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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Saffron Otter

Rail companies warn passengers not to travel on some lines as Storm Eunice travel disruption continues

Travel disruption caused by Storm Eunice will continue into Saturday as the clean-up begins from the deadly storm.

Many train services will remain suspended on Saturday morning and 'do not travel' notices have been reissued for a number of services, according to National Rail Enquiries.

National Rail said “routes across most of Great Britain” remain affected.

A do not travel notice was reissued for the Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern networks for Saturday morning where some routes are expected not to reopen until the afternoon.

Northern has shared a series of tweets about disrupted services.

Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between Macclesfield and Stoke-On-Trent, the line is blocked and therefore trains cancelled, with a replacement rail in place.

They also advised passengers to not travel to or from Preston, as services remain disrupted.

CrossCountry Trains has asked passengers not to travel on Saturday “following cancelled strike action”.

The provider wrote on Twitter: “Saturday 19 February - a severely amended and reduced timetable operates. Do not travel today.”

TransPennine Express services have resumed today but as they continue to recover from the damage caused by strong winds on the West Coast Main Line, they have strongly advised customers not to travel on this route.

On other TPE routes, there may be some knock-on delays and cancellations, they warned.

Manchester Piccadilly advised travellers to check with National Rail for enquiries this morning, asking passengers to stay 'safe, be patient, and kind'.

Meanwhile, South Western Railway expects significant disruption across their network in the morning, while Great Western Railway and Greater Anglia services are suspended until approximately 10am.

Passengers are still being asked to avoid travelling where possible.

As of early Saturday morning the National Rail website still listed no services for: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, Grand Central, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express, South Western Railway, Stansted Express and Transport for Wales.

A special notice at Charing Cross station informs passengers that all Southeastern train services have been suspended on Friday (Getty Images)

The storm on Friday caused travel chaos, with hundreds of rail lines blocked and road bridges closed.

National Rail confirmed a tree had fallen on the line between Manchester and Stockport, which caused delays to all services.

Do not travel alerts were issued across railways in England and Wales, as seven operators suspended all services, with footage showing a building roof being blown onto tracks.

The train operators which stopped running all services on Friday afternoon were: c2c, Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, South Western Railway, Southeastern and Transport for Wales.

Network Rail stopped all trains running in and out of London Euston and Preston train station also closed to passengers, with rail engineers inspecting sections of metal roof panelling that came off due to the winds.

The RAC said the number of call-outs to broken-down vehicles was lower than normal, indicating that many people were “taking the weather warnings seriously and not setting out”.

It added: “The fact many roads are so clear is a sign that today is not a safe day to be driving.”

Several people died across the country in tragic incidents related to the storm.

A woman in her 30s was killed after a tree fell on a car in north London, a man in his 50s died in Merseyside after debris hit the windscreen of a vehicle he was travelling in, and a man in his 20s has died in Hampshire after a car collided with a tree.

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