Thursday 5 Dec 2013
17:00 - National rail update: storm impact
- Region & Route:
- National
As train services in Scotland start to run again as we clear routes of debris, ensuring they're safe, and opening them up for services, preparation is now underway for the storm surge expected to hit the east of England and East Anglia tonight and into the early hours of Friday morning.
It will be many hours yet before services return to near normal levels and so many parts of the network will continue to be severely impacted by today's storm.
Services north of Newcastle are now running and services north of Carlisle are due to start shortly, other services in the north and north Wales are impacted by speed restrictions and ad-hoc closures as conditions require.
Hundreds of engineers continue to work to clear hundreds of trees and pieces of debris from rail lines across Scotland, parts of Anglia, and the north.
Robin Gisby, managing director network operations said: "We’ve seen winds at over 100mph hit parts of the country which has caused trees to fall and debris to be blown on the railway, and teams are currently working as quickly as possible to repair damage caused. We’re working to keep as much of the network open as is possible, and we’re just starting to re-introduce services on some lines in Scotland as the worst of the storm has passed.
“Teams are also in place in the east of England anticipating the severe flooding the region is expected to see. We’re currently working closely with train operating companies on a service plan for this evening and into tomorrow, with the safety of passengers in mind.”
Michael Roberts, Director General of the Rail Delivery Group, said: "Hundreds of rail staff will continue to monitor the weather, react quickly to problems on the lines and keep passengers safe and informed.
"Many lines are open but some are running reduced timetables with the most severely affected areas being Scotland and parts of Northern England. Delays are possible so customers should check National Rail Enquiries before they decide to travel. A number of operators have lifted restrictions to allow tickets from today to be used tomorrow, and we advise passengers to check with their train company."
A further update will be issued at 10pm.
Notes to editors
We have had reports of trees, giant hay bales, factory roofs and hundreds of other items of debris having been blow onto the railway requiring removal.
Network Rail has hundreds of engineers across the network ready to react quickly to problems on the lines, removing trees and fixing equipment where necessary. The company is also monitoring its system of over 200 weather alarms across the network to help track the passage of the storm.
While every effort will be made to run services for passengers, it is necessary to follow industry-wide safety guidelines and implement speed restrictions and reduced timetables.
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