Birmingham Train Disruption July 2026: Fire and Strike Cause Chaos

Birmingham New Street station was evacuated on the morning of 10 July 2026 after a fire broke out on a train, suspending rail services during rush hour. The incident was resolved shortly before 08:00 BST, but disruption continued throughout the morning as the station reopened.

Fire at New Street

Passengers were evacuated from the station as emergency services dealt with the blaze. National Rail confirmed the incident was resolved by 08:00, though residual delays were expected. The cause of the fire has not been disclosed.

Strike action compounds delays

The fire came on a day of planned industrial action by the TSSA union over rest day working payments. West Midlands Railway (WMR) operated a reduced timetable, with no trains after 19:00 on Friday and services resuming only after 07:00 on Saturday. A 'limited service' was running on select routes:

• Cross City Line (Lichfield Trent Valley to Redditch/Bromsgrove via Birmingham New Street): two trains per hour
• Wolverhampton to Walsall via Birmingham New Street: one train per hour
• Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham International via Birmingham New Street: one train per hour

No trains operated on other WMR routes.

London Northwestern Railway disruption

London Northwestern Railway (LNR) also faced severe cuts. On Friday, the last trains departed by 17:30, with no services after 19:00. Saturday services started at 07:00. Affected routes running one train per hour included:

• Birmingham–Liverpool
• London Euston–Crewe (stopping at Milton Keynes)
• Birmingham–London Euston via Northampton
• Milton Keynes–London Euston
• Watford Junction–St Albans Abbey

The Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley saw no service at all. 'This industrial action is set to cause significant disruption for our customers,' said Jonny Wiseman of LNR. 'We are doing everything we can to minimise the impact.' He apologised for the inconvenience. Residual delays were expected on Sunday morning due to train displacement.

Passengers are advised to check before travelling and only make essential journeys.