RAIL bosses have apologised for major disruption on the East Coast Main Line as railway tracks were rendered inoperable by the exceptionally hot weather.

Network Rail and LNER bosses blamed two-days worth of disruption on rail services on temperatures rising higher than 35 degrees on Thursday.

The majority of rail services in the region had to be cancelled, with a knock-on effect causing delays right through to this morning.

An LNER passenger travelling to London, said passengers were left standing as rail services tried to recover the day after.

Paul Eagles, who said rail services were full out of Durham, said: "It’s bedlam in here the train is down one coach plus the train after this from Edinburgh was cancelled.

"The seat reservations have been cancelled so there’s people boarding who think they have a reserved seat only to find that they don’t have a seat at all.

"It’s been standing room only since Durham so there’s people who boarded there who will have to stand the three hour journey to London Kings Cross.

"It's utter bedlam."

On Thursday, LNER which mainly operates services between Edinburgh Waverly and London King's Cross, warned its customers not to travel after "several incidents" were reported along the route, however some services were able to run on the morning.

Emma Louise Wright, whose was travelling between Newcastle and London on Thursday morning, said: "I was lucky, my train was only delayed by 20 minutes – purely because I got the first train I could.

"The disruption is expected as the train lines aren't built to cope, but it's the air condition that is the main problem. There's nothing worse than being delayed and overheated."

On Thursday, Transpennine Express, Northern, CrossCountry and LNER services across the network were either cancelled or delayed as track temperatures soared beyond their legal operating limit.

Along the route, railway staff were seen handing out water bottles to the hundreds of stranded passengers at main line stations.

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And in parts of the country, where the tracks reached 50 degrees and overhead power lines 'sagged' from the heat, railway lines were painted white in a bid to deflect them succumbing to the heat.

Apologising, Phil James of Network Rail, said: "I want to say sorry to passengers for the disruption and discomfort they faced making their journeys on Thursday.

"The extreme temperatures made travelling by train very difficult at times and we thank passengers for their patience while we worked hard to get people moving again.

"With the railway being made of metal and moving parts, the sustained high temperatures took their toll in places.

"Everything was done to keep trains moving where possible and last night hundreds of staff were out fixing the damage and repairing the railway, ready for today."

Warrick Dent, LNER Safety and Operations Director, said: “We apologise to customers for the inevitable inconvenience this will cause our customers.

"Tickets for Thursday 25 July will be valid for travel on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

"Alternatively, customers can apply for a refund if they no longer wish to travel.”

Despite the travel disruption, Network Rail bosses said they had managed to reduce the number of buckled rail incidents by 83 percent, since the last recorded hottest summer in 2003.

They also said railway tracks in the UK were built to withstand temperatures averaged out throughout the year.