Travel news - live: London Underground suffers delays and suspensions on all but two lines amid Storm Eunice
Following Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice is set to cause delays and cancellations for travellers
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts
Get Simon Calder’s Travel email
Storm Eunice is causing UK-wide travel disruption as the country is battered by winds of up to 100mph.
GWR, Great Anglia and Southeastern have all suspended all services for the rest of the day; as have South Western, Chiltern Railways, and the Heathrow and Stansted Express.
In the capital, the London Underground could grind to a halt as extreme weather has affected all but two lines on the Transport for London (TfL) network.
Meanwhile, all trains from Euston station have been cancelled.
A red weather warning is now in place across various parts of the country, with turbulent winds causing havoc for pilots trying to land at Heathrow airport; earlier today, London City Airport suspended all flights.
Train operators and ferry firms are also warning people not to attempt to travel today. All rail services in Wales are suspended for the entire day, with disruption to services expected to continue into the weekend.
Rail passengers who do try to make journeys face much slower trips, with emergency speed restrictions in place and sharply reduced services.
On the Irish Sea, some ferries have been cancelled amid the wild weather.
West Midlands Railway issues 'do not travel' warning
West Midlands Railway (WMR) has issued a “do not travel” warning for Friday as it says there will be a “significantly reduced” service amid concerns over Storm Eunice.
The operator has said, however, that pre-booked tickets for the date would be valid on Thursday and Saturday.
“Storm Eunice is expected to be one of the biggest storms in recent years and we expect significant disruption to train services,” Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said.
“The message to our customers is clear – do not use the train on Friday. Customers with tickets for travel on Friday will be able to travel today and Saturday instead.”
What time will Storm Eunice hit the UK and where will be affected?
Here’s an hour-by-hour look at Storm Eunice’s expected progress today, courtesy of Joe Sommerlad:
What time will Storm Eunice hit the UK and where will be affected?
British Isles set to be drenched by heavy rainfall and blasted by 90mph winds
All Bristol bus services to be suspended on Friday – until at least 1pm
First Bus, which runs many services in Bristol and surroundings, has cancelled buses on a wide range of routes for Friday morning.
Buses in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Wells will be suspended until at least 1pm.
This includes Metrobus, Bristol Park & Ride and Airport Flyer services.
“We will continue to run a limited service in Bath City,” First says. “But the following services will be suspended: 19, 31 (Lansdown P&R), 39, X39, 171, 172, 173, 174, D1, D2, OS1 and U5.”
Trees and trampolines: why high winds disrupt rain services so badly
In his daily travel podcast, The Independent’s travel correspondent explains why a 50mph speed limit has been imposed across much of the rail network. Experience shows that debris falling onto the tracks presents a threat, and so trains slow down.
In Wales, all trains will be cancelled and ferries will also be affected.
You can listen to the podcast here.
Big inter-city train operator appeals for passengers not to travel on Friday
LNER, which runs most of the trains on the flagship East Coast main line, has made an appeal to passengers not to travel on Friday 18 February – and says anyone with a ticket for that date can use it on another day, up to and including next Tuesday.
The state-owned train operator said: “StormEunice is expected to bring severe weather, which is likely to cause significant disruption to our services.
“Please DO NOT TRAVEL. Tickets dated for 18 February will be permitted for travel on 19, 20, 21, and 22 February.”
East Anglia trains will be slower, with many cancellations, on Friday
Rail services across Greater Anglia – which links Essex, Suffolk and Norwich with London Liverpool Street – will be cut sharply on Friday 18 February because of forecast high winds.
The Stansted Express airport service will run every half-hour, rather than the normal 15 minute service. The main Norwich-Ipswich-Colchester-London link will be hourly, and branch lines including Norwich to Sheringham and Ipswich to Lowestoft will run every two hours.
“Customers who have booked tickets for travel on Friday 18 February can use them on another day,” says Greater Anglia.
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “We will be doing everything we can to keep as many services as possible running safely and reliably, but with such strong winds expected we know that disruption to passengers’ journeys is inevitable.
“We ask passengers to please consider whether your journey is necessary.”
London attractions set to close tomorrow
The London Eye and River Cruise have both announced that they will close tomorrow due to bad weather.
“Due to severe weather disruption the London Eye and River Cruise has taken the difficult decision to close tomorrow (Fri 18 Feb). The safety of our guests is our number one priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please follow us here for updates,” read a statement from the London Eye.
Kew Gardens also announced it would close on Friday - when London is predicted to see winds of up to 90mph - as did Legoland Windsor.
Legoland has said it will contact customers booked to visit on 18 February.
“If you're due to visit we'll be in touch to discuss re-booking. We apologise for the disappointment and look forward to welcoming you back soon,” it posted on Twitter.
Northern adds to ‘do not travel’ train warnings
Northern has added to the chorus of train operators advising Britons not to use the rail network tomorrow.
“Due to the approaching #StormEunice we are advising customers NOT TO TRAVEL tomorrow, Friday 18 February, between 09:00 and 21:00,” the company posted on Twitter.
“Tickets will be valid today or on Saturday. Refunds are also available via the point of purchase.”
They are reminding customers to check their website updates before travel into the weekend.
Simon Calder to answer your travel questions
As storms rage, Australia prepares to reopen to tourists and long-haul becomes a possibility again The Independent’s travel expert, Simon Calder, will be on hand this afternoon to answer your burning travel questions.
While news of countries easing entry requirements breaks daily, complex rules on testing – and flight connections – remain.
The largest state down under, Western Australia, is keeping its frontiers closed for now; while in the past week France, Spain, Norway and Switzerland have all reduced their barriers to travel.
So what do these changes mean for your future plans?
Join Simon at 4pm today as he answers as many questions as possible, live, in an hour.
Submit your question in the comments section of this article:
Ask Me Anything: Simon Calder answers your questions as travel restrictions ease
As Australia, India and other nations open up to fully vaccinated travellers, The Independent’s travel correspondent tackles your pressing queries
Loganair aims to keep flying
Loganair, the UK’s biggest regional airline, is telling passengers: “We plan to fly all our scheduled services, and we have standby aircraft and crews in place to help recover any disrupted services as soon as reasonably possible once weather conditions permit.”
But, it says: “In view of the forecasted high winds on Friday 18 February across England, Ireland and Wales and potential for travel disruption, we are offering customers travelling on this day the opportunity to adjust travel plans without charge.”
Passengers can re-book on an alternative flight up to a week from the original travel date.
“There will be no change fee or difference in fare payable’,” the airline says. “If there is a seat available on an earlier or later flight, you can transfer your booking to that flight without charge on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies