Storm Isha may affect your journey in parts of England, Scotland and Wales on Sunday 21 and Monday 22 January

[Bletchleyite]

Was going to London today but decided not to just in case. However both trains I would have used (the options from Bletchley and Aylesbury Vale) have both run on time!

 

[TUC]

As far as I can see on RTT, all Scotrail services all day have been removed from the timetable today.

I can see they need to check the lines but, given that a range of LNER, Cross-Country and Avanti services are operating in Scotland this morning, cancelling the whole day looks rather extreme.

 

[Dan G]

So right now, ECML stopped north of Newcastle until 12pm, quite a lot of disruption around Carlisle, seems WCML is open as far as Carlisle and will open to Glasgow for 9am, some smaller lines in Wales closed until 9am, and problems in south London and around Basingstoke and Frimley.

Radio 4 just said "trains cannot run at more than 50 mph" but GWR says normal service.

Just finished work. 50mph blanket ESR in place.

Which region?

 

[MadCommuter]

I can see they need to check the lines but, given that a range of LNER, Cross-Country and Avanti services are operating in Scotland this morning, cancelling the whole day looks rather extreme.

Let's wait and see what the damage is. What I've seen so far includes 10 trees down in the Gartcosh area, a fence hanging over the railway at Glasgow Queen St low level and damaged wires at East Linton. And that's before route proving.

 

[TUC]

So right now, ECML stopped north of Newcastle until 12pm, quite a lot of disruption around Carlisle, seems WCML is open as far as Carlisle and will open to Glasgow for 9am, some smaller lines in Wales closed until 9am, and problems in south London and around Basingstoke and Frimley.

Radio 4 just said "trains cannot run at more than 50 mph" but GWR says normal service.


Which region?

RTT shows a range of LNER and Avanti services operating southbound from Edinburgh after 0800 (although not Cross Country, which is slightly odd given the similarity of routes in Scotland it covers compared to the others).

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I see all northbound Avanti services are running via the West Midlands (mostly via the Grand Junction route, avoiding New St).
Was that planned, or it is storm-related?

Realtime Trains | 1S42 0618 London Euston to Preston | 22/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 1S42 0618 departure from London Euston to Preston on 22/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[357]

Which region?

Huddersfield box was the only one I passed through that was sending the general broadcast every few minutes.

 

[Porty]

RTT shows a range of LNER and Avanti services operating southbound from Edinburgh after 0800 (although not Cross Country, which is slightly odd given the similarity of routes in Scotland it covers compared to the others).

Then RTT must be wrong. National Rail shows no departures or arrivals in Edinburgh for the next few hours. This matches with interviews on BBC Radio Scotland of all tracks in the whole of Scotland being checked in daylight and then routes opened one by one.

 

[dk1]

Luckily not so severe here in the east. Apart from the very first early morning trains that were used as route provers, Greater Anglia has a mere 3 cancellations currently across the entire network.

All EMR trains serving Norwich also running well so far.

 

[Porty]

Then RTT must be wrong. National Rail shows no departures or arrivals in Edinburgh for the next few hours. This matches with interviews on BBC Radio Scotland of all tracks in the whole of Scotland being checked in daylight and then routes opened one by one.

LNER app says 0608 Doncaster to Edinburgh will be terminated at Dunbar. If this actually happens then the East Coast (Lothian) X7 buses between Dunbar and Edinburgh appear to be running OK. However the Borders 253 can't reach Dunbar and Edinburgh from Berwick due to the A1 closure due to an overturned lorry.

 

[800001]

LNER app says 0608 Doncaster to Edinburgh will be terminated at Dunbar. If this actually happens then the East Coast (Lothian) X7 buses between Dunbar and Edinburgh appear to be running OK. However the Borders 253 can't reach Dunbar and Edinburgh from Berwick due to the A1 closure due to an overturned lorry.

lner have there own coaches organised to transport customers from Dunbar to Edinburgh.

Why so far? Were the planes scheduled to be going there next anyway? And what happens to the passengers ending up in Paris, Cologne or wherever?


For context, just how many train services do Scotrail operate on a 'normal' weekday? At the least, understand that most/all of their Monday morning timetable will be / has been binned off until lines can be properly inspected.

Planes were diverted to the nearest available airport that could accept them. BBC news stated all uk airports were full.

I notice that the 06:15 from King's Cross has set off for Edinburgh, due to arrive at 11:15 and is the earliest planned arrival into Edinburgh today

Set off by highly unlikely to reach Edinburgh. It’s shown as running as relying on updates from NWR. Worst case scenario it terminates at NCL or Dunbar.

 

[Failed Unit]

And, or course, if your flight is diverted the airline will feed, water and accommodate you until they can get you to your destination. Unlike rail companies, airlines don’t generally shrug their shoulders and say “we told you not to try travelling” while washing their hands of you.

Actually I have experience the airlines shrugging their shoulders and taking the life if tough approach as well. Then the court battles to get the compensation as it "extrodinary circumstances". If you see the pictures / reports at Heathrow everytime BA has an IT incident, you will see you are on your own. Other airlines are as bad....

You maybe are entitled to food, but getting it paid back is a challenge. same with hotels if all the ones anywhere near the airport are full you are sleeping on the terminal floor.

 

[The Planner]

I see all northbound Avanti services are running via the West Midlands (mostly via the Grand Junction route, avoiding New St).
Was that planned, or it is storm-related?

Realtime Trains | 1S42 0618 London Euston to Preston | 22/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 1S42 0618 departure from London Euston to Preston on 22/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Planned, part of Rugeley Colwich resig.

 

[800001]

I can see they need to check the lines but, given that a range of LNER, Cross-Country and Avanti services are operating in Scotland this morning, cancelling the whole day looks rather extreme.

Below text is taken from bbc news website at 08:20:-

Man dies after Storm Isha causes major travel disruption

An 84-year-old dies, some rail services remain off and thousands of homes are without power after Storm Isha.

www.bbc.co.uk

ScotRail's customer operations director Phil Campbell tells BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme train services are expected to reopen gradually between late morning and early afternoon.

He says services will remain suspended until Network Rail has inspected all the routes across the country for safety issues.

Teams worked through the night clearing debris from the lines. The work continues this morning.

“What they’ll be looking for is whether the overhead lines have been damaged, whether the track is safe and whether any debris has blown onto the rail estate,” says Campbell.

“Between Garrowhill and Easterhouse, there’s over ten trees alone that need to be cleared from the line - and those trees are also blocking the overheads.

“So, there’s a significant volume of work for our colleagues at Network Rail to work through this morning.”

Some services could run at reduced speeds and Campbell urges customers to check their journeys before travelling.

He adds: “As soon as routes become open, we’ll of course put that on our website and social media.

“The routes will open as it becomes safe to do so in stages this morning.”

 

[ChrisC]

Luckily not so severe here in the east. Apart from the very first early morning trains that were used as route provers, Greater Anglia has a mere 3 cancellations currently across the entire network.

All EMR trains serving Norwich also running well so far.

The same here. It’s been nowhere as severe as I had expected. It was certainly very wild and windy yesterday evening but nothing any worse than usual high winds during any winter. It certainly wasn't anywhere near as bad as the previous storms this winter which caused all the disruption on the ECML through Nottinghamshire. We have been lucky, but I realise how bad it has been in some other parts of the country. Thankfully there wasn’t too much rain and there doesn’t seem to be any further flooding around the East Midlands.

 

[dk1]

The same here. It’s been nowhere as severe as I had expected. It was certainly very wild and windy yesterday evening but nothing any worse than usual high winds during any winter. It certainly wasn't anywhere near as bad as the previous storms this winter which caused all the disruption on the ECML through Nottinghamshire. We have been lucky, but I realise how bad it has been in some other parts of the country. Thankfully there wasn’t too much rain and there doesn’t seem to be any further flooding around the East Midlands.

A couple of high rivers/broads near me but nothing major. Bin day today so secured everything last night and out early to check on those and any fencing. I try to keep everything in good order so once again all is well.

 

[jfollows]

The same here. It’s been nowhere as severe as I had expected.

It was almost trivial here in Wilmslow too, a bit gusty for sure but nothing dreadful. But that's always going to be the case I think, we're inland and the local variations can be significant.

 

[Dan G]

I was booked on the 10:46 train tomorrow morning to Carlisle, but with weather warnings etc and the chaos at Carlisle right now, I decided it just wasn't worth travelling.

I might not get stuck there .. but there's always a possibility. It's just not worth the risk, as it was only for a day trip out 'n about, nothing urgent.

I've emailed NorthernRail .. if i get a refund or replacement ticket .. that'll be great .. if not, then so be it

Your train is running, btw

 

[kristiang85]

Why so far? Were the planes scheduled to be going there next anyway? And what happens to the passengers ending up in Paris, Cologne or wherever?

Good questions! I presume airports in the UK couldn't take any more planes due to winds? But that seems odd for those already in the air. And I don't know what happened to passengers who boarded domestic flights without passports. I guess they all had miserable nights airside.

This flight takes the biscuit: https://twitter.com/mdurrant93/status/1749238382222266583?t=TVBaJA5XRc2rD_MHSd1CDg&s=19
(Stansted to Newquay, diverted to Málaga)
Edit: Ah looking at comments it seems this one was indeed a repositioning. Maybe the previous ones were the same.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Good questions! I presume airports in the UK couldn't take any more planes due to winds? But that seems odd for those already in the air. And I don't know what happened to passengers who boarded domestic flights without passports. I guess they all had miserable nights airside.

This flight takes the biscuit: https://twitter.com/mdurrant93/status/1749238382222266583?t=TVBaJA5XRc2rD_MHSd1CDg&s=19
(Stansted to Newquay, diverted to Málaga)
Edit: Ah looking at comments it seems this one was indeed a repositioning. Maybe the previous ones were the same.

Some of the silly ones did happen. It'll have been particularly annoying for people on one of the domestic flights diverted to Paris, as those who weren't carrying passports will have had to sleep in the terminal*. That's one benefit of Ryanair's "passport is the only acceptable ID" policy I guess!

* Not only that but inside the non-Schengen area which at most airports is tiny and includes hardly any facilities - so no chance of a meal for example, nor indeed anything better than a Mars bar and a packet of crisps at 5 times the normal price. I also wonder how they'll deal with having both "international" (those who entered France and went to a hotel) and "domestic" (those who didn't) passengers on a flight for arrivals in the UK?

 

[43066]

r

Some of the silly ones did happen. It'll have been particularly annoying for people on one of the domestic flights diverted to Paris, as those who weren't carrying passports will have had to sleep in the terminal*. That's one benefit of Ryanair's "passport is the only acceptable ID" policy I guess!

* Not only that but inside the non-Schengen area which at most airports is tiny and includes hardly any facilities - so no chance of a meal for example, nor indeed anything better than a Mars bar and a packet of crisps at 5 times the normal price. I also wonder how they'll deal with having both "international" (those who entered France and went to a hotel) and "domestic" (those who didn't) passengers on a flight for arrivals in the UK?

Or more likely sat on a bench in the terminal feeling miserable for a few hours!

I flew out from Gatwick yesterday morning and was thankfully on an early flight - it was already blowing a gale as we departed (on time) around 0800.

Needless to say we were in a cab to the airport - no chance of using the railway due to engineering knackering the service! Which to be fair cannot be blamed on the storm.

 

[Willie Bee]

Your train is running, btw

Thanks for that.
Late yesterday, however as I said I decided it wasn't worth travelling .. it wasn't anything urgent.
I emailed NorthernRail and explained the situation. If I've lost my money, so be it.
I have school-run duties for my granddaughter, so it isn't just that easy to get up and go, even if I decided now that all is OK

 

[WestCoast]

Some of the silly ones did happen. It'll have been particularly annoying for people on one of the domestic flights diverted to Paris, as those who weren't carrying passports will have had to sleep in the terminal*. That's one benefit of Ryanair's "passport is the only acceptable ID" policy I guess!

* Not only that but inside the non-Schengen area which at most airports is tiny and includes hardly any facilities - so no chance of a meal for example, nor indeed anything better than a Mars bar and a packet of crisps at 5 times the normal price. I also wonder how they'll deal with having both "international" (those who entered France and went to a hotel) and "domestic" (those who didn't) passengers on a flight for arrivals in the UK?

Ryanair do accept other photo ID on their UK domestic services now, I travelled on my driving license from Edinburgh to Newquay last year so some passengers landing in Malaga may not have had them. I suspect the reason for crazy diversions like that is because they had spare aircraft and staff available there.

 

[paul1609]

I drove from Blackpool down to Kent yesterday afternoon via Oxenhope for a afternoon trip on the keithley and Worth Valley.
The only weather related disruption I saw was a needless 30 mph speed limit on the Dartford Crossing for high side winds which didnt really exist.
The lid blew off the ash bin in the middle of the night. There were a couple of rain showers it was one of those drives where you need a lot of screeen wash.

 

[Elwyn]

Some of the silly ones did happen. It'll have been particularly annoying for people on one of the domestic flights diverted to Paris, as those who weren't carrying passports will have had to sleep in the terminal*. That's one benefit of Ryanair's "passport is the only acceptable ID" policy I guess!

* Not only that but inside the non-Schengen area which at most airports is tiny and includes hardly any facilities - so no chance of a meal for example, nor indeed anything better than a Mars bar and a packet of crisps at 5 times the normal price. I also wonder how they'll deal with having both "international" (those who entered France and went to a hotel) and "domestic" (those who didn't) passengers on a flight for arrivals in the UK?

The absence of a passport (or a visa, if one is required) when a flight has to divert to another country is not unknown. Most Border authorities have some discretion and it is usually possible to temporarily admit passengers who do not have a passport or visa when it is clear that the problem is not of their own making. Sometimes a few checks have to be made on them first but it’s not an insurmountable problem.

I was on a flight from Dubai to London a few years ago when a passenger of arab appearance was taken seriously ill. The plane was diverted to Vienna, an ambulance was waiting on the tarmac, and he was whisked off to hospital. I doubt he had an Austrian visa but clearly that was not the top priority.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ryanair do accept other photo ID on their UK domestic services now, I travelled on my driving license from Edinburgh to Newquay last year so some passengers landing in Malaga may not have had them. I suspect the reason for crazy diversions like that is because they had spare aircraft and staff available there.

The reason for those diverts were simply that the UK airports that were still open didn't have the space to take any more non-emergency diversions (a bit would be kept free for aircraft declaring a fuel emergency so being unable to divert). As was found during 9/11, there are more planes in the sky than airports can fit in on the ground without doing stuff like closing runways, because if there are always some up you don't need that capacity except for a one-in-a-hundred-years event.

 

[DarloRich]

Was going to London today but decided not to just in case. However both trains I would have used (the options from Bletchley and Aylesbury Vale) have both run on time!

All fine. Even chug was on time. We seem to have got a way with it in this area. No need for route proving. others not so lucky.

 

[Bletchleyite]

All fine. Even chug was on time. We seem to have got a way with it in this area. No need for route proving. others not so lucky.

My garden fence and wheelie bins were fine too. Though I have heard a few reports of lost roof tiles around Milton Keynes. But certainly it wasn't by any stretch the windiest day I've experienced here, nowhere near it.

 

[LAX54]

We are in Northern Ireland and all flights were cancelled today. Soonest to our destination was Tuesday (as everybody had grabbed the spare seats on the planes tomorrow), so we are going to Edinburgh and getting the train south in the later afternoon. Fingers crossed trains will be running then.

Saw a couple on F24 yesterday, one from Lanzarote, got as far as Ireland, then landed in Bordeaux, and another from Munich to Manchester I think it was, ended up landing in..... Munich some hours later !

 

[55002]

The gatwick to Malaga one was the scheduled return working of the earlier Malaga to newquay that got diverted to Gatwick. Started at Gatwick not Newquay.