West Midlands rail chaos: Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury delays and cancellations all day after derailment

A major rail disruption has hit services in parts of the West Midlands with delays today (May 6), after a freight train derailment caused significant damage to infrastructure near Wolverhampton.

According to West Midlands Railway, the incident happened between Wolverhampton and Bilbrook, where a low-speed derailment blocked all lines and damaged overhead electric wires.

Support structures holding the wires were also knocked down, leaving the route unsafe for trains.

Read more: All train lines between Wolverhampton and Bilbrook blocked due to 'incident'

As a result, there will be delays and cancellations Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton for the rest of the day. The disruption is affecting services in both directions, with knock-on delays expected across the wider network.

Repair work is expected to continue into Thursday, May 7, as engineers assess and fix the damage.

To help passengers, a limited emergency timetable has been introduced. Shuttle train services are operating between Shrewsbury and Telford, as well as between Birmingham and Wolverhampton via alternative routes.

Rail replacement buses are also running between Wolverhampton and Telford in both directions.

Passengers travelling between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury are being advised to change at Wolverhampton or Telford Central and continue their journey using replacement buses and modified train services.

Transport officials are urging people to check journey planners before travelling and consider delaying trips where possible.

Customers delayed by 15 minutes or more may be eligible for compensation under the railway’s Delay Repay scheme.