Media centre

Friday 9 Jan 2026

Storm Goretti: Passengers in West Midlands urged not to travel following severe disruption

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Passengers in the West Midlands have been urged not to travel on the railway this morning following significant disruption caused by Storm Goretti.

Train services today (Friday 9 January) are extremely limited as a result of the weather conditions and many routes are closed.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning across the West Midlands which remains in place until midday.

Network Rail teams are concentrating on safely reopening routes for passengers in a priority order. The aim is to reopen the following routes by midday at the earliest:

1. Stafford – Birmingham – Rugby
2. Birmingham – Marylebone
3. Birmingham – Derby
4. Birmingham – Bromsgrove (and to the South West)

Every effort is being made to reopen other routes however this is subject to further inspections.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "The weather brought by Storm Goretti has caused significant disruption across the West Midlands rail network.

"We are urging passengers not to travel on the train if at all possible. We will provide updates throughout the day and hope to have more services running by midday."

Snow and ice can make it difficult for trains to run safely. In very cold weather, snow and ice can build up on the tracks blocking points, the equipment that allows trains to move between tracks.

Ice can coat the overhead power cables, preventing trains from drawing the power they need to run and leaving them stranded. Icicles on tunnels, bridges and other structures can also damage trains and overhead power cables.

For up-to-date travel information and detail on alternative travel please check www.nationalrail.co.uk.