus services were being offered around the affected area.

They included First TransPennine Express between York and Middlesbrough, Northern Rail York to Poppleton and CrossCountry between York and Darlington.
Trains 'evacuated'

BBC Radio Five Live reporter Steph McGovern said she was stuck on a London-bound Grand Central train near Northallerton in North Yorkshire for six hours.

Passengers were eventually allowed to climb down a ladder and walk along the track to a level crossing.

She said people on the train had been provided with free food and drink.

Other trains were evacuated in the same way, she said.

Three months ago thousands of East Coast main line passengers had their journeys disrupted by a power failure at Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. hypertension symptoms
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