DO NOT travel on the railway tomorrow (Friday Februrary 18) due to the impact of Storm Eunice – that is the message from the region’s rail operators.
The warning comes as Network Rail engineers worked to clear trees and debris from railway lines on the Chiltern main line and other Midlands rail routes after Storm Dudley brought gusts of 90mph overnight, felling trees and blowing debris onto tracks.
With Storm Eunice forecast to be even more ferocious, passengers are being strongly recommended not to travel on Friday and that journeys will face disruption.
Network Rail will impose blanket safety speed restrictions – 50mph in most places – on the main rail lines across the country, with winds once again set to reach 90mph in some areas.
Passengers are advised to check with individual train operators for their latest travel advice.
Denise Wetton, Network Rail’s Central route director, said: “With such strong winds expected from Storm Eunice we know that disruption to passengers’ journeys is inevitable and we strongly recommend people do not travel on Friday. We have rapid response on standby to clear routes impacted by the bad weather and keep train passengers safe.”
Lucy Wootton, head of the Grand Railway Collaboration, said: “We will do all we can to keep trains moving safely and the rail industry will react as quickly as possible to resolve any storm-related issues. However, we would urge people to decide if their travel on Friday is vital and if not, to travel on another day if at all possible.”
People who re-plan a journey for Friday will be able to use their ticket to travel on equivalent services with their train operator any time on Thursday or Saturday.
Visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or follow Network Rail Twitter accounts @NetworkRailBHM and @NetworkRailCML for the latest updates.
