Caledonian Sleeper trains cancelled after wheel damage

Another Caledonian Sleeper service has been cancelled after a train's wheels were damaged earlier this week.

Passengers who left London bound for Scotland on Tuesday night had to use a replacement bus service after their journey terminated in the West Midlands early on Wednesday morning.

It meant that Wednesday night's service back to London was not able to run.

Caledonian Sleeper has now cancelled the overnight service from London Euston for Edinburgh on Thursday.

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The firm said the train had sustained "wheel damage" on Tuesday night.

It has offered passengers alternative transport by coach and a full refund.

The problems come shortly after the introduction of a new £150m fleet, which began running at the end of April.

'Dragged along'

Sim Harris, the editor of Rail News, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that the train had been hit with "wheel flats".

"In other words the wheels weren't actually going round but the wheels are still being dragged along the track," he said.

"And that leads to part of the wheel being eroded away by the friction. Then you end up with what's known as a flat."

He said there was likely to be a "tremendous investigation" going on into the cause of the problem.

"It's great shame that this uncertainty is over these otherwise very good new trains," he said.

"It was a remarkable development that the Caledonian Sleeper was getting these new 'hotels on wheels', as Caledonian Sleeper called them.

"They are far superior to the old British Rail sleepers so it's a great shame, a great pity. I hope they do get it sorted out very soon."

Caledonian Sleeper said all its other services, including the London Euston to Glasgow service, would run as scheduled.