Overview
- A gas leak close to Didcot Parkway reported on Tuesday evening led operators to close all lines through the station and cancel or alter services running between Reading and Oxford.
- Network Rail established a safety exclusion zone because the leak sits near railway land, and it says trains cannot run until SGN’s engineers have completed safety and repair work.
- Long-distance services have been hit hard, with CrossCountry terminating or starting trains at alternative stations and many routes between the Midlands, north and southern England altered.
- Train operators have organised diverted services, rail-replacement coaches and reciprocal ticket acceptance for other operators, but rail and bus capacity is limited and cannot meet full passenger demand.
- Network Rail warned late on Wednesday that it had no confirmation repairs would finish that evening, so disruption could continue into the next day and passengers are urged to check before travelling.