Stevenage: Repairs due to overhead lines after train bridge incident

Railway engineers assessed the damage to tracks and lines to the south of Stevenage railway station

Network Rail is warning of disruption to journeys as work to fix damaged power lines is undertaken on Saturday.

Major repairs will be carried out to lines at Stevenage station which were damaged on Tuesday night.

A man was injured after an object was dangled from a bridge crossing the railway, which struck the electric cables.

Since then, trains have not run between Stevenage and Hertford North, with a reduced service at Knebworth.

Network Rail said engineers would work through the night to fix the damage and it was aiming to get services up and running by Sunday morning.

Power lines were damaged at Stevenage station on Tuesday

A section of the railway along the East Coast Main Line at Stevenage will be closed on Saturday, meaning some late night and early morning services will be cancelled.

Sarah Reid, east coast route director for Network Rail, said: "We're very sorry for the impact this incident has had on passengers travelling through Stevenage and I'd like to thank people for their ongoing patience.

"Some lines have reopened following damage to the overhead wires on Tuesday evening, but further repairs are needed before trains can run normally again."

Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said: "We're doing our very best to keep people moving until the wires can be fully fixed."

There are fewer trains running north from Knebworth and buses instead of trains between Hertford North, Watton-at-Stone and Stevenage.

Hertfordshire Police said the injured man was taken by air ambulance to hospital and "continues to receive medical treatment".

Stevenage railway station is on the mainline between London and Edinburgh, with services connecting to Cambridge and East Anglia via the next stop north - Hitchin.

Mainline services resumed on Wednesday, but Thameslink and Great Northern said bus replacement services would run on a branch line