Rail passengers in many parts of Britain are being warned against travel on Saturday as Storm Darragh sweeps across the UK, with many lines blocked or running with speed restrictions.
Hundreds of flights across the country have been diverted or cancelled, with dozens of ferry crossings on the Irish Sea and in the Western Isle of Scotland also cancelled.
These are the key problem areas travellers should be aware of amid several ongoing weather warnings from the Met Office.
Rail
“Avoid travelling if possible,” is the advice from Great Western Railway (GWR). Many lines on the network linking London Paddington with the West of England and South Wales are closed, including Plymouth to Penzance and west from Cardiff to Swansea and on to Carmarthen.
Trains from Bristol are arriving up to 45 minutes behind schedule due to speed restrictions, resulting in cancellations of later services. GWR also issued a ‘do not travel’ notice for Sunday – but that is because of an expected shortage of train crew rather than bad weather. Anyone with a ticket for this weekend can use it on Monday.
At London Waterloo, fallen trees are blocking lines across the South Western Railway network. The train firm is warning of “major disruption” on the main lines to and from Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth.
Many Transport for Wales services are cancelled, including the Cambrian coastline, with severe disruption expected on other lines including Cardiff to Manchester.
Avanti West Coast has cancelled services between Chester and Holyhead along the North Wales coastline.
Elsewhere, speed restrictions will delay many journeys. Typically a limit of 50mph is set, which increases journey times significantly, leading to cancellations. The worry is that fallen trees and debris such as trampolines from people’s back gardens will block tracks.
CrossCountry, which connects the English regions and reaches into southern Scotland and South Wales, has cut many trains, including direct services from Newcastle to Reading, Gloucester to Cardiff and Cambridge to Stansted Airport.
ScotRail will not run…
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