UK rail travellers have been urged to only travel if “absolutely necessary” during the early part of this week due to expected record high temperatures across much of the country.
Network Rail said it would close the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between London King’s Cross station and York and Leeds due to the extreme weather expected on Tuesday (19 July).
“The closure will be in place from 12:00 until 20:00 with a skeleton service running in the morning,” said Network Rail in a statement.
“It comes amid forecasts of record temperatures and the declaration of a national emergency. A combination of extremely high local forecast temperatures and temperatures well in excess of those for which the infrastructure is designed for on the East Coast corridor has led to this decision.”
Rail companies in the East Midlands also warned passengers they would not be able to travel for significant parts of Tuesday due to forecast temperatures for the Midland Main Line which were "higher than the design limits for track and overhead line equipment”.
The Met Office has forecast that temperatures in the UK could exceed 40C on Monday and Tuesday, with exceptional heat likely across much of England.
The warning said the high temperatures could lead to “serious illness or danger to life”, as well as delays and cancellations to train and air travel. There could also be “significant welfare issues for those who experience even moderate delays”.
Network Rail added that conditions on other rail routes “will be closely monitored with further changes to service possible”.
“Additional response staff will be out on the network to respond to incidents, but the heat makes working conditions challenging for them too,” said Network Rail in its statement.
Sam MacDougall, operations director for Network Rail, added: “The forecast temperatures are well above those which our infrastructure is designed and safety must come first.
“On Monday, we are reducing the speed at which trains can run which will limit the number of trains running and extend journey times significantly so we’re asking passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary.”