TRAVEL ADVICE: Chiltern Railways issues ‘do not travel’ notice for beginning of next week due to extreme heat
Chiltern Railways has issued a ‘do not travel’ notice for the beginning of next week, as the country’s rail network braces itself for extreme heat on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July.
On Sunday 17 July, services could also be impacted due to localised speed restrictions.
Temperatures are expected to exceed 35C across the network at the beginning of the week, which means that Network Rail are expected to put in place blanket speed restrictions throughout the route on Monday 18 July and Tuesday 19 July. It is likely there will be delays and disruption as a result.
Speed restrictions are put in place in the event of extreme temperatures to reduce the risk of the track and equipment failing. Railway tracks can reach up to 50 degrees and risk buckling in the heat.
To protect the rail infrastructure across the Chiltern network, on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July, a revised and reduced timetable will be in place. This will be available online shortly. Customers are urged not to travel, but in cases where travel is a necessity, to check (and double check) their journey at http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk or the Chiltern Railways app.
In preparation for the heatwave, a full check of carriages with known air conditioning issues is being carried out, as well as widespread air conditioning filter cleaning.
If travelling is a necessity, customers should be prepared and ensure they have a bottle of water with them when travelling.
Customers are also urged to not board trains if they feel unwell, and if they feel unwell whilst on the train, to get off at the next staffed station and seek assistance. Chiltern Railways staff will be on hand to assist any customers struggling in the heat next week.
Contact Information
Matt Turner
Notes to editors
About Chiltern
- Chiltern Railways is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing 53,000 people and delivering 2 billion passenger journeys a year across 14 European countries. Arriva are part of Deutsche Bahn (DB), one of the world’s leading passenger and logistics companies, responsible for DB's passenger transport services outside Germany.
- Chiltern operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Kidderminster.
- Chiltern also runs trains on the London to Aylesbury Line to Aylesbury (with some trains terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway instead), on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury and Oxford to Bicester branch lines.