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Commuters face further rail chaos Commuters face further rail chaos
(about 1 hour later)
Rail passengers are facing long delays after a power failure halted all trains in and out of London Euston. Rail passengers are facing long delays after a power failure halted all trains in and out of London's busy Euston.
Services to and from Euston have been suspended while overhead cable damage between North Wembley and Kings Langley, Hertfordshire is repaired. London Midland and Virgin services to and from Euston have been suspended after cables came down in north-west London as a train was passing through.
Commuters may be forced to use buses from locations such as Milton Keynes, Northampton and Hemel Hempstead. Travel to Birmingham and north-west England is affected, as are regular commuter lines in and out of London.
Travel to Birmingham and north-west England is also affected. It follows similar problems in recent days. Network Rail said it hoped to have a limited service restored by midday as engineers work to fix the problem.
Virgin Train and London Midland passengers have been urged to delay their journeys until later in the day. A spokesman said a string of problems on the West Coast Main Line in recent days appeared to be unrelated and "unfortunate coincidences", but added that they were being investigated.
The affected stretch of line is between North Wembley and Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, following the incident at Kenton on Tuesday evening.
Passengers have been urged to delay their journeys until later in the day.
Limited serviceLimited service
Virgin Trains, which run services from London to Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow, said trains were not expected to be up and running at Euston until the afternoon.Virgin Trains, which run services from London to Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow, said trains were not expected to be up and running at Euston until the afternoon.
RAIL ENQUIRIES For more information on train times call 08457 48 49 50 National Rail Enquiries The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites It said: "All services in and out of London Euston remain suspended due to damage to the overhead power lines in the Wembley/Watford areas.RAIL ENQUIRIES For more information on train times call 08457 48 49 50 National Rail Enquiries The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites It said: "All services in and out of London Euston remain suspended due to damage to the overhead power lines in the Wembley/Watford areas.
"Network Rail is working to carry out repairs on site and while this is happening no train services are able to operate."Network Rail is working to carry out repairs on site and while this is happening no train services are able to operate.
"Passengers are strongly advised to delay their journeys until later in the day, wherever possible.""Passengers are strongly advised to delay their journeys until later in the day, wherever possible."
The latest disruption is the fourth time since the New Year that Virgin trains have been hit by power problems. BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds said Virgin Trains had described the situation as a mess.
The train operator is reportedly "furious" as it is the fourth time in recent days its trains have been hit by power failures and its punctuality is running at just 30% since the new year. The train firm told him problems on the west coast line meant overall 70% of trains had been running late since the start of the new year.
Network Rail said services on the southern section of the busy West Coast Mainline had been affected by the power failure, and engineers had been working overnight to repair the damage.
Network Rail said there were hopes of a limited service from Euston by 1100 GMT, but commuters were being urged to check with their service provider before travelling.
Hundreds waitingHundreds waiting
Virgin Trains services are stopping furthest south at Milton Keynes with a bus replacement being laid on to get people into London, Network Rail said.Virgin Trains services are stopping furthest south at Milton Keynes with a bus replacement being laid on to get people into London, Network Rail said.
London Midland services are stopping between Northampton and Hemel Hempstead.London Midland services are stopping between Northampton and Hemel Hempstead.
One passenger trying to go home to London from Manchester on Tuesday night spoke of hundreds of people waiting for replacement coaches to ferry them home.One passenger trying to go home to London from Manchester on Tuesday night spoke of hundreds of people waiting for replacement coaches to ferry them home.
"The train I was on got slower and slower after leaving Milton Keynes," he said."The train I was on got slower and slower after leaving Milton Keynes," he said.
"There are up to 200 people waiting here for these coaches and we don't know when they're going to arrive.""There are up to 200 people waiting here for these coaches and we don't know when they're going to arrive."
Another passenger trying to get to London, professional jazz singer and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson, entertained the crowd waiting at Milton Keynes railway station with an impromptu performance. The power failure comes after travellers were disrupted on Monday as engineers worked through the night to repair damaged power lines which had stopped trains running on the West Coast Main Line.
The power failure comes after travellers were disrupted on Monday as engineers worked through the night to repair damaged power lines which had stopped trains running on the West Coast Mainline. And on Saturday the West Coast Main Line was closed when a plane ploughed into it in Little Haywood, near Stafford, at noon on Friday.
Virgin Trains had to cancel one service in three between Euston and Birmingham and between Euston and Manchester following Sunday's overhead cable problem at Watford in Hertfordshire.
And on Saturday the West Coast Mainline was closed when a plane ploughed into it in Little Haywood, near Stafford, at noon on Friday.
The crash claimed three lives and left thousands of rail passengers stranded as services were brought to a halt.The crash claimed three lives and left thousands of rail passengers stranded as services were brought to a halt.
Are you affected by the problems on the train routes this morning? Are you struggling to get into work? Tell us about your experience.
/>Are you affected by the problems on the train routes this morning? Are you struggling to get into work? Tell us about your experience.
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