Storm Claudia is causing severe disruption to rail services across England, Wales and Scotland on Friday, with operators urging passengers to avoid travel. Network Rail has imposed speed restrictions across the network due to heavy rain and flooding, forcing multiple train companies to run reduced timetables or cancel services entirely.
Northern rail describes its services as "severely disrupted", advising passengers to "avoid travelling if you can". The company is not providing rail replacement buses.
Avanti West Coast has cancelled dozens of trains on key routes linking London Euston with Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland. The operator warned: "We're running a reduced timetable further to speed restrictions applied by Network Rail. Fewer trains will run and journeys will take longer."
TransPennine Express announced many trains will not run after 1pm today. East Midlands Railway cancelled all westbound services across the Pennines from Sheffield to Liverpool after 10:45am.
CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways are halving service frequencies on major routes from 1pm onwards.
Floods have closed the Great Western line between Exeter and Barnstaple "until Sunday at least". Operators are providing replacement transport.
Weather warnings and outlook
The Met Office has issued amber warnings for rain across a swathe of England and Wales, from Cambridge to Cardiff and extending north to Lincolnshire and mid-Wales. Yellow warnings for wind and rain cover much of Britain south of Lancashire.
Avanti West Coast warned of "a risk of further disruption on the rail network due to this extreme weather, especially in the North West". The operator expects problems to continue into the weekend.
Planned closures in London
London's transport network faces additional disruption this weekend due to scheduled maintenance work. The Elizabeth line will have no trains between Paddington and Abbey Wood or Stratford on both Saturday and Sunday, with reduced service to Maidenhead.
Transport for London will close the Piccadilly line from Acton Town to Uxbridge. The Metropolitan line will not run between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Uxbridge. Transport for London advised passengers to plan journeys in advance.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
