A coach carrying rail passengers crashed on the A1 near Buckden. PictureL Simon De Havilland.

NO trains are running from Huntingdon and St Neots - and a replacement bus service has crashed into the central reservation on the A1 at Buckden, causing 30 minute tailbacks.

First Capital Connect says it is unable to operate any services to Peterborough, Huntingdon, St Neots and Sandy due to the collapse of approximately one kilometre of overhead electrical wire between Peterborough and Biggleswade.

A coach service is calling at all stations between Peterborough and Biggleswade, where people can get trains to London King’s Cross.

However at 5am today (Wednesday, February 20), one of those coaches collided with the barrier on the northbound carriageway of the A1.

Brampton resident Simon De Havilland, 29, was travelling to work in London when he passed the accident.

He told The Hunts Post: “We must have passed fairly soon after it happened.

“There were still loads of police cars and a crane trying to lift the coach, which was right on the central reservation. I don’t know how it ended up facing in the direction it did – it must have done a full 360 or something.”

A lane was closed on each of the northbound and southbound carriageways. The southbound lane has reopened but the northbound lane remains shut.

Network Rail is currently making repairs to allow diesel trains to run through the affected areas. However it is expected a full electric service will not be up and running until Friday.

A First Capital Connect spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for the disruption currently affecting customers who use our Peterborough services. “Our number one priority is to get customers moving and we have more than 45 rail replacement buses in place to help customers connect to their nearest available rail services.

“Network Rail have been working overnight to make repairs and we expect the route will reopen to diesel services operated by East Coast, Grand Central and First Hull Trains later today.

“Further repairs will be undertaken tonight, allowing First Capital Connect to resume a partial service to Peterborough on Thursday, with full service restored on Friday.”

Car parking and morning ticket restrictions have been lifted but FCC says journey times will be extended by up to one hour.