January 08, 2009	Thursday	Muharram 10, 1430

LONDON: Passengers travelling between London and the midlands, northern England and Scotland faced chaos on Wednesday after damage to overhead power lines brought services to a standstill.

Network Rail said all four tracks on the West Coast Main Line were affected after power lines in the Wembley area of London suffered severe damage on Tuesday evening.

Virgin and London Midland trains to and from London Euston were severely disrupted, leading to long delays for travellers, with only a limited service in operation by mid-morning.

The latest problem comes after days of disruption caused by damage to power cables on other parts of the West Coast line.

“Network Rail specialists will work throughout the day and night to repair the infrastructure with the aim of a full service tomorrow morning,” it said in a statement. “Passengers are advised to check with train operators or national rail enquiries before travelling.”

Virgin Trains said it was advising passengers not to travel unless absolutely necessary while London Midland said it was looking into the cause of the power line troubles.—Reuters