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Friday 23 Oct 2026

Storm Boelo weekend rail travel advice in Lancashire and Cumbria

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

Rail passengers using the West Coast Main Line and routes in Lancashire and Cumbria are being advised to check before they travel during stormy weather this weekend.

Storm Boelo is forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds to the North West of England and Scotland on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October.

Network Rail teams are ready to respond to incidents caused by the extreme weather at key locations on the West Coast Main Line, North West and Cumbrian rail routes over the coming days.

This includes monitoring areas which could see flash flooding of tracks, or trees being blown onto the network causing disruption.

With the unpredictability of exactly where the weather will strike, people are being advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they set off on their journey.

Those living by the railway are also being advised to tether down any loose items in their gardens like furniture, fencing and trampolines which can be blown onto tracks by gale-force winds.

Ross Davies, Network Rail North West network operations director, said: “Our team in the control centre and also out on track are ready to deal with the weekend’s stormy weather, but the high winds and heavy rain are likely to cause short notice cancellations to trains.

“While we are as prepared as we can be, I’d ask the same of anyone planning to travel over the next few days and urge that they regularly check National Rail Enquiries before they set out on their journey so they aren't caught out by the storm.

“Also if you live by the railway please tie down any loose garden items - it’s amazing what can be carried by a strong gust of wind and end up on the tracks - causing unnecessary delays for passengers and freight.”

The northern section of the Cumbrian Coast line between Whitehaven and Carlisle will be closed from 9pm on Saturday night due to high tides and strong winds.

Meanwhile north of Carlisle, routes in Scotland will see speed restrictions in place leading to reduced or cancelled train services.

• Read more: Storm Boelo: Rail lines to close as amber warning issued for Scotland

As well as checking National Rail Enquiries, passengers can also check the live disruption pages of their individual train operators for their specific travel advice, by clicking the links below:

• Avanti West Coast: Live train status
• Transpennine Express: Live travel updates
• Northern: Storm Austen and Storm Boelo travel advice

To learn more about how Network Rail deals with stormy weather you can visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/rail-travel/delays-explained/storms/