East Midlands Railway (EMR) has announced the suspension of some services due to soaring temperatures.
The operator has advised passengers to check for service updates prior to travel on Wednesday 12 August and to only travel “if essential” on Thursday 13.
On Wednesday 12 August, the Liverpool Lime Street/Nottingham/Norwich route will run between Norwich and Sheffield only.
“We strongly recommend that you travel before 1200 where (sic) temperatures are expected to be cooler,” reads a note on their website.
On Thursday 13 August, trains between Nottingham and Worksop, plus services on the Nottingham – Leicester Regional stopping route, will not run from midday.
The Nottingham/Mansfield/Worksop route will also be withdrawn from midday.
Elsewhere, the Liverpool Lime Street/Nottingham/Norwich route will run between Norwich and Sheffield only.
EMR adds that its Intercity services are “not affected by hot weather” but are “operating on a reduced timetable… to provide a more consistent and reliable service”.
The move comes as the Met Office issued an amber weather warning for extreme heat for parts of England on Thursday, with temperatures expected to peak at 36C.
On the West Midlands Railway (WMR), services are also affected by the heat.
On the Chase Line, buses will replace trains between Rugeley Trent Valley and Hednesford from 1pm to 8pm on Wednesday and Thursday. After this time, a normal service will resume.
From 12 noon to 7pm, the Stourbridge Town Car will be cancelled and rail replacement buses run.
There will also be a reduced service on WMR services through Birmingham Snow Hill. Services between Kidderminster and Whitlocks End services will not operate. Passengers advised to travel on the next available train service.
Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, told The Independent: “The hot weather means we'll need to make some temporary changes to our services to keep the railway operating safely.
”If you do need to travel and the journey is essential, we'd recommend travelling before midday and checking you can make any return journey before setting off.
“We appreciate these changes may inconvenience some customers and we'd like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we work to keep people moving safely.”
A West Midlands Railway spokesperson told The Independent: “While the majority of our services will be running as planned, some West Midlands Railway services will be running to a reduced timetable due to high temperatures today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday).
“Passengers are encouraged to check their journeys before travelling, and any passenger delayed by 15 minutes or more can claim compensation under the Delay Repay scheme.”
