ScotRail


has
cancelled
all
trains
tomorrow
in
the
face
of
a
predicted
storm
which
could
include
gusts
of
160km/h.

The
effects
of
Storm
Éowyn
are
now
likely
to
be
worse
than
had
been
thought,
and
the
Met
Office
has
issued
an
upgraded
red
warning
for
much
of
Scotland
which
includes
the
central
belt
as
well
as
the
Borders,
Fife,
Tayside
and
the
south
west
towards
Carlisle.

ScotRail
service
delivery
director
Mark
Ilderton
said:
‘The
Met
Office
weather
warnings
for
very
high
winds
across
the
country
mean
that
it
will
not
be
safe
for
our
customers
and
our
staff,
and
all
ScotRail
train
services
will
be
suspended
on
Friday.

‘We
recognise
the
impact
that
the
withdrawal
of
train
services
will
have
on
customers,
but
our
first
priority
is
always
to
ensure
the
safety
of
staff
and
passengers
–
and
this
is
a
necessary
step
to
ensure
everyone’s
safety
during
the
severe
weather.

‘Our
colleagues
at
Network
Rail
Scotland
will
be
working
flat
out
once
the
worst
of
the
weather
passes,
to
carry
out
safety
checks
and
assess
what
repairs
are
required
to
reopen
the
railway.

‘We
will
update
our
website,
mobile
app,
and
social
media
feeds
with
the
latest
travel
advice,
and
customers
should
check
for
further
updates
before
they
attempt
to
travel
on
Saturday
morning.’

There
are
also
warnings
of
severe
weather
south
of
the
border.
Trains
will
be
cancelled
north
of
Newcastle
from
11.00
onwards,
and
northbound
passengers
are
being
urged
not
to
try
to
travel
beyond
York.

There
will
be
no
trains
on
the
West
Coast
Main
Line
north
of
Preston
between
03.00
and
22.00
tomorrow,
and
some
exposed
platforms
at
Preston
may
be
closed
for
safety
reasons.

Trains
will
be
cancelled
on
the
Settle
&
Carlisle
and
Cumbrian
Coast
lines,
and
on
the
branches
to
Windermere
and
Morecambe,
from
03.00
tomorrow
morning
until
12
noon
on
Saturday.
The
line
from
Carnforth
towards
Settle
will
also
be
closed
during
this
time.

Passengers
on
Merseyrail
are
being
advised
to
check
before
they
travel.

National
Rail
tickets
for
Friday
are
being
accepted
today
and
through
to
Monday
to
allow
passengers
to
avoid
the
worst
of
the
storm.

Network
Rail
operations
director
Sam
MacDougall
said:
‘Storm
Éowyn
will
bring
high
winds
which
will
have
an
effect
on
our
ability
to
run
trains
on
the
East
Coast
Main
Line
and
in
the
North
East.

‘This
weather
arrives
just
before
our
engineering
work
on
the
south
end
of
the
East
Coast
Main
Line,
with
no
trains
to
or
from
King’s
Cross
at
the
weekend,
so
passengers
are
urged
to
travel
early,
today
if
they
can,
to
avoid
being
further
affected
after
the
worst
of
the
storm
has
passed.

‘The
decision
to
tell
passengers
not
to
travel
is
not
taken
lightly,
but
given
Friday’s
forecast
it’s
the
best
way
of
keeping
people
safe.’

Transport
for
Wales
operations
director
Sarah
Higgins
said:
‘It’s
so
important
for
our
customers
to
plan
ahead
when
looking
to
travel
this
Friday.

‘While
we’ve
made
a
number
of
changes
to
our
services
based
on
detailed
forecasts,
storms
can
still
be
unpredictable.

‘We’ve
seen
the
impact
storms
can
have,
with
damage
to
trains
and
infrastructure
sometimes
taking
weeks
or
months
to
repair,
so
our
cross-industry
approach
will
hopefully
limit
that
and
keep
our
colleagues
and
customers
safe.
We
apologise
to
customers
for
any
disruption
to
their
journeys
as
a
result.’

Train
operators
have
warned
that
changes
to
services
have
already
started,
and
that
further
alterations
could
be
expected
at
short
notice
once
the
storm
arrives.

Meanwhile,
people
living
near
railway
lines
are
being
urged
to
tie
down
loose
garden
items,
like
trampolines
or
gazebos,
which
could
blow
on
to
the
railway.
If
this
happens,
they
could
cause
further
delays
to
trains.

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in
the
next
print
edition
RN336,
published
13
February.