Shropshire Star

Wolverhampton to Birmingham trains cancelled after damage to overhead wires

Passengers face significant journey delays as the train lines between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street are blocked due to damage to overhead wires.

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The line between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street is currently blocked

West Midlands Railway announced the delays just after 2.30pm on its Twitter page, citing damage to the overhead electric wires between the two stations as the cause. No trains were coming in or out of New Street.

Train services running between Wolverhampton and Birmingham are all cancelled or delayed, with the disruption expected to last into the late afternoon.

Replacement bus services are accepting passengers via any reasonable route until further notice.

Birmingham New Street said: "Explainer: The wires that power the trains have come down from the equipment that holds them in a tunnel just to the west of Bham city centre. Without power we’re unable to run trains through the tunnel which has caused knock on effects for all trains at the station. Power will need to be cut off to this section of railway and a wiring machine sent in to to re-fix the wires to the tunnel roof. This will be done as soon as possible to get you back on your way. In the meantime @nationalrailenq can keep you informed of what is happening."

It comes only two days after the same line faced significant disruption on Mother's Day due to a combination of factors: a track circuit failure between Monument Lane and Birmingham New Street, an overhead power outage in the area, and a shortage of staff.