Storm Pia brings rail chaos to Christmas getaway

Many planes have been performing “go arounds” to abort landings at Manchester Airport this morning amid very strong winds on the final approach to the runway. 

Other pilots have braved it, leaving the plane rocking from side to side.

British Airways has grounded two dozen UK and European flights because of the stormy weather. 

The airline said in a statement: “As a result of Air Traffic Control restrictions put in place because of Storm Pia, we have had to make some adjustments to our schedule today.

“We have apologised to our customers for any disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible.”

Liverpool Christmas Market has shut for most of the day because of Storm Pia. 

It said in a statement: “Due to a yellow weather warning for strong winds, the Liverpool Christmas Market will be closed on Thursday 21 December. 

“The situation will be reassessed at 4pm for a possible 5pm opening on Thursday 21 December. Please check on our website before travelling.”

Mansfield Market in Nottinghamshire has also closed its doors for the day.-

Schools in Shetland will be closed on Thursday and more electricity network engineers are being brought in to deal with any power cuts.

Meanwhile, 1,400 pupils have been affected by school closures in northern Sutherland and Caithness in the Highlands.

Ferry services across the west coast of Scotland are expected to be disrupted, CalMac said.

With ticket acceptance on routes such as LNER spilling into Friday and many trains already being sold out, the Christmas getaway could be at risk of major disruption.

Speed restrictions are in force across much of Britain’s rail network which will bring delays.

Elsewhere on the trains, Network Rail said many services will only run once safety inspections have taken place, leading to some cancellations.

Some 2.2 million drivers taking to Britain’s roads on Thursday according to the RAC.

The Christmas getaway will then get into full swing on Friday and Saturday, when the strong winds are due to continue across large parts of the UK which could create a knock-on impact of disruption.

The AA has already warned that the festive travel rush is due to hit earlier than normal this year, on Friday and Saturday, when it expects 16.1 million and 16.4 million car journeys respectively.

Here’s a new “severe weather” update from Lumo, which runs express trains between London and Scotland:

Due to forecast severe weather, speed restrictions will be implemented between Edinburgh and Newcastle to allow trains to travel through the affected area safely.

Additionally, speed restrictions are in place between York and Doncaster and trains will have to run at a reduced speed in the Newark North Gate area due to an object being caught in the overhead electric wires.

Trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 45 minutes or revised.

We anticipate disruption will continue until 15:00.

Following the last post, here’s a list of disruption facing those travelling between London and Scotland on Thursday.

LNER trains “may be cancelled, delayed or subject to alterations” until midday on Friday, with some London to Edinburgh services starting or terminating at Newcastle or facing delays of up to 30 minutes, trains between York/Leeds and Doncaster face 20 minute delays. 

Meanwhile, LNER’s Inverness trains have been scrapped and services to and from Bradford Forster Square may be cancelled or delayed by an hour due to a fallen tree.

The operator said “restrictions for tickets dated Thursday 21 December have been lifted and tickets are valid on LNER services on throughout Thursday 21 December and Friday 22 December”. 

However, many of the trains on Friday will already be extremely busy.

On the railways, the following alerts have been issued: 

• TPE said there will be speed restrictions in place from the early hours for trains running to and from Edinburgh and that it will not run services between the city and north-west England until Thursday afternoon.
• Avanti West Coast routes between Glasgow Central and Lockerbie, as well as Edinburgh and Lockerbie “may be delayed by up to 60 minutes” as a result of speed restrictions.
• CrossCountry services “may be cancelled or delayed until the end of the day”, with trains between Edinburgh and Newcastle at risk of starting or terminating at Newcastle.
• Northern services “may be delayed by up to 45 minutes” across the board, with particular disruption at Shipley and between Leeds and York due to a fallen tree.
• ScotRail has cancelled seven routes, including some out of Inverness and Glasgow Queen Street.
• East Midlands Railway services between Nottingham and Crewe are at risk of delays because of damage to the overhead electric wires between Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield/Crewe.
• LNER and Lumo are also warning of severe disruption on the East Coast Mainline between London and Scotland — see the next post for more details.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for “strong winds across a large swathe of the country” would bring “delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport”.

The weather front has been named as Storm Pia by the Danish Meteorological Institute, which is forecasting “hurricane force” winds for the country. It has moved across to Britain from the Norwegian Sea.

The Met Office’s chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said “there’s a chance this low pressure will continue to exert its influence into Friday”, when it is expected to remain windy with heavy rain sweeping in from the west as millions of people travel.

The agency said it remains “generally rather unsettled for the weekend before Christmas, with further Atlantic frontal systems bringing rain and strong winds to parts of the UK” and the heaviest rain in the west and northwest.