Railway Disruptions Expected Across North West Due to Storm Ashley Impact

Passengers across the North West are being urged to check their journeys this weekend and tie down any loose items in their gardens ahead of a named storm which is expected to arrive in in the early hours of Sunday.  

Storm Ashley is anticipated to bring widespread rain, which will fall on already saturated ground and gusts of up to 65mph in some areas over the weekend.  

This follows days of intense rainfall across the North West which has left some lines flooded and rail replacement services in operation. 

North West Network Rail response teams have been working hard to prepare for the impacts, deploying pumps and using technology to ensure lines are clear where possible. However, rail workers attending the scene of flooding in Cheshire on Friday were shocked to discover the drainage pump had been disabled by vandals who had cut the wires to the pump’s control panel. 

More widespread heavy rain has also been forecast for Friday evening in parts of the North West.  

This weekend we have additional teams on standby to remove trees and additional water pumps ready to be used if they are needed.  

Paul Owen, North West operations director at Network Rail: “Our priority is to keep passengers and freight trains safely on the move, but due to the effects of Storm Ashley, some services will be delayed or diverted while our specialist responses teams clear any blockages or flooding away from the tracks. We are also expecting high winds which will mean speed restrictions on some routes for safety reasons. 

“We would like to thank passengers for their patience. Our advice for passengers travelling to today is to check before you travel, as some journeys may take longer.”  

No trains between trains between Chester and Hooton are currently unable to run as the drainage pump has been disabled by vandals who have cut the wires to the pump’s control panel. 

No services will operate from Liverpool Lime Street on Sunday 20 October due to a planned closure for engineering work.  

Rail replacement buses will operate on Sunday between: 

Chester and Hamilton Square
Ellesmere Port and Hamilton Square
Northern is advising its customers across the North West to check before they travel on Sunday (20 October). Short notice cancellations are expected due to train crew unavailability and the impact of Storm Ashley. The train operator has also issued ‘Do Not Travel’ guidance on four routes in the region. They are: Manchester Victoria – Stalybridge, Manchester Victoria – Chester, Manchester Piccadilly – Stoke-on-Trent and Preston – Colne. For more information, customers should visit: northernrailway.co.uk/check-before-you-travel