South Western Railway has issued a “do not travel” warning to commuters today.
Following a series of incidents caused by high winds on Sunday evening, the railway operator is urging customers not to travel on Monday.
A 50mph speed restriction will be in place throughout the day and will cause delays and cancellations.
SWR also expect further line blockages due to fallen trees, with weather conditions likely to hamper efforts to help stranded customers.
⚠️ Severe Disruption - Monday 21 February.
— SWR Help (@SW_Help) February 20, 2022
Following a series of further incidents caused by high winds, we are urging you not to travel.
Joint Statement👉 https://t.co/sh9qxOzqIS
Live Travel Information 👉 https://t.co/VB6bdIQuxn pic.twitter.com/x1ZefY0nFR
The railway operator warned it would be unable to guarantee replacement travel services today if trains are cancelled.
But all tickets booked for travel on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, will be accepted on Tuesday.
Christian Neill, Customer Experience Director for South Western Railway said: “We understand Monday marks the first day back from half term for many and we are sorry for the continuing disruption these storms are causing. It has been an incredibly challenging few days and our teams have been working tirelessly to clear the tracks to safely run as many trains as possible.
“With more severe weather expected on Monday, we are asking customers not to attempt to travel as we cannot guarantee to get them to their destination”
Mark Killick, Route Director for Network Rail added: “Storm Franklin is set to cause further disruption on our route so we’re asking our customers not to travel on Monday.
Storm Franklin will cause disruption on our network tomorrow
— SWR Help (@SW_Help) February 20, 2022
•50mph speed limit for safety will cause delays and cancellations
•High level of incidents anticipated across the network
•You are strongly advised to consider if your journey is essential
https://t.co/o9Y47pfvXq pic.twitter.com/4OQnVaz1Lg
“With strong winds approaching from a different direction, it’s likely that trees weakened by Storm Eunice will be forced down and could block lines.
“The safety of our customers and our staff, who have worked around the clock since Friday to remove debris and repair damaged infrastructure, is our number one priority.
“I’d like to thank our customers for their patience over the last three days.”
Since Friday’s winds of over 90mph, Network Rail have cleared more than 50 fallen trees from the South Western Railway region.
Sunday evening’s heavy wind and rain caused even more trees to block the lines and further damage to stations and infrastructure.
With the wind direction expected to change it is very likely that more trees will come down during storm Franklin, having been weakened over the last two days.
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