Liverpool St shut as works overrun

Tens of thousands of London travellers have been hit by late running engineering works.

Two major terminals were affected after Network Rail failed to finish work on time.

Liverpool Street station was closed after the company failed to complete 10 days of engineering works, while those travelling to Euston on Virgin trains faced severe delays as work on the West Coast Main Line missed its deadline.

Commuters returning to work today spoke of their anger.

Robert Rinton, 55, a teacher from Brighton, said: "I am due to catch a flight from Stansted to Limoges in France at 10.30am. Nobody thought to tell me at Brighton that Liverpool Street station was shut so when I arrived here expecting to catch the Stansted Express it was a bit of a shock to find there was no service.

"I now have to rush to Tottenham Hale and catch a train from there. It's very frustrating and I'm slightly nervous that I will miss my flight."

Friedermein Schmidt, 43, a pharmacist from Leipzig in Germany, said: "We are in a big rush because we are catching a flight back to Germany from Stansted at 9.15. It is now 7.30 and we have to find another route because the Stansted Express is shut. I really think we could miss our flight."

Network Rail could face a multi-million pound fine for the delays.

Liverpool Street station has been closed since 23 December and was due to reopen in time for today's return to work after the festive holiday.

The station was closed while a bridge outside was demolished as part of the East London Line extension project.

A spokeswoman for One, which runs Liverpool Street Station, said: "Network Rail's engineering works in the vicinity of Liverpool Street Station have overrun and it is not clear how long the station will be shut for. It is causing major disruption today. Our advice is not to travel unless you have to." She said she was unaware of what the problem was, but added: "Network Rail is working on overhead line equipment. Late last night it looked like it would finish on time, so it is something that has happened very recently. It is very important work they are doing which will enable us to run a better service when it is completed."

Network Rail said it was "deeply sorry" for the delays on the West Coast Main Line and has launched an investigation.

Virgin Trains advised customers not to travel on its services today because of "the continuing failure of Network Rail to complete major engineering work in the Rugby area".