Are trains running today? Which rail routes are cancelled due to snow and when the strikes are this week
The UK braces for a week of travel chaos as travelers are hit by a double whammy of train strikes and snow, causing massive travel disruptions.
Several railway companies are warning commuters against overnight train travel after snowfall across much of south-east England today.
The suspension comes after a weekend of travel chaos elsewhere in England and Scotland over the weekend and ahead of the final round of rail strikes, which will start tomorrow.
here I examines how rail traffic will be disrupted this week.
National Rail said snow and ice caused severe disruption across the south-east network on Sunday evening and delays would continue into Monday, “particularly in the morning”.
The first trains in each direction on all routes were canceled this morning to allow Network Rail to check that the tracks were clear of snow and ice, whilst also warning that many trains were misplaced due to last night’s snow.
This is what the major railway operators say:
c2c: advises passengers not to travel on its trains in the early hours of Monday morning due to security checks after yesterday’s bad weather.
East Midlands: A reduced timetable applies on the Sheffield/Nottingham/London route due to a low speed derailment near Market Harborough. It is unclear whether this was due to the weather.
Greater Anglia: Recommends passengers not to travel before 8am.
Great North: A statement said: “Services are subject to late notification or cancellation. This applies to most routes in our network. We recommend that you allow more time for the journey and consider an alternative route if your intended train is affected.”
island line: The cancellations affect Ryde Esplanade/Ryde St. Johns Road and Shanklin. The operator blames the lack of staff and not the weather.
LNER: Some services are canceled early due to a lack of train staff, not weather.
Scotland: Minor delays between Anniesland and Glasgow Queen Street.
Southeast: Passengers are advised not to travel and are warned that some routes will be suspended until later today. They added: “The early service is canceled due to snow and ice on the route and we are unable to provide a replacement bus service due to road conditions.”
South: The operator has said: “Services will be delayed or cancelled. This applies to most routes in our network. We recommend that you allow more time for the journey and consider an alternative route if your intended train is affected.”
Südwestbahn: No update this morning, but last night it said: “We expect possible delays, revisions and cancellations to affect train services from the start of operations”.
Thames link: They said the storm froze materials needed for engineering work over the weekend, meaning it would take longer to complete and affect some services.
West Midlands Railway: A disruption on a train has resulted in cancellations of services between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town.
The railway workers’ union RMT has announced strikes on four dates this week:
- Tuesday and Wednesday, 13.-14. December
- Friday and Saturday, 16.-17. December
These are the latest strikes in a longstanding dispute over wages and working conditions. Previous RMT strikes have caused significant disruption to routes and Network Rail is advising people not to travel by rail on these days unless absolutely necessary.
It said trains would be busier, likely to start later and finish earlier, and in some places there would be no services at all. Travelers are advised to check with railway companies for route information.
