Severe Weather Forces Rail Shutdowns Across Cumbria and Lancashire
Rail passengers are being advised to prepare for disruption across parts of Cumbria and Lancashire on Sunday as severe weather moves into the region.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind and rain in Cumbria from 18:00 GMT on Saturday through to 18:00 on Monday. This will escalate to an amber warning for parts of the county between 06:00 and 18:00 on Sunday. While rainfall is expected to ease overnight, the warning will come back into force for the same hours on Monday.
In response to the forecast conditions, trains will operate at reduced speeds in some areas on Sunday and Monday to help ensure the safety of passengers and staff. As an additional precaution, no passenger services will run from the start of service on Sunday until 18:00 on Monday on a number of routes, and no rail replacement services will be provided during this period.
The lines affected by the suspension are Carlisle to Carnforth, Oxenholme to Windermere, Carnforth to Skipton, Carlisle to Skipton, Barrow to Lancaster and Preston, Corkickle to Barrow, and Lancaster to Morecambe.
Network Rail said safety measures will continue to be reviewed as conditions develop, with plans adjusted if necessary in response to the weather.
Phil James, North West route director, said:
"We are expecting extremely heavy rain and winds in Cumbria and parts of Lancashire, which could disrupt the railway. Our top priority is keeping passengers and staff safe, and we’re working hard behind the scenes to prepare. Teams are carrying out extra inspections and putting contingency plans in place, with staff ready to respond quickly to flooding. We’ll be monitoring conditions closely and doing everything we can to keep people moving safely.”
Andy McClements, Customer Experience and Transformation Director at TransPennine Express, said:
“With poor weather forecast, we are asking all customers planning to travel through Cumbria to check carefully before heading to the station, as we will be running an amended timetable. We also expect that many of our services we are able to run in the area will be disrupted - often at short notice. Trains that do run are likely to extremely busy given the time of year and the reduced number of services in operation.”
Image: Network Rail