Rail companies warned customers not to travel on Friday as Storm Eunice caused major disruption and widespread line closures. The severe weather affected all forms of transport across the country meaning rail companies were struggling to provide alternative means for people to get to their destination.
People who had a train ticket for Friday were told they would be able to travel on equivalent services with their train operator any time on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, or will be entitled to a fee-free refund.
Strong winds were expected to reach as high as 90mph in some areas, with red weather warnings threatening ‘danger to life’. Hundreds of trees were blown onto tracks right across the country during Storm Eunice and also Storm Dudley just 24 hours before that.
Some of the most disruptive incidents dealt with in Network Rail’s North West and Central region were:
- Roofing being blown off a Network Rail depot in Banbury and landing on the Chiltern main line
- Overhead lines being torn down by falling trees near Stockport
- A train hitting a tree near Beaconsfield
- Trees blowing onto the station roof at Kings Langley
- Fallen trees damaging overhead lines at Linslade on the West Coast main line
- Roofing become loose at Preston station in Lancashire
Rail companies urged people to check before they travelled over the weekend as disruption continued into Saturday. Network Rail had additional engineers out across the network ready to react to problems when they happen and will check all affected lines for damage before reintroducing services as quickly as possible.
Speaking on Friday, Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive Officer at the Rail Delivery Group said: “Storm Eunice is causing widespread damage and we’ve had to respond by closing lines to keep our customers and staff safe.
“We’re telling people not to travel today and instead to claim a fee-free refund or use their ticket over the weekend. We are urging people to continue to check before they travel as we clear up after the storm.”
Network Rail stopped all trains in and out of London Euston on Friday afternoon due to Storm Eunice. All lines were suspended affecting services between Euston and Milton Keynes until further notice.
Speaking on Friday, Jake Kelly, Network Rail’s group director, System Operator, said: “There is severe disruption across multiple rail lines today, so we are continuing to ask passengers not to travel and make alternative arrangements wherever possible.
“Starting tonight (Friday) and carrying on through the weekend we will be working round the clock to fix the damage that the storm has done to the railway, but passengers should be checking their journeys over the weekend as we carry out these repairs.”
South Western Railway services were suspended and customers urged not to travel on Friday following severe weather.
In a joint statement, South Western Railway and Network Rail said on Friday: “Gusts of more than 90mph wind have caused multiple incidents across the SWR network today, with 30 fallen trees already blocking key routes.
“As a result, SWR services have been suspended until at least 18.00 and we strongly urge customers not to travel at this time. We are working hard to restore services, but ask customers to make alternative travel plans if they can.
“Customers should regularly check the ‘Plan my journey’ page on SWR’s website, which will be updated with the latest information every hour.
“We would like to apologise to our customers for the impact this will have on their journeys, but – as always – our primary concern is the safety and welfare of customers and colleagues out on the network.”
Photo credit: Rail Delivery Group
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