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Thursday, February 13, 2025

Storm Eowyn disrupts travel across Great Britain

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The arrival of Storm Éowyn is severely impacting rail services, with the rail industry urging passengers across Britain to check before they travel.

Areas in Northern England and Scotland are bearing the brunt of the storm, with the industry taking the difficult decision to close some lines. This includes north of Preston on the West Coast Main Line and north of Newcastle on the East Coast Main Line, with both of these closures impacting on Anglo-Scots services.

ScotRail has advised customers that no services will operate on Friday, 24 January, as the extreme weather from Storm Éowyn arrives.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “We recognise the impact that the withdrawal of train services will have on customers, but our first priority is always to ensure the safety of staff and passengers – and this is a necessary step to ensure everyone’s safety during the severe weather.

“Our colleagues at Network Rail Scotland will be working flat out once the worst of the weather passes, to carry out safety checks and assess what repairs are required to reopen the railway.

“We will update our website, mobile app, and social media feeds with the latest travel advice, and customers should check for further updates before they attempt to travel on Saturday morning.”

Other lines across Northern England may also be closed at short notice due to the impacts of the storm, so passengers are urged to keep up to date with the latest travel information and alternative travel options. These can be found on National Rail Enquiries or train operating company social media channels and websites.

There will be alterations to rail services across Wales, with replacement road transport on certain routes and blanket speed restrictions at some locations, meaning journeys could take longer than usual.

Stand by buses are being planned at key locations around the network in preparation for travel disruption.

Across Wales and the Borders, Network Rail has positioned response teams to address any storm related problems to keep disruption to a minimum.

Lisa Angus, Industry Weather Response Director, said: “The decision to close parts of the railway is never one that we take lightly, but the safety of passengers and our staff is our top priority. We have been preparing for the severe impacts of Storm Éowyn all week and will have scores of workers ready to deal with any incidents which occur, such as flash flooding or fallen trees and other items blocking the tracks.

“We ask residents living by the railway to tie down loose garden items, like trampolines or gazebos, which pose a risk of blowing onto the railway and could cause further unnecessary delays for passengers and freight services.”

Detailed travel info:

England

  • On the West Coast Main Line, no services will run north of Preston between 03:00 and 22:00 on Friday 24 January. Services will start and stop at Preston.
  • On the East Coast Line, no services will run north of Newcastle from 11:00 on Friday 24 January. Services will start and stop at Newcastle.
  • Passengers are advised not to travel to and from stations north of York. Services running north of York will be subject to short-notice cancellation and significant delay.

Wales

  • No services to run on the Conwy Valley Line all day, with replacement road transport in place. 
  • No services to run on the Heart of Wales line all day, with replacement road transport in place. 
  • Speed restrictions at various locations around the network, meaning some journeys will take longer than usual.

Scotland

  • No services operating on Friday 24 January.

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