Widespread alterations to rail services planned ahead of Storm Eowyn

Transport for Wales and Network Rail are urging all customers to check before they travel on Friday morning and into the weekend with weather warnings in place across the country.

With Storm Eowyn set to hit Wales and winds reaching 90mph on Friday morning, customers should expect disruptions and are strongly urged to check before they travel.

There will be alterations to rail services, replacement road transport on certain routes and blanket speed restrictions at some locations, meaning journeys could take longer than usual.

Stand by buses are being planned at key locations around the network in preparation for travel disruption.

Disruption

Across Wales and the Borders, Network Rail have positioned response teams to address any storm related problems to keep disruption to a minimum.

TfW 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.”

Network Rail Wales & Borders Operations Director Rachel Heath added: “Our priority is always keeping safe everyone who travels and works on the railway.

“Unfortunately, there will be some delays and cancellations on Friday, as trains will not run on some lines and there will speed restrictions on other parts of the route.

“We are working closely with our train operator colleagues to ensure we can safely reopen affected lines as quickly as possible and urge passengers to check before they travel.”

Rail service changes

No services to run on the Conwy Valley Line all day, with replacement road transport in place.

No services to run on the Heart of Wales line all day, with replacement road transport in place.

Speed restrictions at various locations around the network, meaning some journeys will take longer than usual. These include:

50mph speed restrictions imposed from 0200 to 1500 Friday on the North Wales Coast – Bodorgan to Llandudno Junction.

50mph restrictions from 0200 to 1200 between Carmarthen to Kidwelly.

50mph restrictions from 0200 to 1200 between Neath and Swansea.

50mph restrictions from 0100 – 0800 between Newport and Llanwern.

TfW will honour tickets for customers who have connecting tickets for the following operators who have suspended services due to the adverse weather conditions dated 24 January on either Thursday 23 January or up to and including Tuesday 28 January:

London Northeastern Railway

LUMO

TransPennine Express

Northern

Grand Central

Avanti