Train services in parts of England and Wales remain disrupted following Storm Darragh, with several lines closed due to fallen trees and debris. Great Western Railway said passengers should “not attempt to travel” between Swansea and Carmarthen until at least noon, or on the Looe, St Ives and Gunnislake branch lines in Cornwall until at least 11am.
The Barnstaple and Okehampton branch lines in Devon are expected to be open by 8am following safety checks. Westbury and Chippenham stations in Wiltshire have reopened following storm damage, and services have resumed on the Falmouth branch line in Cornwall.
Passengers who choose not to travel on Monday can claim a full refund on their ticket or travel on Tuesday. Damage caused by Storm Darragh means the railway line between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent remains closed.
This is affecting London Northwestern Railway services between Stafford and Crewe, and CrossCountry trains connecting Manchester Piccadilly with stations such as Paignton, Bournemouth, Southampton Central, Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street. London Northwestern Railway passengers can use rail replacement transport between Wolverhampton and Crewe.
Affected CrossCountry services will be diverted via Crewe and will not call at Stoke-on-Trent or Macclesfield. Rail replacement transport is operating between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
Transport for Wales said all railway lines are blocked on 11 routes, such as between Swansea and Milford Haven, between Swansea and Shrewsbury, between Birmingham International and Shrewsbury, and between Chester and Holyhead.
Following major disruption from Storm Darragh over the weekend, National Rail Enquiries warned “services may be busier than normal today and experience severe overcrowding”.
West Midlands Railway is unable to operate on the line serving Bromsgrove, Redditch, Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley because of damage to overhead electric wires.
Passengers were warned to expect cancellations and delays to train services on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Scotland early on Monday. Network Rail said this is because it is completing repairs to overhead line equipment in Polesworth, Warwickshire.
Services are being diverted via Birmingham while the work is taking place. Chris Baughan, Network Rail’s West Coast South route operations manager, said: “Storm Darragh has wreaked havoc on the railway this weekend and we are very sorry to passengers for the disruption to train services this morning on the West Coast Main Line as frontline teams continue with emergency repairs and the clean-up.
“Our engineers are working as fast as we can to stabilise a critical piece of the overhead line equipment in Polesworth. We are asking passengers to check before they travel as some morning journeys between London, the West Midlands, the North West and Scotland may take longer or have altered timetables.”