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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Will Hayward & John Jones

Storm Eunice: The list of rail service disruptions and changes in Wales this weekend

Rail companies in Wales have announced changes to their weekend services following Storm Eunice.

All rail services in Wales were suspended on Friday to ensure the safety of passengers and staff after a red weather warning was issued for parts of the country.

The decision, which was made jointly by Network Rail and train operators, also meant that no rail replacement services were put on offer as roads were also heavily impacted by the weather.

Read more: Storm Eunice: Asda store evacuated after roof is blown loose

After the storm battered Wales on Friday, disruption on the trains is expected to continue into the weekend, with work to be done to repair some of the damage caused by the wind - which reached speeds of 90mph in some areas.

Transport for Wales have confirmed that their services will resume on Saturday (19 February) but have urged customers to check before they travel.

While plans are in place for services to restart Saturday, customers are being asked to monitor the latest travel information because damage and disruption caused by the storm will not be fully known until assessments have been made.

Additionally, services will restart later than the normal timetable, so that damage assessments and repair work can take place during daylight hours, while some rail replacement options will be available for a handful of services.

As of 8.30am on Saturday there were replacement bus services on the following lines:

  • Wrexham - Bidston
  • Swansea - Shrewsbury (Heart of Wales)
  • Pwllheli - Machynlleth
  • Llandudno - Blaenau Ffestiniog

Every single other service was listed as "check before travel". You can follow updates on our live blog here.

Great Western Railway have said that their services will be disrupted while Network Rail engineers work to clear debris from the track and make sure it is safe to travel.

At time of writing (8.30am on February 19) all services by GWR are cancelled.

The operator advised customers to check before they travel in the morning and consider delaying their journeys. They added that tickets will be valid for later in the day and for travel up to and including Monday the 21st of February. The latest updates are available via their website and social media platforms.

On Friday night , Avanti West Coast said that, while they expect services to be running on Saturday, they are not sure which services these will be. As of 8.30am on February 19 these services have not resumed.

In a statement, Transport for Wales said: "Customers making journeys on Saturday may find either their expected journey is difficult to complete or journey times are extended due to speed restrictions that will remain in place due to the weather forecast for tomorrow.

"There will be a small minority of services that will be replaced by road transport due to the damage from Storm Eunice. There will also be very limited road transport options and services will be subject to short-notice alterations. Customers are therefore being encouraged to check before they travel.

"Saturday and Sunday are expected to be busy with additional customers unable to travel today (Friday 18th February) following Storm Eunice. TfW will be providing additional capacity on services wherever possible.

"For customers with tickets to travel on Saturday (19th), TfW is accepting those tickets on Sunday 20th and Monday 21st. Customers do not need to change or amend tickets, simply show original tickets to staff when required."

Martyn Brennan, Operations Director at Transport for Wales, added: “The safety of our customers and our colleagues remains our absolute priority and we must ensure the network is safe to operate services. Because of the extreme weather caused by Storm Eunice, a lot of the inspection work won’t be able to take place until Saturday morning, which will mean that services will begin to restart later than normal.

“The clear message to all our customers is to check before you travel to ensure the service is operating. Because of the continued weather forecast, all services will also be operating at a reduced speed, so please allow plenty of time to make journeys. I’d like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience.”

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