Storm Eunice: EMR ask customers to not travel tomorrow

Thursday, 17 February 2022

  • EMR issue Do Not Travel message to customers for tomorrow
  • Customers who have tickets for Friday can use them for Saturday or today
  • Customers urged to complete their journey today if possible

East Midlands Railway (EMR) is advising customers to not travel tomorrow due to the possible severe disruption Storm Eunice will cause.

The Met Office has issued a rare Red Weather Warning as Storm Eunice is expected to bring extremely strong winds and continued disruption for much of the UK on Friday - with damage to buildings being likely and with roofs blown off and power lines brought down.

Roads and bridges are also likely to close, its is possible that there will be many falling branches and some uprooted trees too.

These conditions will cause significant disruption across the railway network and trains will be required to travel much slower.

There will also be significantly fewer trains on some routes and journey times will be significantly increased - with some journeys taking up to twice as long to complete.

Customers for whom it is vital that they travel tomorrow should check EMR’s website before setting off.

EMR will do everything it can to offer alternative routes during times of unplanned disruption, however customers should keep in mind that other rail routes are likely to be also affected and road conditions may restrict its ability to respond to incidents with Rail Replacement buses and other road transport.

Customers with tickets for Friday and are not travelling can claim a refund.

Matt Stacey, Head of Stations at East Midlands Railway, said: “As the storm strength and potential impact becomes clearer, we are now strongly advising customers to not travel at all tomorrow.

"We also urge customers to try and complete their journeys today - if possible.

"The strength of Storm Eunice will mean that on Friday there is likely to be widespread disruption to services across the country’s rail network.

"If customers absolutely need to travel we suggest they check our website for the latest information before setting off. They should also leave themselves plenty of extra time to reach their destination."

More information about how services are affected by Storm Eunice can be found on EMR’s website or by following the company's Twitter account.

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