| Re: "Cancellations on all routes" 24-26 June 2026 Posted by JohnM at 16:03, 24th June 2026 |     |
Ever so slightly sarcastic piece in the Daily Mash
https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/britains-invincible-rail-networks-finally-defeated-by-heatwave-20260624267316
The indestructible train network that has made Britain famous since the days of Empire has finally been undone by today’s terrible heat.
The UK’s ever-reliable rail infrastructure and punctual rolling stock, which since Queen Victoria’s day has not lost so much as a second’s time in a century, has at last succumbed to the punishing temperature blanketing the country.
Commuter Martin Bishop said: “Mark this day, for at last we see the end of Britain’s era as a world power. The sun has set upon our greatness. The trains are late.
“Indeed, some are not only late but cancelled. For the first time in memory and the annals of history, a passenger may arrive at the station to find his service not running at all.
“Climate change we may disregard. The true tragedy here is that the last bastion of British prestige has crumbled. With no incumbent James Bond, Doctor Who or prime minister, our stalwart trains were all we had left.”
Fellow passenger Nikki Hollis said: “This is an omen comparable to the ravens leaving the Tower of London. If our dependable rail networks have fallen then it’s only a matter of time before these isles sink beneath the waves of the Atlantic.
“I know you’re thinking surely not Southern Rail? Surely their stalwart lines are still running with their renowned clockwork efficiency? Sadly, despite offering excellent value for money, even them.”
The UK’s ever-reliable rail infrastructure and punctual rolling stock, which since Queen Victoria’s day has not lost so much as a second’s time in a century, has at last succumbed to the punishing temperature blanketing the country.
Commuter Martin Bishop said: “Mark this day, for at last we see the end of Britain’s era as a world power. The sun has set upon our greatness. The trains are late.
“Indeed, some are not only late but cancelled. For the first time in memory and the annals of history, a passenger may arrive at the station to find his service not running at all.
“Climate change we may disregard. The true tragedy here is that the last bastion of British prestige has crumbled. With no incumbent James Bond, Doctor Who or prime minister, our stalwart trains were all we had left.”
Fellow passenger Nikki Hollis said: “This is an omen comparable to the ravens leaving the Tower of London. If our dependable rail networks have fallen then it’s only a matter of time before these isles sink beneath the waves of the Atlantic.
“I know you’re thinking surely not Southern Rail? Surely their stalwart lines are still running with their renowned clockwork efficiency? Sadly, despite offering excellent value for money, even them.”
| Re: "Cancellations on all routes" 24-26 June 2026 Posted by Trowres at 15:23, 24th June 2026 | |
It would have been helpful if public-facing information systems had given a fullsummary of the cancellations planned.
For example, all the Bristol-Salisbury services seem to be planned cancellations, but they don't appear on gwr.com or Journeycheck.com (or at least, not where I've searched for them.
Oh yeah, it's covered by "cancellations on all routes". Not very helpful and, one might observe, not all routes are equal when cancellations are decided.
| Re: "Cancellations on all routes" 24-26 June 2026 Posted by ChrisB at 09:28, 24th June 2026 | |
Essential travel only on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June into, through, or out of the red warning area.
So, normal service say from EXD to PNZ.....never in red area.
Dangerous statement.
| "Cancellations on all routes" 24-26 June 2026 Posted by TaplowGreen at 21:45, 23rd June 2026 | |
Cancellations to services on all routes
Due to severe weather:
Train services running across the whole Great Western Railway network may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 23:59 26/06.
Customer Advice
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Amended service to run during extreme heat following rare Met Office red weather warning.
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Essential travel only on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June into, through, or out of the red warning area.
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Due to a rare red warning of extreme heat, customers are being warned of essential travel only on Wednesday and Thursday.
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Extreme heat can cause rails to expand and buckle, so when temperatures reach certain thresholds, trains must run more slowly to keep services safe. This will mean fewer trains and slightly longer journey times during the warmest periods of each day.
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Prolonged high temperatures can also affect equipment on our older regional train fleet, including engines and cooling systems. This means there may be some short-notice changes or cancellations, particularly during the hottest parts of the day.
To help customers, those with tickets to travel on Tuesday 23, Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June can use them to travel on Monday 22, Tuesday 23 and up to and including Friday 26 June. The ticket changes apply to those travelling into, through, or out of the red warning zone local journeys in Devon and Cornwall do not apply.
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While we expect to operate the majority of services across the network, the reduction follows the Met Office extreme heat weather warning from Monday 22 June until Thursday 25 June.
