Train lines blocked and services cancelled due to broken rail near Birmingham
A broken rail has caused train cancellations, which are set to cause disruption well into the evening.
West Midlands Railway announced at 12pm that services between Birmingham New Street and Four Oaks were cancelled due to a safety inspection on a train, causing some lines to be blocked.
An hour later, they told the public that the Cross City line was blocked near Gravelly Hill due to the broken rail, and no trains north of New Street were running on the line.
The line is expected to be blocked until 8.30pm this evening while Network Rail repair the broken rail.
Train services taking football fans to and from Villa Park are likely to be severely disrupted this evening, and those going to Aston Villa's Premier League clash with Fulham have been advised to leave extra time for their journeys and consider alternative means of transport.
Fans will still be able to catch the twice hourly Walsall train services to Aston and Witton, but cross city services will not be running.
Ticket acceptance is in place on local National Express West Midlands buses and the Arriva 110 route.
Trains running through Wolverhampton and Sandwell & Dudley have also been hit by delays this afternoon due to trespassers on the line.
West Midlands Railway has warned passengers that services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.
Disruption is expected to last until around 4.30pm.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Railway said: "We expect some of our trains to be affected by this incident. To see how this might affect you, please use the Live Departures & Arrivals or plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time journey planner."
