Train services in many parts of Britain are being reduced in preparation for the arrival of Storm Goretti.

There are amber snow warnings affecting Wales, the Midlands, the South West and Yorkshire & Humber, while an amber wind warning has been issued for Cornwall, where gusts could reach 145km/h (90mph) this afternoon.

Earlier heavy falls of snow are still causing problems for ScotRail passengers in parts of the Highlands. Buses are replacing most trains on the Far North Line if roads prove to be passable, and snowploughs are at work clearing the line to Wick. LNER services are returning gradually between Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

In England, conditions are expected to become severe from around 15.00, and yellow warnings of snow, ice and rain have been issued in most areas, with the rough weather continuing until tomorrow morning.

Welsh routes likely to affected include Bidston-Wrexham, Llandudno-Blaenau Ffestiniog, Swansea-Shrewsbury, Carmarthen-Whitland/Pembroke Dock/Milford Haven/Fishguard Harbour, and between Treherbert and Cardiff Central.

Nearly all train operators are advising passengers that services could become badly disrupted after the storm arrives, and to postpone their journeys if they can.

TransPennine Express will be suspending services between Manchester and Sheffield from 18.00 tonight until Saturday, and GWR will not be running between Oxford and Hereford this evening.

The weather is also disrupting international services because of wintry conditions on the continent, and Eurostar is warning that ‘severe delays and last-minute cancellations’ may affect trains from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Railway staff are busy preparing for the storm. Network Rail said the staff are clearing and gritting platforms, organising extra runs of Snow and Ice Treatment Trains and snow ploughs, arranging chainsaw gangs to be on duty through the storm to remove blockages, checking tunnels for low-hanging icicles, inspecting key drainage sites, checking point heaters and making contingency plans for altered timetables.

Network Rail regional director Jake Kelly said: ‘Thousands of railway colleagues will do everything they can to keep the railway running across the country on Thursday night and Friday morning, but even with their best efforts we are concerned that the scale of the storm means there may still be some disruption in some areas.

‘While Storm Goretti is forecast to impact most of Britain, there are some areas that could be more affected than others, so our best advice to customers is simply to arm themselves with the best information they can, from National Rail or their operators.

‘In the meantime, we are working hard to get the network as best prepared as we can so we can keep rail customers moving.’

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