Storm Eunice: Passengers advised not to travel on the East Coast Main Line: Tree fallen on overhead electric wires near Peterborough

Thursday 17 Feb 2022

Storm Eunice: Passengers advised not to travel on the East Coast Main Line

Region & Route:
Eastern
| Eastern: East Coast
  • Rail passengers are advised not to travel on the East Coast Main Line on Friday 18 February
  • Storm Eunice is set to bring strong winds and heavy rain, causing widespread disruption for the railway
  • Network Rail has extra workers ready to respond to issues at key locations

Rail passengers are being advised not to travel on the East Coast Main Line on Friday 18 February, as Network Rail prepares to respond to Storm Eunice.

Additional, trained workers have been deployed at key locations along the route to respond to issues quickly, as strong winds and heavy rain are expected to cause widespread disruption for the railway.

Fallen trees and other debris can blow onto the line, with the potential to damage train-powering electric wiring or block the track. As the Met Office has issued a rare Red Weather Warning, trains will need to run at lower speeds to be safe - and services will be significantly reduced.

Sarah Reid, East Coast Route Director for Network Rail, said: “Running a railway through extreme weather is always a challenge. We have extra workers out on the network at key locations, ready to react quickly to Storm Eunice and repair the railway wherever it’s safe to do so. As the weather worsens I’d advise passengers to avoid travelling on Friday and, wherever possible, try to replan your journey when conditions improve.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

  • For more information about how storms impact the railway – and how the railway prepares for these events, visit How storms and flooding affect the railway - Network Rail
  • Check before you travel: You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner. If you would like to follow this incident on Twitter, please use #StormDudley and #StormEunice
  • Some train companies are accepting tickets for different operators over the coming days. Customers are advised to check with their train company.
  • Some train companies are accepting tickets for equivalent services on other days beyond Thursday and Saturday. Customers are advised to check with their train company.
  • You may return an unused Ticket to the original retailer or Train Company from whom it was purchased, where you will be given a full refund with no administration fee charged, if you decide not to travel because the train you intended to use is: • cancelled, or • delayed, or • rescheduled from that in Published Timetable of the Day after you have purchased a Ticket or Tickets.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Louise Leighton
Media Relations Manager
Network Rail
07858 375508
louise.leighton2@networkrail.co.uk

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