COP26 attendees stranded in London as fallen tree halts rail services after storm
- An overnight storm uprooted a tree that knocked out overhead power wires along the only direct rail link between Glasgow and London
- Travel chaos marks an inauspicious start to the 12-day gathering, hailed as the ‘last, best hope’ of limiting potentially catastrophic global warming
Just before 2pm, an announcement in the station revealed all train services had been suspended and the concourse was “exit only” due to overcrowding.
Pictures on social media showed the concourse packed with people, many of whom were hoping to travel north for the climate conference, which began on Sunday.
The disruption came after an overnight storm saw a tree knock out overhead power wires on the track between London and Glasgow, the only direct rail link between the two cities.
Avanti West Coast, which operates services on the line, posted a message on Twitter advising people not to travel.
“Due to the extent of the disruption for services heading north of London, we’re advising customers do not travel,” it said.
The company added it would try to get passengers to their destination “via any reasonable route”.
Network Rail, which manages the UK’s railway tracks, said the tree fell on overhead electric cables in Northamptonshire, in central England.