Overhead wire damage shuts East Coast Main Line between Peterborough and Stevenage

Major disruption is under way on the East Coast Main Line after overhead wires were damaged between Peterborough and Stevenage, blocking lines used by services running the length of the country into London King's Cross, according to [2]. National Rail's incident page states the disruption is expected to last until 10:00, though it does not specify which day that deadline applies to; the notice itself carries references to both Sunday 16 August and Monday 17 August, suggesting the problem has now run over more than one day, according to [2]. The routes affected are extensive. Grand Central services between Sunderland, Bradford Interchange and Halifax and London King's Cross are hit, as are LNER trains connecting Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Harrogate, Skipton, Bradford Forster Square, Leeds and Lincoln with the capital, according to [1] and [2]. Given the severity of the disruption, LNER is advising customers not to travel at all, according to [2]. National Rail says trains between the affected stations may be cancelled, severely delayed or revised as a result of the damage, and lists a series of alternative operators and routes passengers can use instead at no extra cost. These include Avanti West Coast between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston, East Midlands Railway between Sheffield or Leicester and London St Pancras, Great Northern services between Cambridge and King's Cross, CrossCountry links between Edinburgh or Newcastle and York, Leeds, Doncaster and Sheffield, Great Northern and Thameslink between Peterborough, Stevenage and King's Cross, and TransPennine Express between Newcastle or York and Leeds or Manchester, according to [2]. London Underground services between London stations can also be used for these connecting journeys at no extra cost, according to [2]. Passengers holding tickets dated Sunday 16 August are told these will be accepted for travel on both Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 August without amendment, and that Hull Trains and Lumo are no longer affected by the incident but will still honour Sunday-dated tickets on Monday services, according to [2]. Anyone no longer planning to travel because of the disruption can obtain a fee-free refund direct from their ticket retailer, and those who do complete delayed journeys may be entitled to compensation provided they keep their ticket and a note of their journey, according to [2]. The wire damage adds to a difficult week for Britain's railways. A Southern Rail train derailed near Lewes in East Sussex on Thursday, injuring two people seriously and prompting British Transport Police to declare a major incident; three carriages came off the track on their side, trapping some of the roughly 150 passengers aboard before they were safely evacuated, according to [1]. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is examining the cause, and the line between Lewes and Haywards Heath remains closed with all services cancelled until further notice, according to [1]. A second derailment followed on Friday afternoon, when a Greater Anglia train travelling from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street came off the tracks south of Wickford in Essex at 2.12pm with around 45 passengers on board, according to [1]. Lines remain closed there too, with services between Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria cancelled or curtailed, and limited rail replacement buses running on the Southminster branch between Wickford and Southminster, according to [1]. What to watch next: whether National Rail confirms the East Coast line reopens by the stated 10:00 deadline, and what the RAIB investigation into the Lewes derailment finds.