Record fine over rail delays

Rail company Network Rail has been fined a record £14 million for the New Year delays which hit Midlands train passengers.

The fine was imposed on the infrastructure company by the Office of Rail Regulation which had been investigating the disruption, the most serious of which was on the West Coast Main Line.

Over-running maintenance works hit passengers travelling between the West Midlands and London in early January.

The line remained shut at Rugby, forcing passengers onto coaches and adding at least an hour on to journeys.

The ORR said the fine was "to reflect the serious nature of this breach, the impact it had already had on passengers and rail freight users and the need for the company to take urgent action to improve its approach".

The other overruns which hit passengers over the festive period were at London's Liverpool Street station and at Shields Junction near Glasgow.

See today's Express & Star for more coverage