Rail Chaos For Commuters As Barrow Upon Soar Bridge Collapse Closes Train Lines

Rail services between London and the East Midlands were brought to a standstill this morning after a partial bridge collapse caused major disruption.

The incident at Barrow upon Soar, near Loughborough in Leicestershire, meant no direct trains were operating between St Pancras and stations north of Leicester, including Sheffield and Nottingham.

As a result, passengers were left stranded at stations or waiting in huge queues for replacement bus services to get them to work.

An Network Rail spokeswoman said: “Owing to a bridge collapse at Barrow upon Soar, train services between Leicester and Loughborough will be disrupted.

"This will affect journeys on the London St Pancras/Nottingham/Leicester and the Leicester/Lincoln/Grimsby routes.

Closed: The bridge meant trains between London and the East Midlands were cancelled (Twitter/@EMTrains)

"We are working to clear the track as quickly as possible and reopen the line; however, passengers are advised to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys.”

A wall and a large section of brickwork supporting the road over the bridge fell on to the line at about 2am this morning.

Local people said part of a footpath in Grove Lane, which passes over the bridge, had recently started to subside.

A spokesman for Severn Trent confirmed that the collapse damaged one of its water mains but no customers had been affected and the pipe had already been repaired.

Passengers who struggled to get into work this morning lashed at at East Midlands Trains, with some criticising the infrequent replacement bus service.

East Midlands Trains said in a statement that Network Rail teams had been working through the night to remove debris from the railway following the collapse in the early hours of the morning.

The operator said the line was not expected to reopen fully on Tuesday, meaning no direct trains would run between St Pancras and stations on its route north of Leicester.

Advising passengers to use alternative routes, the company said: "There will be severe disruption and a significantly reduced service running between Leicester and London St Pancras.”

Top pic: Twitter@EMTrains