Passengers face three more days of train disruption due to damaged wires

Rail disruption due to damaged overhead wires will continue until the end of Saturday.

Work to fix the wires at Stevenage, Hertfordshire, will take place on Saturday night, National Rail Enquiries said.

Great Northern and Thameslink services will continue to be cancelled and delayed until that happens as some lines remain closed, limiting the number of trains that can run through Stevenage station.

This is affecting services on several routes, including those connecting London King’s Cross with Brighton, Cambridge and Peterborough.

The severe damage to wires in Stevenage happened on Tuesday afternoon when a person dangled an object onto them from a bridge, the PA news agency understands.

In addition to disrupting Great Northern and Thameslink services, the incident initially also affected long-distance LNER trains serving locations on the East Coast Main Line.

Services at London Paddington station returned to normal on Wednesday afternoon after three days of delays and cancellations caused by damage to overhead wires in the area around Hayes & Harlington station.

The wires were damaged on Monday morning, ruining the journeys of thousands of mourners travelling to the capital for the Queen’s funeral.

The cause of the damage is being investigated.

Several trains became entangled in the wires.

Network Rail said on Wednesday morning that a “separate issue” meant one of the four lines serving Paddington was closed, causing more delays to Elizabeth line, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express services.

The problem was later rectified.