Rail lines reopen after disruption near Stafford on Tuesday morning

Rail lines reopen after animals caused major disruption near Stafford.

Rail lines between Lichfield Trent Valley and Rugeley Trent Valley have reopened after animals on the railway caused major disruption for passengers travelling through Stafford.

The incident was first reported by National Rail at 8.57am today, Tuesday 30 June, and led to all lines being blocked between Lichfield Trent Valley and Rugeley Trent Valley.

The disruption affected services between Lichfield Trent Valley and Stafford, as well as trains towards Stoke-on-Trent. Passengers were warned that services could be delayed by up to 60 minutes, cancelled, diverted or revised.

The issue affected Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services. Road transport was also arranged between Rugby and Rugeley Trent Valley / Stafford, calling at all stations.

National Rail said the lines were cleared and reopened at around 6pm.

Passengers may still wish to check their journey before travelling this evening, as services may take time to return to normal.

What happened?

Animals were reported on the railway between Lichfield Trent Valley and Rugeley Trent Valley.

This led to all lines being blocked for much of the day, causing major disruption to services travelling through Stafford.