Major disruption on high-speed rail services from Cornwall to London
Great Western Railway is advising passengers not to travel after cracks were found in some trains
Last updated 8th May 2021
People are being urged not to travel on Great Western Railway trains towards London today (Saturday 8th May)
Services have been cancelled or delayed after reports of cracks on some of their trains.
Currently, services in and out of London Paddington are suspended while safety checks are carried out on some Intercity Express Trains.
Services between Penzance and the capital are among those affected and it is not yet known when they will return to normal.
A spokesperson for Great Western Railway said: "A number of Class 800 series Hitachi trains from several train companies have been taken out of service this morning for checks as a precautionary measure.
"As a result we have had to cancel a significant number of long distance train services to and from Paddington, and while local services are running, we expect them to be very busy.
"This problem is being investigated by Hitachi and once trains have been checked and cleared, we hope to be able to release them back into service as soon as possible.
"Customers are advised not to travel. Refunds will be provided".
They later added: "There's a crack that's been spotted and as a result of that - as a precaution - we're checking all the trains, and while that's taking place it's better that they're not used.
"It's been found in more than one train, but we don't know exactly how many trains because the fleet is still being inspected".
Great Western Railway
The issue is affecting long-distance journeys between cities, but suburban and rural GWR services are still running as normal.
What services are affected?
"Owing to the short notice unavailability of carriages which form our High Speed train services there will be no train service or only an extremely limited service with no alternative means of transport available for throughout journeys, in either direction, on the following routes:
London Paddington - Swindon - Bath Spa - Bristol Temple Meads.
London Paddington - Swindon - Bristol Parkway - Newport - Cardiff Central - Swansea.
London Paddington - Reading - Taunton - Exeter St Davids - Plymouth - Penzance.
London Paddington - Reading - Oxford - Evesham - Worcester - Great Malvern - Hereford.
London Paddington - Reading - Swindon - Gloucester - Cheltenham Spa.
"INTENDING CUSTOMERS FOR THESE ROUTES ARE ADVISED NOT TO ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL.
"Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys".
Great Western Railway
You can check the latest updates, find out how to claim a refund and rebook your journeys here.