Scarborough rail passengers face disruptions after cracks found in trains

Urgent inspections were being carried out across the country’s train operators’ fleets after hairline cracks were discovered in several trains.

TransPennine Express said on Saturday that a number of Class 800 series trains from several train companies had been taken out of service for checks as a precautionary measure, including its Nova 1 trains.

It said: “Following an ongoing investigation and checks by manufacturer Hitachi we are now able to start reintroducing our Nova 1 trains back into service and will keep the situation under close and constant review.

“The disruption caused will continue to have a significant impact on our services between Newcastle and York for the rest of the day, and we apologise to our customers for any disruption caused.”

It said tickets from Saturday would be valid for travel today (Sunday) and anyone who chose not to travel could claim a refund from their point of purchase.

“We apologise to customers affected for the inconvenience caused,” they added.

Posting on Twitter on Saturday, Hull Trains said: “We are pleased to confirm that following thorough checks by Hitachi on the Hull Trains Fleet of Class 800 series trains, services will now resume as normal.

“Due to the disruption we expect our services to be extremely busy and we cannot guarantee that social distancing guidelines will be adhered to, please wear a face covering (unless exempt).

“Refunds will be provided for this morning’s cancelled services.”

LNER was advising customers not to travel today because it was running a reduced service.

“Tickets dated Saturday, May 8 or Sunday, May 9 will be valid for travel between Monday, May 10 and Sunday, May 16,” it said.

“Disruption was caused by a number of Hitachi Class 800 trains being removed from service for checks as a precautionary measure. The issue is being investigated and once trains have been checked, we hope to be able to release them back into service as soon as possible.

“If you're not able to travel between Monday 10 May and Sunday 16 May, you'll be entitled to a refund.

“We’re doing everything we can to get services up and running again and we're sorry for any disruption to your journey today.”

The disruption is expected to carry on into the new week.

Robert Nisbet, regional director of the Rail Delivery Group, said: "We are still expecting some disruption to carry on for a few days.

"It's impossible for me to say exactly how long that is going to take, but we are obviously going through this as quickly as possible, but we don't want to rush it.

"We want to ensure that all of those trains are thoroughly inspected and cleared and put into service when things are ready, but there may well be a knock-on effect for some of those timetables into next week."

He said the cracks - measuring millimetres - are on the "lifting points on the underside of the carriages used for maintenance".

Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris has asked operators to deploy extra staff to help passengers complete their journeys and access refunds.