Storm Eunice: Train companies warn of chaos as operators urge people not to travel
Passengers asked to bring journeys forward
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Your support makes all the difference.Train companies have asked passengers not to travel on Friday due to the threat posed by Storm Eunice.
The Met Office forecasts that the storm – set to make landfall on Thursday night – will carry stronger winds than the preceding Storm Dudley which has brought gusts over 80mph.
Storm Eunice is also set to bring heavy snow and possible blizzard conditions to northern parts of the UK.
An amber warning has been issued for Friday covering Wales and parts of England south of Sheffield, areas that were expected to avoid the worst of the earlier storm.
Follow live weather updates here.
East Midlands Railway and LNER, which runs up the east of England to Scotland, expect their train services to be severely disrupted on Friday. Network Rail has introduced speed restrictions on the east coast line.
The operators said tickets for Friday trains will be valid on Thursday as they asked passenger to avoid travelling by rail after the storm arrives.
Passengers will be entitled to a refund if they cannot move their journey forward.
Warrick Dent, safety and operations director at LNER, said: “We expect services to be extremely busy in the coming days and advise customers to check our website and social media channels for the latest information.”
Travel has already been severely affected this week with train and ferry services cancelled across Scotland on Wednesday afternoon.
ScotRail said the harsh weather could down overhead power lines and signals.
Storm Eunice also brings a risk of flooding to coastal areas in southern England.
The Environment Agency said teams were making preparations, erecting barriers and clearing screens where flood debris can build up.
Flood duty manager Katharine Smith said: "Strong winds could bring coastal flooding to parts of the west, south-west and south coast of England, as well as the tidal River Severn, through the early hours of Friday morning and into the early afternoon.
"This is due to Storm Eunice resulting in high waves and potential storm surge coinciding with the start of a period of spring tides."
Met Office weather warnings remain in place for much of the UK until 9pm on Friday.
Nicola Maxey, Met Office spokeswoman, said: "We are looking at particularly stormy period right now, with two named storms coming through one after the other.
"This sort of weather set-up is typical for the UK in the winter, with low pressure coming in from the west, driven by the jet stream."
She said the forecast after Storm Eunice continued to look unsettled with the potential for more wet and windy conditions over the weekend and the start of next week.
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