M11 forced to close near Stansted Airport after ‘serious collision’

We can now bring you an update on the incident reported earlier which saw train lines blocked between Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton.

Trains were delayed or cancelled completely in the morning and services only returned to normal shortly after 9am.

British Transport Police have since confirmed that the incident was sparked by reports of a concern for welfare.

‘A man was located near the tracks, ambulance also attended and the man has been taken to a place of safety and to receive medical treatment,’ the force said.

The situation just keeps getting worse in Stockport, as it’s now thought the disruption caused by damaged overhead wires will last for the rest of the day.

As a reminder, the following routes are affected:

• services between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly
• services between Birmingham New Street / Bournemouth / Bristol Temple Meads / Reading / Southampton and Manchester Piccadilly
• services between Nottingham / Norwich and Liverpool Lime Street
• services to / from Manchester Piccadilly
• services between Cleethorpes and Liverpool Lime Street
• services between Cardiff Central / Carmarthen / Crewe / Swansea and Manchester Piccadilly

All routes running between Moorgate and Stevenage are being disrupted after a freight train broke down between Alexandra Palace and Hertford North.

The disruption to Great Northern services is expected to last until about midday.

A National Rail spokesperson said: ‘Trains will be held at stations, diverted via Welwyn Garden City, revised to only complete parts of their journeys, or cancelled.

‘We don’t have an exact estimate for a time when this will be resolved.

‘As a result, if your train is cancelled or no longer serving your station, please use another local public transport route, if there is one in your area.

‘You will still need to leave extra time to do this. As an approximate guide, please allow around 30-45 minutes of extra time. This will depend on your exact journey.’

National Highways has confirmed the northbound carriageway has reopened, with all lanes now flowing smoothly.

The carriageway was closed to allow the air ambulance to land at the scene of a serious collision.

The southbound side of the M11 is still closed.

There are currently delays of about 60 minutes on the northbound carriageway, with 30 minute delays southbound.

An Essex Police spokesperson said: ‘The M11 is currently closed in both directions between junctions 7 and 8 due to a serious collision.

‘This is also impacting slip roads around Stansted Airport and the surrounding areas.

‘Emergency services are working at the scene.

‘Please avoid the area. We appreciate the inconvenience this will cause.

‘We will issue an update as soon as we practically can. Thank you for your patience and understanding.’

All lines have reopened and service is back to normal after an accident at a level crossing between Ely and Peterborough last night, which caused disruption through the morning.

As we reported earlier, there is major disruption to six different rail operators due to damaged overhead wires at Stockport.

Scroll down to see which operators and services are affected by this.

It was previously hoped this incident would have cleared up by 10am, but National Rail now expects the problems to continue until 12.15pm.

Passengers are facing cancellations and delays of up to half an hour.

Trains currently aren’t stopping at Macclesfield and Stockport, with rail replacement buses in place between the two stations.

There are also no services stopping at all stations between Levenshulme and Handforth.

The M11 is closed southbound between junction 8 for Stansted Airport and 7A for Harlow due to an ongoing Essex police led incident. 

The northbound is carriageway is being held temporarily to allow the air ambulance to land at the scene.

National Highways said: ‘At this stage it is not known how long the carriageway will be closed for. 

‘Plans are being made to clear the traffic caught within the closure, please await instructions from officers on scene.’

Here are the official diversion details:

• Exit at J8 Southbound onto the A120 west to Little Hadham
• Continue on the A120 through Little Hadham and Standon to the A120/A10 roundabout
• At the roundabout take the first exit onto the A10 south
• Continue on the A10 through Colliers End, High Cross, Thundridge and Ware to the  A10/A414(Harlow) roundabout
• At the A10/A414 roundabout take the first exit onto the A414 east to Harlow
• Continue on the A414 through Harlow and rejoin the M11 at junction 7

The signal failure between East Croydon and East Grinstead has now been repaired.

However National Rail warns that trains running between Uckfield and East Grinstead may still be delayed by up to 25 minutes or revised while service recovers.

The M11 has been closed in both directions by Essex Police close to the Stansted Airport junction.

It’s blocked between junction 7a for Harlow and 8 for Stansted.

All emergency services are at the scene and rolling closures are being put in place.

We’ve contacted Essex Police for more details.

Gatwick Express trains had already been planned to take place on Saturday and Sunday, however the service has also been suspended today due to a signal fault and points failure.

More details here:

A signalling fault between East Croydon and Oxted means trains have to run more slowly on the line towards Uckfield and East Grinstead.

This affecting services between London Victoria and East Grinstead, and between London Bridge and Uckfield, as well as services between Bedford or London Bridge to East Grinstead.

The disruption is expected to last until around 10am and could see trains delayed by up to 25 minutes.

It’s mostly southbound services being affected at the moment, but this will inevitably have a knock-on effect on northbound trains.

A National Rail spokesperson said: ‘Some late-running trains may not stop at all of the usual stations, or may not complete their full journeys. Because of these alterations, your journey time could be extended further.

‘If there is a long wait until the next train, you may wish to consider using another route, if there is one available in your area.

‘If there is no alternative, please speak to staff for advice, or use the station Help Point, and they will do what we can to assist you.’

All emergency services including police, the air ambulance, and the fire service attended the scene of the serious crash on the A21 last night.

The road is closed in both directions between the A2100 at JohnsCross and the A265 at Hurst Green, and is likely to stay closed throughout the morning, National Highways says.

These are the official diversion routes:

• Exit the A21 northbound at Baldslow by turning right onto the A28 Westfield Lane 
• Continue on the A28 north-easterly towards Neweden
• Merge onto the A268 westbound towards Hawkhurst
• Continue through Hawkhurst towards Flimwell and then re-join the A21 northbound

• Exit the A21 southbound at Flimwell by turning left onto the A268 Hawkhurst Road
• Continue south easterly towards Hawkhurst and then onward to Newenden
• Merge onto the A28 and continue southbound towards Baldslow and then re-join the A21 southbound 

The emergency services are at the scene of an incident which has blocked all lines between the two stations.

Trains could be cancelled, revised, or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

This affects the following services:

• between Penzance / Plymouth and Edinburgh
• between Plymouth and Derby / Leeds
• between Paignton and Bristol Temple Meads
• between Penzance and Bristol Temple Meads / London Paddington
• between Plymouth and Gloucester / Cardiff Central
• between Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads / Cardiff Central / London Paddington

Damage to the overhead wires at Stockport is disrupting all lines through the station, causing disruption to several routes.

Trains could be delayed by up to half an hour or cancelled, and the disruption is expected to last until 10am.

The following routes are affected:

• services between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly
• services between Birmingham New Street / Bournemouth / Bristol Temple Meads / Reading / Southampton and Manchester Piccadilly
• services between Nottingham / Norwich and Liverpool Lime Street
• services to / from Manchester Piccadilly
• services between Cleethorpes and Liverpool Lime Street
• services between Cardiff Central / Carmarthen / Crewe / Swansea and Manchester Piccadilly

Lines between Peterborough and Ely were forced to close after a road accident at a level crossing.

The lines have since reopened after the vehicle was removed from the level crossing, but trains could still be cancelled, revised, or delayed by up to 40 minutes.

Disruption is set to last until 9.30am and affects the following services:

• services between Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport
• services between Liverpool Lime Street / Nottingham / Sheffield and Norwich
• services between Peterborough and Colchester / Ipswich

The Gatwick Express rail service has been suspended and there is expected to be disruption between Brighton and London Victoria until the end of the day.

A points failure at Victoria and a potential signalling fault between Preston Park and Hassocks are causing delays and blocking some of the lines between Brighton and London.

services will be cancelled, while some and services may be cancelled, revised, diverted or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

National Rail say: ‘Gatwick Express services which run between Brighton and London Victoria will be suspended – please use alternative Southern and Thameslink services between Brighton and London, and leave at least 20 minutes of extra time to catch an alternative train.

‘Southern services which run to and from London Victoria may be subject to delays, amendments and a few cancellations – where trains are amended, they may be diverted to and from London Bridge.’

Because of this disruption, trains via Gatwick Airport may be much busier than usual.

Tickets will be accepted on the following services:

• services between Brighton, Hove, Haywards Heath, Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
• services between Brighton, Gatwick Airport and London Bridge / London Blackfriars / Farringdon / London St Pancras International
• between London Terminals

The force shared their most recent update at around midnight: ‘We are currently responding to a serious collision at John’s Cross Roundabout in Mountfield, near Robertsbridge.

‘A section of the A21 is likely to remain closed in both directions for several hours, affecting Friday morning traffic, and we would advise seeking an alternative route.

‘Thank you for your understanding. We will provide further information as soon as we are able to.’

A National Rail spokesperson said: ‘A fault with the signalling system in the London Bridge area is delaying southbound trains towards East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Horsham and Brighton.

‘Services will instead be diverted between London Blackfriars and East Croydon, so won’t stop at London Bridge or Norwood Junction as a result (in the direction of East Croydon / Gatwick Airport / Brighton / Horsham).

‘Journeys will take at least 20 minutes longer than normal, so please allow plenty of extra time and check before you travel.

‘If you are travelling to/from London Bridge, we’d advise using London Underground services to complete your journey instead, changing at either London Blackfriars or London Victoria.’

• and services via any reasonable route, including Southern services to / from London Victoria
• services between London Terminals