West Midlands Railway: Disruption on Birmingham’s Cross City Line continues following Storm Darragh damage

West Midlands Railway is warning passengers to expect disruption on Birmingham’s Cross City Line to continue tomorrow (Monday 9 December) following damage caused by Storm Darragh.

The line, which runs from Lichfield via Birmingham to Redditch and Bromsgrove, remained entirely closed on Sunday following significant storm damage sustained on Saturday.

Engineers from Network Rail are working at multiple locations on the route to repair damaged overhead wires caused by fallen trees. The line is expected to remain closed for much of Monday to enable the repairs to be carried out safely.

Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for West Midlands Railway, said: “The high winds during Storm Darragh have caused significant disruption across our network, with dozens of trees falling onto tracks or overhead power lines. Some of our train fleet has also sustained damage from trees and branches.

“I would like to thank our customers for their patience while the Cross City Line remains closed. Rail replacement transport will be in operation until the railway is ready to reopen, with ticket acceptance on local buses.”

Denise Wetton, Network Rail's Central route director, said: "This weekend, Storm Darragh wreaked havoc on the railway. We've had teams working round the clock right across the West Midlands removing debris and trees many of which were third party that caused obstructions to services.

"We are sorry for the disruption caused to passengers on the Cross City Line while the clean-up and repairs continue, and we ask that they check with their train operator for the latest travel information.”

Passengers across the network are being asked to check their entire journeys before setting out as storm-damaged infrastructure is causing disruption in other parts of the network, including between Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford.