Train delays caused by station closure

Passengers are urged to check their train times before travelling

Rail journeys across a large part of England have been disrupted by the closure of one of London's train terminals.

Work at St Pancras means trains run by Midland Mainline - which operates services between the East Midlands and London - are starting and terminating at Luton in Bedfordshire.

This has forced passengers to use Thameslink services between Luton and King's Cross for the remainder of their journey.

The company has also been forced to cancel trains to and from Manchester, although passengers were able to use the direct Virgin service from London Euston to the North West.

A spokesman for Midland Mainline said the fact that similar work had been carried out at St Pancras before had probably made it easier for passengers to cope with the changes.

'Directed to correct platform'

He said: "At the moment there are no problems to report and everything is running to plan. Trains are turning around at Luton and passengers are transferring to Thameslink.

"We have a lot of staff at Luton who are directing people to the correct platforms."

However, further disruption is promised on Sunday when trains between Sheffield and London via Nottingham will be cancelled and those going via Derby will be delayed.

Turbostar services between Derby and London will not be running and trains between Nottingham and London will take longer than usual, with some terminating at Luton.

Passengers who try to travel from Manchester to London will find their service stops at Luton, where they will be told to board other Midland Mainline services to the capital.

Check train times

But there will be no Thameslink trains from Luton to King's Cross.

All passengers are advised to check their train times before travelling, either by ringing 08457 125 678 or by looking at www.midlandmainline.com.

The work taking place on the Midland Mainline network on Saturday and Sunday is part of the development of St Pancras as the main London interchange for trains to the continent.

Work on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is not expected to be completed until 2007.

Midland Mainline has warned that continued disruption is likely until then.