Storm-damaged railway repaired at St Albans ahead of Storm Eunice: Tree on line at St Albans

Friday 18 Feb 2022

Storm-damaged railway repaired at St Albans ahead of Storm Eunice

Region & Route:
Eastern
| Eastern: East Midlands
  • Network Rail has repaired the storm-damaged railway at St Albans
  • Engineers worked over two nights to remove the fallen tree and fix the electric wiring
  • Rail passengers are reminded not to travel today (Friday 18 February) as Storm Eunice causes widespread disruption

Network Rail has repaired the railway at St Albans after a tree fell onto the electric wires during the gusts of Storm Dudley.

While the large tree was removed just after 11pm on Wednesday (16 February), engineers needed to work in calmer conditions to complete repairs to the train-powering electric wires. Teams worked tirelessly through Thursday (17 February) night to successfully restore the railway.

The repairs have been made ahead of Storm Eunice, which is expected to bring strong winds, heavy rain, and widespread disruption for the railway. Passengers in the East Midlands are reminded not to travel by train today and to replan their journeys when conditions improve.

Steve Hopkinson, East Midlands Operations Director for Network Rail said: “Completing these repairs before the worst of Storm Eunice has been essential for our plans to keep passengers moving when the bad weather lifts – so I’m pleased we’ve been able to repair the railway at St Albans overnight.

“I’d like to thank passengers for bearing with us and remind them to avoid travelling across our region today.”

ENDS

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