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Friday 22 Nov 2024

Storm Bert: rail passengers advised to plan ahead

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Passengers travelling between London, the West Midlands and North West are being urged to check before they travel ahead of Storm Bert this weekend.

Strong winds and heavy rain could cause disruption to areas between London Euston and Cumbria, as well as between London Marylebone and the West Midlands, on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November.

The Met Office has issued a number of weather warnings across the country.

Network Rail maintenance teams are on standby to tackle any problems caused by the stormy weather at key locations along the West Coast Main Line as well as the Chiltern main line, in the West Midlands, and across the North West and Cumbrian rail routes over the coming days.

This includes the use of drones, which are now used routinely on the West Coast Main Line in Cumbria, which help engineers identify problems.

Rebecca Rathore, Network Rail’s route strategy director for the North West, said: “The cold snap has been here all week and we continue to have teams on standby ready to respond.

“We are also expecting strong winds, which may mean speed restrictions on some routes and heavy rain and snow on higher ground. There may well be disruption to some services, so we’re asking passengers to check National Rail Enquiries before they travel.”

Passengers due to travel on Monday (25 November) when the storm has passed should check their journey at www.nationalrail.co.uk before travelling.