Overview

• Network Rail engineers completed overnight repairs before dawn on July 4, restoring the last damaged section of overhead wires at Birmingham New Street.
• Full service resumption includes the Cross City North line between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, which had relied on rail replacement buses during the disruption.
• Tickets were accepted on alternative bus, tram and cross-operator rail journeys while five major operators faced cancellations and delays.
• CrossCountry, Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway suspended or revised services, with some journeys delayed by up to 120 minutes.
• The incident underscores the station’s dependence on overhead electrification and the complex coordination required to manage critical infrastructure failures.