Storm Eunice: EMR advise customers to consider their travel arrangements

East Midlands Railway (EMR) is advising customers to consider travelling on Thursday and Saturday to avoid possible disruption from Friday’s Storm Eunice.

Due to the strong winds and rain, it is expected that there will be significant disruption on Friday across the network and trains will be required to travel much slower.

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

If customers can rearrange their travel plans, they may use their original February, Friday 18^th, ticket on EMR services for Thursday 17th or Saturday 19th instead. 

Customers who do need to travel on Friday 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 who would rather not travel, even on Thursday or Saturday, can claim a refund.

Matt Stacey, Head of Stations at East Midlands Railway, said: “We strongly advise customers who need to make a journey with us in the next few days to choose Thursday or Saturday. 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.

"However, we understand that not everyone can rearrange their travel plans and customers may still need to travel by rail. If this is the case, we suggest customers leave themselves plenty of extra time to reach their destination.”

Gary Walsh, East Midlands Route Director for Network Rail, said: “Running a railway through extreme weather is always a challenge. We have extra workers out on the network at key locations, ready to react quickly to Storm Eunice and keep passengers moving wherever it’s safe to do so. As the weather worsens, some journeys may take longer, so I’d advise passengers to check before travelling and allow plenty of time.”

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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