Commuters were evacuated from Birmingham New Street station and all train services were temporarily halted due to a fire incident. The disruption caused significant delays to train schedules. National Rail reported that a fire on a train at Birmingham New Street led to the closure of all lines at the station, affecting the running of services with potential cancellations, delays, or route changes.
Although the station has been reopened, delays are still expected. Avanti West Coast announced that train services might be canceled, delayed, or redirected via Bescot Stadium due to the incident at Birmingham New Street. Passengers were informed that tickets could be used at no extra charge on Chiltern Railways services between Birmingham Moor Street and London Marylebone until further notice.
London Northwestern Railway confirmed the evacuation of Birmingham New Street station due to a fire incident. The station management explained that an onboard train fault necessitated the evacuation, resulting in the temporary suspension of services to and from Birmingham New Street as a safety measure. The station has since reopened, but delays are anticipated as services return to normal.
National Rail and West Midlands Railway also provided updates on the situation, indicating that lines had reopened at Birmingham New Street, but delays were expected to persist until 9 am. Ticket acceptance arrangements and alternative travel routes were advised to passengers affected by the disruption caused by the fire incident. People were urged to check for delays or cancellations on their train journeys following the temporary closure of Birmingham New Street earlier in the morning.