Commuters hit the rush hour chaos after the London Euston train line was closed following a chemical spill.
Trains to London Euston were canceled or delayed during rush hour today due to a chemical spill near Crewe.
Major disruption lasted until midday after a safety check near Crewe closed the tracks shortly before 6am.
A track inspection in Crewe has blocked all tracks on the route, National Rail have warned.
London Northwestern Railway told passengers the tracks were closed “due to a chemical spill”.
While lines reopened at around 7.30am, services may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised while trains deal with the impact into the afternoon.
Paul Owen, Network Rail’s director of operations for the North West route, said: “Following a minor freight train incident, we are working closely with the emergency services and train operating companies.
“Our priority is always to restore and operate services safely to help passengers and freight users get where they need to go.
“While the network in the Crewe area has been restored, we urge people to check with their train operator or National Rail Inquiries for the latest travel information.”
Routes affected by the breach
Here are the six rail companies affected.
-Avanti West Coast between Glasgow Central / Edinburgh / Holyhead and Birmingham New Street, between Glasgow Central and Wolverhampton, between Edinburgh / Glasgow Central / Lancaster / Blackpool North / Manchester Piccadilly / Liverpool Lime Street / Chester / Holyhead / Crewe and London Euston, and also between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe
– CrossCountry between Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street / Bournemouth
-East Midlands Railway between Newark / Nottingham Castle and Crewe
-London North Western Railway between Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe / Birmingham International, between Crewe and Stafford / Birmingham New Street / Northampton / London Euston
-Northbound between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe
– Wales services between Manchester Piccadilly and Cardiff Central / Swansea / Carmarthen, between Holyhead / Chester and Crewe and also between Crewe and Shrewsbury / Birmingham International
Passengers could be entitled to compensation if their journey is delayed, so it pays to keep your ticket and note the journey time.
Most train companies and Trainline have a section on their website about how to get a refund.
Latest news from London
For the latest news from the capital, visit Metro.co.uk’s London News Centre.
Use the National Rail journey planner to check if your journey continues.
Are you affected by the disruption? Please email noora.mykkanen@metro.co.uk.
Contact our news team by email at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more such stories, check out our news page.
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