East Coast Main Line is operating a revised timetable due to the adverse weather.
BBC: Snow and ice leads to travel delays and school closures
Its one big risk-taking project renewing the west coast main line is running into delays and cost overruns.
About 31 million passengers travel on the West Coast Main Line between London and Scotland every year.
No trains will be running through Reading on the Great Western main line.
Elsewhere in the country 10 train services between London and Leeds on the East Coast Main Line were cancelled.
BBC: Schools and airports closed after heavy snow in England
The main line from Exeter to the rest of the country has reopened.
Simon Kirby, who represents Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said doing so would solve overcrowding problems on the Brighton Main Line.
Rail passengers are still experiencing disruption and travel delays on the West Coast Main Line caused by a power failure.
The Transport Committee (at 10am) still has its teeth firmly sunk into the debacle over the West Coast Main Line.
On Monday evening ScottishPower said that all homes across the area had been reconnected to a main line electricity supply.
The engine is the result of an 18-year project to build the locomotive and return it to main line service.
Spokesman Jim Rowe said getting permission depends on there being sufficient room on "a very crowded West Coast Main Line".
Three other franchise competitions had also been "paused" in light of the West Coast Main Line situation, Mr McLoughlin confirmed.
Passengers who intend to travel on the West Coast Main Line can check the latest information with National Rail Enquiries.
Mr Kirby, who recently launched his Better Trains for Brighton campaign, has supported calls for a Brighton Main Line 2.
Civil servants construct their own financial model when preparing to award long-term contracts such as the West Coast Main Line franchise.
The council said while it supported the government's HS2 announcement it was "vitally important" that the Main Line route was upgraded.
Plans for the high speed project currently involve constructing a new line closer to Manchester than the existing West Coast Main Line.
It said its re-conditioned trains had suffered from reliability problems leading to cancellations and delays that affected the whole Brighton Main Line.
The high-speed rail link - HS2 - promises to cut journey times and relieve congestion on the West Coast Main Line.
Three months ago thousands of East Coast main line passengers had their journeys disrupted by a power failure at Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.
One of three civil servants suspended over flaws in the West Coast Main Line franchise competition has criticised the Department for Transport.
BBC: West Coast Main Line: Civil servant Kate Mingay speaks out
He is targeting the main line between Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and London.
BBC: East Anglia rail: Call for help to improve network speeds
ScottishPower said all homes in Dumfries and Galloway affected by the severe weather had now been reconnected to a main line electricity supply.
Testing will take place on the Great Central Railway line as it is easier and cheaper to organise than on main line tracks.
The decision to award the West Coast Main Line rail franchise to FirstGroup was scrapped because of "technical flaws" in the bidding process.
It will link in the lines from Aylesbury and enable new services on the Great Western, West Coast and Midland Main Line routes.
Two cracks discovered on the East Coast Main Line are being investigated by independent safety experts at the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).
It follows advice from the Chair of Eurostar Richard Brown who has been investigating the collapse of the West Coast Main Line franchise deal.
BBC: Great Western London to south Wales rail contest scrapped
President Obama has approved the Southern portion of Keystone XL, but has put off any decision on the main line until after the election.
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