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Do not travel warning after tree blocks West Coast Main Line

Avanti West Coast A fallen tree covers a train lineAvanti West Coast
Train operators said a tree blocked the line near Beattock

Trains on some routes travelling in and out of Scotland on the West Coast Main Line have been cancelled for the rest of the day.

Avanti West Coast confirmed services north and south of the border have been suspended due to damage to overhead wires between Lockerbie and Carlisle.

And TransPennine Express said no trains will run between Preston and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.

The train operator said the line was blocked after a tree fell near Beattock in Dumfries and Galloway.

Anyone with tickets can be used on the same route on Tuesday instead.

Any passengers who no longer want to travel due to the disruption can request a full refund from the point of purchase.

The disruption is expected to last until the end of the day.

Ian Gittins Ian takes a selfie in front of a building with floor to ceiling glass windows. He smiles and had short brown hair and wears a yellow and blue top.Ian Gittins
Ian Gittins had to take three trains for a primary school residential trip due to the disruption

Ian Gittins, head teacher at Caton St Paul's Church of England Primary School in Lancaster, said a school trip to Edinburgh had been delayed by the disruption.

"The children were travelling for about five hours instead of the two hours it was supposed to take," he said.

The teachers and 26 schoolchildren had to take a train from Lancaster to Carlisle, before getting another train to Newcastle and then a final service to Edinburgh.

Mr Gittins said the train companies and staff have been "really helpful".

He added: "The children all had a seat on the train eating their lunch and anybody that knows 10-year-old children knows that as long as they're fed, they're absolutely fine."

A general view of an empty train platform at Glasgow Central Station. A red sign, attached to a metal fence, informs passengers about the suspension of services on Avanti and Transpennine services.
A sign at Glasgow Central Scotland informs passengers about the cross border disruption

Andy McClements, from TransPennine Express, said: "It's rare that we advise customers not to travel, but it is likely to take much of today to clear the tree from the lines and we cannot guarantee travel between Carlisle and either Glasgow or Edinburgh.

"We will have additional members of staff out and about on the route today to help our customers, and we are allowing customers with tickets to travel tomorrow to help get them where they need to be."

TransPennine Express said anyone who decides to travel on Monday can use their ticket on the following services:

  • Between Edinburgh and Manchester in both directions on the East Coast Main Line (via York) on TransPennine Express services
  • Between Edinburgh and York in both directions on any LNER or CrossCountry service
  • Between Edinburgh and Newcastle in both directions on Lumo services
  • Between Carlisle and Newcastle, and Manchester Airport and Lancaster in both directions on Northern services
  • Between Glasgow and Edinburgh in both directions on ScotRail services