UK braces for winter whammy of further snow, ice and travel delays

This blog is now closed. For the latest updates, visit Metro’s UK page.

It’s time to end Metro’s travel and transport blog for today.

Please tune back in tomorrow as more snow and ice have been forecast, with potential disruption on roads and rail expected.

A fleet of 20 new electric buses has been rolled out by TfL today.

Read more about their special features.

Parts of England, Wales and Scotland will see more wintery weather over the coming days and the weekend.

This means travel disruption is likely in areas where snow and ice fall on tracks and roads. Flooding is also possible where snow melts quickly and footage shows trees blocking railway lines today.

Here is the latest Met Office weather warning for the UK tomorrow.

Part of the M2 has closed in Kent after a serious crash.

National Highways said that a lorry and a pedestrian have been involved in a collision.

The incident happened between J5 near Stockbury and J6 Faversham.

The carriageway is closed to traffic eastbound and all emergency services are attending.

The Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow has been put on lockdown after reports of a suspicious item.

Several roads around the city centre transport hub are also closed.

The winter has arrived in the UK suddenly as a cold and wet front is sweeping across the British Isles.

And there is likely to be more snow and ice in store over the coming days followed by heavy rain at the weekend.

John Kushnick, the legal operations director at National Accident Helpline, told Metro it is crucial ‘people take extra care on the road’ due to the Arctic blast.

He said: ‘Compromised vision, the glare of flashlights and icy roads are just some of the risks we will face.

‘In fact, the increase in poor weather at this time of the year means you may find yourself driving in heavy rain, fog, snow, or ice.

‘As a result, drivers need to take additional precautions to minimise the risk of dangerous or fatal accidents. Check your fluids, lights, and wipes, reduce your speed and exercise anticipation and smoothness on icy roads.

‘Pedestrians and cyclists should also take extra care on the road, making sure that they are as visible as possible to drivers. Wearing reflective and bright clothing, using lights if you are on a bicycle, and sticking to well-lit paths and roads are a few ways you can prevent yourself from being involved in an accident.’

The Metropolitan Police said: ‘On Wednesday, 20 November at 15:44hrs police were called to Whitechapel Road, E1 following reports of a collision between a motorcycle and two pedestrians.

‘Officers attended the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service who treated a woman, a child, and the rider of the motorcycle at the scene before taking them to hospital. We await an update on their condition.

‘Road closures remain in place and enquiries into the circumstances continue.’

The A11 Whitechapel Road has closed in both directions after a crash.

Traffic has been blocked both ways near the Sidney Street and Mile End Road junction after an apparent crash.

An eyewitness told Metro they saw a moped in the middle of the road outside the Idea Store Whitechapel library.

Traffic analyst Inrix says the road is closed due to a police incident.

Bus routes 25, 205 and 254 are using a detour, an Inrix alert says.

The A34 remains closed near Didcot, Oxfordshire, southbound between the junction for the A4130 and A4185 following a crash involving multiple vehicles.

Traffic is queueing towards Oxford and there are severe delays in the area.

An air ambulance landed at the scene earlier.

The train disruption between Stevenage and London has now been extended until the end of the day.

Some lines are blocked due to a safety inspection on a train, National Rail said.

This means trains could be cancelled, delayed by up to an hour or revised.

Here is a recap of the affected routes and operators.

• Grand Central, Hull Trains, LNER and Lumo services to / from London Kings Cross
• Great Northern services between Cambridge / Ely / Kings Lynn / Letchworth Garden City and London Kings Cross, also between Welwyn Garden City and Moorgate
• Thameslink services between Peterborough and Horsham, also between Cambridge and Brighton

Drivers have been told to avoid a stretch of the A34 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, after a tanker crashed and overturned.

It is thought it may have hit a patch of black ice on the southbound lane at Handforth Bypass.

Diversions have been put in place after the crash this afternoon which caused an oil spill.

Traffic has ground to a halt through from Handforth Dean to Wilmslow and motorists should expect significant delays, the emergency services said.

Rail union TSSA has called on Sadiq Khan and TfL to reconsider after it emerged that the running of the Elizabeth line has been awarded to a new private operator.

TSSA members work in station staff grades – key hands on operational roles essential to the running of the railway.

General secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: ‘The Elizabeth line is one of the most profitable railway lines in the entire country and vital not only to London but the wider economy.

‘At a time when the Labour government has made strong commitments, and begun the process of bringing the railways back into public hands, further privatisation of the Elizabeth line seems an odd choice.

‘Our union is calling on Sadiq Khan to think again and examine other models which would put passengers before profits.’

Read more here:

Three out of four lanes have now reopened on the M6 northbound after a vehicle fire and diesel spillage between junction 14 for Stafford and 15 for Stoke-on-Trent.

The inside lane is still closed for resurfacing works to take place.

Drivers are still facing two-hour delays on the approach.

The M1 has fully reopened in Derbyshire near junction 28 for Sutton in Ashfield after a collision.

There are still delays of about an hour on the A38 northbound approach, and of about half an hour on the M1 northbound.

These delays should start to ease now that the road is fully open again though.

Read more here:

There’s been an electrical supply failure between Stevenage and London which is causing disruption to several lines, impacting six rail operators.

Passengers could face 45-minute delays, cancellations or diversions. The disruption is expected to last until about 2pm.

It’s impacting the following services:

• Grand Central, Hull Trains, LNER and Lumo services to / from London Kings Cross
• Great Northern services between Cambridge / Ely / Kings Lynn / Letchworth Garden City and London Kings Cross
• Great Northern services between Welwyn Garden City and Moorgate
• Thameslink services between Peterborough and Horsham
• Thameslink between Cambridge and Brighton

Earlier delays on the Bakerloo line have now cleared up, but there are new issues on the District and Piccadilly lines:

• Piccadilly line: No service between Oakwood and Cockfosters, and minor delays on the rest of the line while we fix a points failure at Cockfosters
• District line: Severe delays between Earls Court and Wimbledon westbound only while we deal with a signalling problem at Fulham Broadway

A proposal to extend the Northern line as far as Clapham Junction have been given a boost after an investigation found there are ‘no engineering or geological restrictions’ which would prevent it.

The work by Wandsworth Council is a follow-up to initial investigations into the proposal.

Clapham Junction is a major station which serves the London Overground and National Rail services, but it doesn’t have an Underground line.

When Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station opened as the latest Northern line stations in 2021, Transport for London (TfL) said the design would allow for further expansion to Clapham Junction in future.

However TfL says it has no current plans to carry out the expansion itself.

A new report by council officers said extending the Northern line to Clapham Junction could attract more passengers, reduce overcrowding on existing services and support development in the area.

It confirmed the authority has now completed an initial feasibility study into the potential extension, the Standard reports.

A signal fault between Ely and Waterbeach is forcing trains to run at reduced speeds on all lines between the two stations.

Services could be delayed by up to half an hour and the disruption is expected to last until about 1.30pm.

It’s impacting the following services:

• CrossCountry between Birmingham New Street and Cambridge / Stansted Airport
• Greater Anglia between Norwich and Stansted Airport