Network Rail is warning that the third major storm in just five days is set to bring further travel disruption.
People are being advised to check before they travel when Network Rail brings in safety speed restrictions on some routes during Storm Franklin on Monday, 21 February.
Thousands of engineers have been working all weekend to repair damage from both Storm Dudley and Eunice.
This includes work to secure roofing panels at Preston station, which led to it being closed to passengers on Friday and Saturday. In Wales, it has included clearing around 100 fallen trees, securing roof panels and canopies, fixing damage to level crossing barriers and draining flooded parts of the tracks. Items cleared from the railway in Wales this weekend included a trampoline, tin roofs and whole fence panels.
With barely any let-up in the wild weather, now Storm Franklin will bring further heavy rain and gales – with travel disruption likely.
Network Rail said up to 80mm of rain is forecast across the North West – this could lead to some sections of railway flooding.
More gale-force winds could see trees already weakened from the previous storms at risk of coming down onto railway lines and overhead cables.
Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “The relentless stormy weather at the moment continues to cause us a real challenge – it seems as soon as we’ve recovered from one storm another is waiting in the wings to cause more damage all over again.
“I’d please ask passengers to follow the advice of their train operator with some running reduced timetables on Monday. Safety is our number one priority, and we’re constantly monitoring the weather and the railway to make sure we can keep people and goods moving safely.”
Wales was also warned of disruption from the storm. Natural Resources Wales has a combined total of 70 flood warnings and alerts in place across the country, which could result in flooded tracks.
Bill Kelly, Wales & Borders route director, said: ”This weekend’s weather has been one of the most challenging for the railway in recent years. As the huge clean-up from Storm Eunice was coming to an end, we find ourselves in the midst of a third major storm, which is likely to bring even more damage and disruption.
“With the winds picking up once more, we’re having to put further speed restrictions in place and close some lines, to keep our passengers and colleagues safe.
“We’re constantly monitoring the weather and the railway to make sure we can keep passenger and freight trains moving.
“I would like to thank everyone for their patience and ask that passengers please check their journey before setting off.”
The West Midlands Trains team was also ready for possible issues. Some trains will likely travel at slower speeds on both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway (LNR). No LNR services are expected to run between Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe until 10am. Lawrence Bowman, LNR customer experience director, said: “The high winds forecast in Storm Franklin risk bringing further disruption to the rail network. I urge all passengers travelling on Monday to check their journeys before setting out.
“As we have seen in the last 72 hours, stormy conditions can cause significant damage to railway infrastructure, which is why we are advising our passengers to plan their journeys carefully.
“Tickets for travel on Monday will be accepted on Tuesday if passengers choose not to travel.”
South Western said high winds had caused further incidents on Sunday evening and urged people not to travel. It said trees weakened by the other two recent storms could fall to the tracks on Monday. Christian Neill, customer experience director for South Western Railway, said: “We understand Monday marks the first day back from half term for many, and we are sorry for the continuing disruption these storms are causing. It has been an incredibly challenging few days, and our teams have been working tirelessly to clear the tracks to safely run as many trains as possible. With more severe weather expected on Monday, we are asking customers to consider whether their journey is essential and make other plans if they can.”
Passengers are being urged to visit www.nationalrail.co.uk before they set out – to check that their train is running or if there is any travel disruption – so they can avoid very long journey times.
