New weather stations to help Welsh railways prepare for wetter winter

Ten weather stations installed along the Wales and Borders railway will help staff respond to storms amid forecasts of an increased chance of wetter and windier conditions this autumn and winter.

Network Rail has released details of the equipment following last week’s announcement of joint preparations with Transport for Wales, including temporary timetable changes and work to reduce flooding and leaf-related delays.

The stations measure rainfall, wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure, providing local readings from the railway itself.

Wales and Borders is the first Network Rail route to mount the equipment on existing railway radio masts. These carry the GSM-R system, which allows train drivers and railway control staff to communicate.

Using the masts gives the instruments the height they need without building separate structures.

The investment follows a succession of storms that have disrupted services. Between February 2023 and January 2026, 25 named storms affected the route.

For storms where complete figures were available, Network Rail recorded an average of more than 38 hours of train delays and £179,000 in costs associated with disruption.

Storm Darragh was the most costly, at £1.3 million. Winds reached 93mph at Capel Curig when the storm hit on December 6 and 7, 2024, with fallen trees and debris disrupting services across Wales.

The new stations are at Whitland, Llantwit, Cilmeri, St George’s, Trewyn, Craven Arms, Gobowen, Glantwymyn, Llanrwst and Buckley.

The sites were chosen to fill gaps in monitoring and provide readings from areas vulnerable to severe weather.

Network Rail already uses forecasts from specialist company MetDesk. The equipment, developed by Ninehundred Communications Group, will supplement those forecasts with measurements taken along the railway.

The readings will help staff review the weather limits that trigger safety measures, such as track inspections and speed restrictions. The aim is to target those measures more closely to where they are needed and avoid unnecessary disruption elsewhere.

Daniel Booth, Network Rail Wales and Borders’ head of operational weather strategy, said: “Autumn is always one of the most challenging periods of the year for the railway, and a huge amount of preparation goes into reducing the impact on passengers and freight customers.”

He added: “By learning from events like Storm Darragh and working closely with our weather forecasting partners, we can make better-informed decisions, respond earlier to changing conditions and ultimately help keep the railway running safely and reliably.”

The preparations come after the Met Office’s long-range outlook indicated an increased chance of wetter and windier conditions through late autumn and early winter.

El Niño was identified as one of several global weather patterns that could influence conditions in the UK.

Likely patterns

Speaking as the preparations were announced, Sarah Davies, the Met Office’s head of environment and energy, said: “While its impact on the UK is less direct than in some other parts of the world, it can increase the likelihood of wetter conditions during late autumn and early winter.”

She stressed that seasonal forecasts indicate likely patterns over several months, rather than predicting exactly when or where severe weather will occur.

TfW introduced temporary autumn timetable changes on selected routes on October 10, with some services leaving a few minutes earlier than usual. The changes run until December 4.

Network Rail is also deploying four specialist trains to clear slippery leaf residue from rails, alongside drainage improvements, work on trackside trees and vegetation, and 10 dedicated autumn response teams.

Passengers can check revised departure times at tfw.wales or through the TfW app.