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A warning has been issued of major travel disruption to anyone travelling on the West Coast main line between Scotland and England, and also on Cumbrian branch lines. Passengers journeys will be affected by severe weather in the next few days. Tracks are at risk of flooding due to torrential rain in Cumbria and on cross-border routes, 100mm of rain is forecast to fall over the next 24 hours in some areas tonight.
Emergency speed restrictions by Network Rail will be in place this evening from 7pm Wednesday 27th October to 8am Friday 29 October on the following routes to allow the passengers and freight to move safely.
- West Coast main line between Carnforth and Shap
- Cumbrian Coast line between Carnforth and Whitehaven
- Lakes line between Oxenholme and Windermere
- Settle to Carlisle line between Settle and Carnforth
The railway network is being checked by special weather forecasters from Network Rail, so as soon as any incidents happen, their frontline response teams can be ready to take action.
Reduced services will be run by TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast, and both are issuing advice not to travel during the severe weather. Advice has also been issued by Network Rail Scotland to its own passengers regarding the severe weather and the impact it could have on journeys. Everyone who travels on the affected routes is advised their journeys will take longer than usual over the next few days.
Please check the National Rail Website before travelling to see the latest information on the weather and the effect on journeys.
Phil James, managing director for Network Rail's North West route, said: “Safety is our priority and we constantly monitor the weather to react to what mother nature throws at the railway.”
“As the current forecast is for torrential rain our specialist extreme weather action teams are on standby to immediately deal with any flooding. I understand that speed limits can be frustrating and will mean longer journey times for people, but we have to put them in place to keep passengers and freight moving safely.”
“I'd urge everyone planning to travel on the West Coast main line or on the Cumbrian branch lines over the coming days to please check National Rail Enquiries for the latest travel information.”
Gus Dunster, executive director of operations and safety at Avanti West Coast, said: “Due to the heavy rain forecast, we'll be operating an amended timetable to and from Scotland on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 October. As we're expecting disruption to our services customers travelling north of Preston on these dates are advised not to travel and instead amend their journey or claim a fee-free refund from their point of purchase.!
“We are working closely with Network Rail and TransPennine Express to monitor the weather and recommend customers check the National Rail Enquiries website for the latest updates.”
Matthew Golton, managing director for TransPennine Express, said: “It is likely that heavy rainfall and severe weather conditions will cause significant disruption to our West Coast main line services over the next few days and we are advising customers not to travel on this route unless their journey is absolutely necessary.”
“The safety of our customers is our number one priority, and we will continue to monitor the situation with Network Rail over the next few days. Anyone that experiences a delay may be entitled to compensation with more information available at: www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/delay-repay-compensation.”
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Does the West Coast Main Line always suffer with floods just like other major railway lines.