Record breaking temperatures has brought Britain’s travel network to a halt, with Oxford Circus station evacuated over a ‘smoking escalator’, Network Rail issuing a ‘do not travel warning’, hundreds of trains cancelled, and runways melting at airports.
London Fire Brigade said firefighters were investigating reports of smoke coming from an escalator machine room on the northbound Victoria Line. The incident is causing yet more disruption to the Tube network, which is already running a reduced service.
Today, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps admitted the UK’s infrastructure ‘could not cope’ with the extreme weather – as the country braced for potential highs of 43C (109F) this afternoon.
Network Rail advised no one to travel on services leaving north from London today after pictures emerged of rails that had buckled in the heat. The hottest railway track reached 62C (144F) yesterday at a spot in Suffolk, it said.
While several train companies have closed routes completely, others are warning against anything but essential travel. ‘Please don’t use our trains to get to the…
