Storm Goretti disruption - 8/9 January 2026

[Peterthegreat]

It looks like storm Goretti may cause some disruption tomorrow and Friday.
I'm hearing Northern have already cancelled some services to Hadfield, Buxton and along the Hope Valley from 18.00 tomorrow.

Northern JourneyCheck - Train times and live real time delay/cancellation/disruption information.

Northern JourneyCheck provides real time, up-to-date train times and train disruption information keeping you informed about any delays or cancellations on the network and helping you know what to do when your journey is affected. Train Cancellations, Delays, Alterations and Engineering Work...

www.journeycheck.com

 

[jonnyfan]

Looks like the Hope Valley line will be completely closed, Transpennine also advising no services between Manchester and Sheffield after 6pm tomorrow.

Travel Updates | Live Train Times | TransPennine Express

Search travel updates and live train times to plan ahead for your journey. Use our alternative route planner in case of disruption

www.tpexpress.co.uk

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Looks like the Hope Valley line will be completely closed, Transpennine also advising no services between Manchester and Sheffield after 6pm tomorrow.

Travel Updates | Live Train Times | TransPennine Express

Search travel updates and live train times to plan ahead for your journey. Use our alternative route planner in case of disruption

www.tpexpress.co.uk

Here we go again, Northern and TPE throwing in the towel at the mere possibility of severe weather. According to the current Met Office forecast, Edale (normally the worst affected station) can expect light snow overnight Thursday then a mainly dry albeit cold day on Friday. Hardly extreme weather!

 

[D1511]

Just waiting for the Avanti do not travel message any minute now.......

 

[Bletchleyite]

Just waiting for the Avanti do not travel message any minute now.......

In the past Northern have been a lot worse, as Avanti and TPE tend to start services up on the affected days if the weather proves not as bad as forecast, whereas Northern just stay at home with their feet up. Last time it was alleged on the thread that it was actually covering a staff shortage at Barrow depot, though that was uncorroborated. Will be interesting to see if they start running to Hadfield/Glossop if it is indeed just a sprinkling or if it means the rotas are a bit easier to fill on other days this week so they won't bother.

 

[LAX54]

Here we go again, Northern and TPE throwing in the towel at the mere possibility of severe weather. According to the current Met Office forecast, Edale (normally the worst affected station) can expect light snow overnight Thursday then a mainly dry albeit cold day on Friday. Hardly extreme weather!

Met Office giving an Amber warning for the area

 

[MikeWM]

The wind gusts in Cornwall tomorrow evening should probably be of at least equal concern - that looks quite likely to be very disruptive for a few hours - but they don't seem to be warning much about that yet.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Northern and TPE need to tell themselves their trains are cancelled, tickets still on sale for them.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Met Office giving an Amber warning for the area

I know. An amber warning only means that delays and cancellations on the trains are likely. It doesn't give a TOC a legitimate excuse to cancel all its services in advance on any given route.

 

[tumbledown]

So far only the Glossop line is totally cancelled after 1800 tomorrow. Perhaps severe icing of the overheads anticipated?

 

[jonnyfan]

EMR also suspending services west of Sheffield tomorrow after 6pm.

Storm Goretti: check before you travel. | EMR

www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

I imagine this is Network Rail shutting certain lines due to the forecast snow.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Ely to Manchester via Sheffield tomorrow morning and Manchester to London via Bradford on Friday afternoon... wish me luck!

 

[D1511]

Ely to Manchester via Sheffield tomorrow morning and Manchester to London via Bradford on Friday afternoon... wish me luck!

Take sandwiches and a flask of soup!

 

[llewjones]

Whether the decision ends up being right or wrong, an early call like this does provide certainty for passengers. This is likely to be preferably (to most) compared with being stuck mid journey if the weather does end up being at the more severe end of the scale.

It will also I suspect make service recovery, say on the Saturday more likely to be robust if units are better located.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Whether the decision ends up being right or wrong, an early call like this does provide certainty for passengers. This is likely to be preferably (to most) compared with being stuck mid journey if the weather does end up being at the more severe end of the scale.

In terms of tomorrow evening I agree. If people know there won't be a service tomorrow evening they've got time to make alternative arrangements.

It will be interesting to see when the different TOCs start recovering service on Friday/Saturday. My bet is that EMR and TPE will be running on the Hope Valley on Friday from about lunchtime once snow has been cleared, but Northern will decide they can't be bothered until Saturday. This is exactly what happened with Barrow last time.

It also appears that, just like last time, services within the area not affected by the line closures are not getting a full service. The Hadfield EMUs are withdrawn from 6pm throughout leaving just the Rose Hill service, meaning nothing at Flowery Field which is normally only served by the EMU, just like Lancaster got just the TPEs last time because Northern couldn't be bothered to run there even though nothing was really stopping them doing so. Also, Due to the withdrawal of the EMU service entirely, the last train from Picc to Guide Bridge is around 2100 rather than the usual two hours later.

This, again, is inexcusably poor. There really should be stop orders at Flowery Field and some sort of evening provision at Guide Bridge and stations west of it even if it's a bus service. "Do not travel" continues to be misused.

(Edited due to my poor geography; the general point however stands!)

 

[3RDGEN]

My bet is that EMR and TPE will be running on the Hope Valley on Friday from about lunchtime once snow has been cleared,

Hope Valley is shut from Thursday 18:00 until Saturday;

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/storm-goretti-tpe-20260107/ - "Due to the forecast given, you cannot travel between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield in either direction after 18:00 on Thursday 8 January, and all day on Friday 9 January because there will no trains running and no replacement buses."

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hope Valley is shut from Thursday 18:00 until Saturday;

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/storm-goretti-tpe-20260107/ - "Due to the forecast given, you cannot travel between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield in either direction after 18:00 on Thursday 8 January, and all day on Friday 9 January because there will no trains running and no replacement buses."

The question is what will happen if the weather transpires not to be as bad as forecast and so Network Rail reopens the route early.

My bet on what will happen then remains in place, i.e. EMR and TPE will bring services back ASAP and Northern will keep their feet up.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The question is what will happen if the weather transpires not to be as bad as forecast and so Network Rail reopens the route early.

My bet on what will happen then remains in place, i.e. EMR and TPE will bring services back ASAP and Northern will keep their feet up.

I would hope Northern will have a spare 323 (or 2) in P2.
Don't know if a 195/1 would fit in P3 alongside an XC, but I doubt it.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Having been stranded at Sheffield during the first winter of my residence in the Hope Valley because of icicles in Totley Tunnel I soon realised that sheer amounts of snow weren’t necessarily the biggest risk.

 

[Oxfordblues]

My partner remarked that the weather is so unpredictable these days. I replied that at least we know it's going to be unpredictable....

 

[All Line Rover]

In terms of tomorrow evening I agree. If people know there won't be a service tomorrow evening they've got time to make alternative arrangements.

No. If the TOCs know they won't be running a service, it is their legal responsibility to put alternatives in place. It is thoroughly unacceptable that they continue to think they can, or ought to be able to, shirk their responsibilities to customers holding tickets simply by offering a refund of their tickets and leaving the customers to fend for themselves.

 

[bramling]

No. If the TOCs know they won't be running a service, it is their legal responsibility to put alternatives in place. It is thoroughly unacceptable that they continue to think they can, or ought to be able to, shirk their responsibilities to customers holding tickets simply by offering a refund of their tickets and leaving the customers to fend for themselves.

The problem is that if conditions are genuinely bad enough that trains can’t run, it’s probably not really safe nor sensible to put people in buses or taxis, and that’s assuming any operators are willing to take the risk with their assets or employees.

Hence why there should really be every effort made to run sone form of rail service at least until the point where a red warning is in force, even if it’s an emergency timetable, speed restrictions in place, etc.

 

[Lewisham2221]

The problem is that if conditions are genuinely bad enough that trains can’t run, it’s probably not really safe nor sensible to put people in buses or taxis, and that’s assuming any operators are willing to take the risk with their assets or employees.

Agreed. It doesn't really matter how much money you throw at it either, bus/taxi operators just won't want the risk.

Hence why there should really be every effort made to run sone form of rail service at least until the point where a red warning is in force, even if it’s an emergency timetable, speed restrictions in place, etc.

The only problem with this is that - almost inevitably - the wires come down, or a tree comes down, or a landslip or whatever happens and trains get stuck and then you still can't get buses or taxis out there and you struggle to get Network Rail et al out to the incident as well.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Amber warning and they all put their feet up. Madness. Unless it’s a red warning there’s no excuse.

As for the closure of Manchester-Sheffield, why aren’t they allowing travel via Huddersfield?

It really isn’t good enough.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Jan 2026 ==

In terms of tomorrow evening I agree. If people know there won't be a service tomorrow evening they've got time to make alternative arrangements

And if those alternative arrangements end up involving a hotel, the TOCs should be paying for it.

They all just cancel everything at the drop of a hat now and leave people seriously out of pocket. It’s not acceptable.

It’s why air travel is still preferable for long journeys. You actually get some protection when you fly. Do your bit for the environment and take the train and you just get screwed over.

 

[tumbledown]

And if those alternative arrangements end up involving a hotel, the TOCs should be paying for it.

No, I don't want to pay for it.

 

[All Line Rover]

The problem is that if conditions are genuinely bad enough that trains can’t run, it’s probably not really safe nor sensible to put people in buses or taxis, and that’s assuming any operators are willing to take the risk with their assets or employees.

Hence why there should really be every effort made to run sone form of rail service at least until the point where a red warning is in force, even if it’s an emergency timetable, speed restrictions in place, etc.

If road transport is entirely blocked, I agree. In such a case, the train company must put the customer in a hotel if needed, as a poster above identifies. Simply telling the customer to "delay their journey" doesn't cut it.

If a customer can hail a taxi or book one through an app, alternative transport is by definition available and must be provided if it is the customer's preferred option. These are contractual and statutory rights, not merely good customer service.

 

[eastwestdivide]

As for the closure of Manchester-Sheffield, why aren’t they allowing travel via Huddersfield?

Northern’s journeycheck page is saying:

Northern customers who re-plan their journey or experience disruption on these dates will be able to use their ticket to travel with another operator, if necessary, from the 7th to the 10th of January 2026 to get to their destination via any reasonable route

Northern JourneyCheck - Train times and live real time delay/cancellation/disruption information.

Northern JourneyCheck provides real time, up-to-date train times and train disruption information keeping you informed about any delays or cancellations on the network and helping you know what to do when your journey is affected. Train Cancellations, Delays, Alterations and Engineering Work...

www.journeycheck.com

 

[Tetchytyke]

Northern’s journeycheck page is saying:

Good, the NRE page doesn’t mention it for TPE or EMR though.

 

[All Line Rover]

No, I don't want to pay for it.

Write to your MP and ask them to change the law, in that case. You'll be unlikely to succeed. Bad optics for MPs.

 

[tumbledown]

Bad optics for MPs

What have lenses or spirits dispensers to do with it?