Heavy rain and strong winds expected over this weekend - Storm Bert

Updated: 22 November 2024

High winds & heavy rain this weekend - Check before you travel

Strong winds can blow trees or other objects onto the railway infrastructure. When the risk of this happening is very high, such as during Storm Bert, blanket speed restrictions can be applied to some or all of our network. This is to minimise the likelihood of trains running into obstacles at speed and is important from a safety perspective. Unfortunately, if trains have to run at a slower speed than normal, we will usually have to reduce the number of trains that we can run, and trains that do run can have their end-to-end journey times significantly extended.

This weekend's storm has coincided with the height of the Autumn period when trees are shedding their leaves.

There are millions of trees on and next to the railway in Britain and, every autumn, thousands of tonnes of leaves fall onto the tracks. Windy conditions, such as we are experiencing this weekend, can cause heavy leaf-fall in a short space of time and rain means they are more likely to stick to the rails. When trains pass over leaves, the heat and weight of the trains bake them into a thin, slippery layer on the rail. This is equivalent to black ice on the roads.

Slippery rails make it hard for trains to accelerate and brake effectively. Safety is our priority, so when this happens, drivers have to pull out of stations more slowly and brake much earlier for stations and signals to make sure they stop in time. This can lead to longer journey times and delays.

A build-up of leaves on the tracks can also cause delays by forming a barrier between the train wheels and the electrical parts of the track that help us to pin-point where trains are. When we aren’t sure exactly where a train is, the trains behind will be delayed at red signals until the first train’s location is established so our control rooms can be confident there is always a safe distance between trains.

How does this affect our services?

With our colleagues at Network Rail, we constantly monitor the impact of weather events. If it becomes necessary we will proactively and reactively take action to ensure that we can continue to safely run trains, while minimising any risks to our customers and colleagues.

If it becomes necessary, blanket speed restrictions could be applied across some or all of our network. If that happens, some trains will take longer to complete their journeys and it is inevitable that there will be delays and cancellations.

It is possible that storm damage could mean that the railway lines become blocked by fallen trees or other obstacles. If that happens we will not be able to run trains through the affected area(s) until the lines have reopened. This could take some time. Where we can, we will divert trains around the affected area, however the nature of our route means that opportunities to divert trains are limited.

If it becomes too dangerous to run trains safely, we could issue a 'Do Not Travel' message. If this happens, we will provide clear guidance on what has happened and what it means for our customers.

Late notice changes and updates

During severe weather, railway operations can deteriorate very quickly. For example, we have previously had to close the network at short notice when several serious incidents occurred within minutes of each other, at widespread geographical locations, including the roof of a building blowing onto the railway.

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