Train
services


have
been
badly
disrupted
in
the
south
of
England
after
heavy
rain
caused
floods
in
several
areas.

Great
Western
Railway
services
from
London
Paddington
were
the
worst
affected,
partly
because
floodwater
had
blocked
the
Berks
&
Hants
line
near
Newbury,
but
also
because
police
closed
all
four
running
lines
on
the
main
route
to
Bristol
last
night
after
someone
had
been
killed
by
a
train
at
Pangbourne.

Down
trains
towards
Bristol,
Cheltenham
and
the
south
west
were
held
at
Reading
because
neither
route
towards
the
west
was
open.

Thameslink
trains
are
affected
by
a
landslip
at
Arlesey
on
the
East
Coast
Main
Line,
a
flood
between
Gloucester
and
Lydney
obstructed
CrossCountry
and
Transport
for
Wales
trains,
while
the
Looe
branch
in
Cornwall
was
blocked
by
floodwater
near
Sandplace.
GWR
provided
a
replacement
bus
service
between
Liskeard
and
Looe,
but
the
buses
could
not
approach
some
intermediate
stations
because
roads
in
the
Looe
Valley
were
also
flooded.

Early
on
Friday,
National
Rail
reported
that
floods
were
blocking
the
lines
between
Swindon
and
Bristol
Parkway,
Reading
and
Taunton,
and
Didcot
Parkway
and
Oxford,
and
that
‘minimal’
replacement
services
are
running
between
Newbury
and
Bedwyn,
Castle
Cary
and
Taunton,
and
Didcot
Parkway
and
Oxford.

South
Western
Railway
also
warned
that
its
services
would
be
disrupted
because
of
the
weather.
The
latest
rain
was
falling
on
ground
which
had
already
been
saturated
by
Storm
Henk
earlier
in
the
week,
and
that
as
a
result
many
trains
were
unable
to
run.

SWR
expects
water
levels
to
drop
today,
but
there
were
no
trains
running
between
Yeovil
Junction
and
Exeter
because
of
a
landslip
near
Crewkerne,
while
a
‘precarious’
tree
between
Ash
and
Wanborough
meant
that
trains
between
Guildford
and
Farnham
were
being
cancelled
until
the
tree
could
be
removed.
Another
fallen
tree
was
blocking
the
line
between
Horsham
and
Dorking,
but
this
has
now
been
cleared.

Elsewhere,
Network
Rail
staff
working
overnight
reported
a
landslip
at
Maidstone
East,
which
is
blocking
some
lines,
and
services
are
also
suspended
at
Robertsbridge
because
of
a
landslip
there.