One of the major arteries remains shut after the storms that battered the United Kingdom and Ireland over the Christmas period.
The route – The West Coast Main Line – serving London Euston to Glasgow (via Birmingham, Stafford, Crewe, Manchester, Preston) is currently blocked between Carlisle and Glasgow Central due to a bridge needing urgent repair at Lamington – located between Lockerbie and Motherwell.
This affects:
Virgin Trains Pendolino at London Euston – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
- Virgin Trains Services (West Coast) are extensively hit.
- Some limited services are operating with a 90 minute addition to the journey.
- Buses are replacing trains between Carlisle and Glasgow Central for passengers who wish to travel to and from Motherwell and Lockerbie. The buses will connect to trains at Carlisle for passengers travelling to Penrith, Oxenholme Lake District and Lancaster.
- Between London and Scotland, passengers with AnyTime/Off Peak tickets should use Virgin Trains East Coast services from London Kings Cross
- West Midlands to and from Scotland passengers on AnyTime/Off Peak tickets should use CrossCountry Trains services operating via Birmingham
- Those with advanced tickets should contact Virgin Trains West Coast for alternatives
First TransPennine Desiro at Manchester Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
- First TransPennine Express via The West Coast Main Line
- Manchester/Preston to and from Edinburgh services are operating between Manchester Airport and Lockerbie only.
- Between Carlisle and Edinburgh there is a coach replacement service.
- Alternatively, between Manchester and Edinburgh, you can travel via York.
- Ticket restrictions on First TransPennie Express have been lifted until Manchester and Scotland have been lifted through Friday 8 January.
Caledonian Sleeper – “92038 stabled in centre-roads Euston” by Train Photos – https://www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/16412745083/. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.
Caledonian Sleeper
- There are extensive diversions on this route on the main route between England and Scotland with a minimum delay of 60 minutes.
- Stops along the West Coast Main Line are not being served.
- In addition, a lot of the services remain disrupted on the Highland and Lowland Sleepers – see https://sleeper.scot/2-news/130-service-alterations
The full list of changes is at National Rail Enquiries – http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/117252.aspx
Alternatives
There are plenty of alternatives thankfully between London and Scotland other than the West Coast Main Line – a small list:
Airlines
- British Airways – London Gatwick, Heathrow and City to Glasgow International, London Gatwick, Heathrow and City to to Edinburgh
- EasyJet – London Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted to Glasgow International, London Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted to Edinburgh
- Ryanair – London Stansted to Glasgow International, London Stansted to Edinburgh
- FlyBe – London City Airport to Edinburgh. Flybe also flies to Glasgow and Edinburgh from Birmingham and Manchester Airports
Rail
- Virgin Trains East Coast is operating a full timetable from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh/Glasgow. Services between Perth and Inverness are disrupted – with coach replacement services.
- CrossCountry Trains are operating routes from the Midlands to Edinburgh
Coach
- National Express and MegaBus are continuing to operate as normal. Although it is a long way on a coach….
As usual, plan ahead. Plane tickets area reasonably priced, but there are only so many seats on a plane (where standing on a train is still accepted). East Coast services are expected to be busy on Anglo-Scottish services with the northern part of the West Coast Main Line shut.
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