Rail passengers are being advised not to travel and are facing ‘significant’ disruption to journeys on the London Paddington line.

Major disruptions continue to Oxford services as several high-speed trains are undergoing checks after cracks were found.

Great Western Railway (GWR), Hull Trains, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) and TransPennine Express (TPE) trains of the Hitachi 800 model were taken out of service for ‘safety checks as a precautionary measure’ on Saturday morning.

READ MORE: Railway disruption as cracks found in trains serving Oxfordshire

Great Western Railway has announced that a ‘significant’ number of services will be cancelled today and on Wednesday and that disruption is expected to continue for the rest of the week.

Rail services between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads, Swansea, Penzance, Hereford and Cheltenham Spa have all been cancelled. GWR has said it will provide full refunds for ticket holders.

Oxford Mail: London Paddington to Oxford services were cancelled todayLondon Paddington to Oxford services were cancelled today

Hitachi Rail has apologised for the disruption caused by the ‘cracks’ on the lifting points under the carriage of some class 800 trains. The cracks were spotted during routine checks, and by Saturday evening some trains had been cleared to run as normal.

A Hitachi Rail spokesperson said: “Safety is our number one priority and as a precaution, the decision was taken to halt the entry into service of our intercity fleets pending inspection.

“We understand the frustration caused and we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers and operators.

“Having been cleared for service, some trains are now running again across the network.”

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