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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Ethan Davies

Passengers warned NOT to travel amid Storm Franklin

Passengers are continuing to face chaos on the rails this morning with the arrival of Storm Franklin.

Both rail and tram bosses are asking the public to only travel if it’s absolutely necessary today.

It’s all because of the yellow weather warning for wind and rain issued for Greater Manchester today, brought about by Storm Franklin.

READ MORE: River hits highest-ever level and hundreds of homes at risk of flooding amid 'danger to life' warnings

Some disruption is also down to the effects of Storm Eustice, which ravaged our region last week.

Here’s what Transport for Greater Manchester advises travellers to do on Monday.

“Disruption to travel and transport is expected until Monday, February 21, as Storm Franklin hits the Greater Manchester region,” a statement issued at 5.50pm said.

“Currently, a severe flood warning is in place for East and West Didsbury and Northenden. A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for rain and wind today.

“High winds present the risk of debris being blown onto roads or tracks. Debris, such as trees, can block rail or Metrolink lines until they can be safely removed and, in some cases, debris can cause damage to overhead wires and lineside equipment.

“With the storm likely to cause disruption to public transport networks through delayed or cancelled services, passengers are being asked to think before they travel and consider whether their journey is necessary.

“If you need to travel, please check with your operator close to the time of your departure and plan ahead to take into account potential disruptions and reduced timetables.”

Northern Rail/Transpennine Express

As of 7:30am, the railway between Sheffield and Stockport has been blocked by multiple fallen trees.

Trains from Manchester Victoria to Leeds via Todmorden are now terminating at Rochdale due to heavy flooding.

Services from Piccadilly to Stalybridge are also set to be delayed by 10 minutes with signalling problems, and those from the city centre hub to the airport have been cancelled entirely after a tree came down in Gatley.

Passengers can use tickets on the Metrolink between the airport and Piccadilly instead.

Avanti

Further afield, Avanti West Coast passengers are being asked to delay their journeys until after 10am this morning.

Another fallen tree between Stockport and Macclesfield means trains won’t be running to the Cheshire town, calling at Crewe instead.

CrossCountry

CrossCountry trains from Manchester to Bournemouth will also run late due to speed restrictions.

More updates

You can get more information on bus changes through TfGM’s twitter.

For Metrolink updates, please check the live tram status page and follow @MCRMetrolink on twitter.

A live list of rail disruption can be found on National Rail’s website.

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