29 Nov 2021

Storm Arwen had a major impact on rail services over the weekend and services will continue to be affected this week.

Speed restrictions were in place across much of the network across the weekend with wind speeds of up to 90mph in some parts of Wales.

The extreme weather throughout Friday night and early Saturday morning resulted in damage to overhead line equipment and fallen trees and debris landing on the track creating a hazard for trains.

Network Rail worked throughout the weekend to reopen as much of the network as possible by Monday morning. However, where TfW trains have run over debris, they need to be returned to the depot for safety checks and to be repaired, and this will impact rail services this week.

TfW is encouraging all customers to check before they travel using https://journeycheck.com/tfwrail

Jan Chaudhry-Van der Velde, Managing Director of TfW Rail said:

“Storm Arwen had a major impact on rail services over the weekend with many lines closed by fallen trees and other obstructions.  This caused damage to a number of our trains, and our fleet engineers have worked through the weekend checking the damage and repairing rolling stock in our depots. 

“It will take some time to complete all the repairs, and this will have an impact on train services in the meantime.  I would encourage customers to check before travel for the latest updates.

Rachel Heath, Operations Manager at Network Rail Wales & Borders, said:

“Our teams have been working around the clock to clear-up the aftermath of Storm Arwen. It’s thanks to their hard work, in very challenging conditions, that we managed to re-open most lines by Monday morning.

“Once again, it is a reminder of the challenges we face on the railway during periods of extreme weather.”