Brakes fault halts Silverlink trains
Train services between London and Birmingham have been severely disrupted today after a possible fault was identified on the braking system of a fleet of trains.
The fault has been discovered on Silverlink Class 321 trains, many of which have now been withdrawn from service while they are examined for faults on safety grounds.
The disruption to the half-hourly service is causing severe disruptions for many commuters with a total suspension of the company’s advertised train service between Birmingham New Street and London Euston.
Describing the nature of the problems discovered, Silverlink spokesman Alan Bray said: ‘We’re waiting for technical detail and opinion before we can release that information or indeed find out how and when we can get our trains into service.’
Ticket holders are able to use Virgin, Midland Mainline, South Central, Thameslink and Chiltern services instead and bus replacements are also being put in place.
The Silverlink fleet is made up of about 30 of the trains which are electric multiple train units comprised of four carriages, which can be linked together. The company belongs to the National Express Group which is the largest operator of train franchises in the UK.
