Storm Goretti disruption - 8/9 January 2026

[800301]

GWR are doing this, I could be completely wrong but I doubt it will be as bad as they say

“Storm Goretti is forecast to arrive from the Atlantic Ocean and hit the UK later bring strong winds and heavy precipitation. As the storm moves inland north of the M4 corridor the rain is forecast to turn to snow which could cause disruption
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What are we doing about it?
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In anticipation of the snow train services maybe amended. As it currently stands there will be no trains west of Great Malvern after 15:00 and no trains west of Oxford after 18:00. This could change as the storm moves closer and the forecast changes so please keep up to date by checking this line problem and journey planners for live information.”

GWR Journey Check

They now appear to have reinstated quite a few trains on the Cotswolds line

 

[styles]

The UK has become far too risk averse. Weather warnings are almost a weekly event but I just crack on as normal. Given how busy the roads are, thousands of other people do the same. I look forward to photos of foot deep snow tomorrow.

I will concede that I don't really pay attention to yellow alerts.

Orange/amber is when I start toying up taking measures. In many cases that consists of preparing for that one precarious tree to fall down, so it's important to have petrol in the chainsaw.

 

[AndrewE]

I will concede that I don't really pay attention to yellow alerts.

Orange/amber is when I start toying up taking measures. In many cases that consists of preparing for that one precarious tree to fall down, so it's important to have petrol in the chainsaw.

and chain oil to hand... Mine leaks away when it's not in use - wasting it and making a mess - so a small day-use bottle lives with the saw.

 

[driverd]

The normal sorts of infastructure or unit failts that occur on an almost weekly basis on the hope valley, coupled with the issues caused by icicles in the longer tunnels on the route and the potential they might damage a train.

Which is, of course, bad luck, however, the rest of the world doesnt work around this principle of worst case scenarios ruling the show and people are still expected to make it to work etc.

It is all good and well saying we stop running trains when snow reaches a critical level , we can't just switch the snow on and off though . So if a unit does decide its going to set down in the middle of the route and it can't be got going again before the snow does reach a critical level then you have an issue , bear in mind a critical level for the railway and a critical level for the roads to start getting closed is massively different. Roads will be unpassable long before the railway reaches 6 or 8 inches above the railhead.

Which is always going to be a risk during cold months. You might have a 158 sit down somewhere near Dent on a -2° evening with no road access and 2-3 hour delays (being optimistic, worse has been known) before anyone can be onsite. Should we close the S&C (and any other isolated rural route) throughout the winter months, just incase?

There are scenarios that happen again on an almost weekly basis when you can't just "pass a signal at danger" set a train back or whatever, likewise you make it sound like putting extended block working or whatever in place is just a quick phone call and job done, it isn't .

In fairness I dont know the procedure behind setting up extended block working - how does it happen?

This "we got on with it and everyone got home" attitude is just seen as far too old fashioned and just winging it aint really professional tbh

Completely disagree - this smacks of the corporate back-slapping that went on during industrial disputes - TOCs celebrating 50% improved SOL whilst totally ignoring they were only running 40% of trains.

Professionalism is guaged by how you manage disruption, not to cancel everything in the hope of avoiding disruption full stop.

Edit: to provide a counter example - would you suggest Birmingham Airport is unprofessional?

There are currently no scheduled cancellations - anyone booked on flights is still expected to turn up at the airport unless they're prepared to sacrifice their airfare.

No doubt there will be disruption if the weather materialises as expected, given that the airport sits directly in the worst of the forecast weather.

Flights will no doubt be diverted elsewhere, but it'll be managed.

Is this an unprofessional approach? Is aviation an unprofessional industry?

 

[Snow1964]

The direct routes between Manchester and Sheffield (Snake Pass and Woodhead Pass) close frequently when the weather gets bad. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Woodhead route will close at 8pm tonight.

SWR has cancelled everything west of Bournemouth this evening

What I'm getting at here is we're talking about relatively benign, forecast weather. So with foresight and good management, we should be able to run a service until said weather materialises without getting into a situation where trains are stranded. I'm not suggesting just sending trains headfirst into snowdrifts and hoping for the best.

This is my point, might be from 3pm in Cornwall and South West Wales, but what on earth is causing the railway in North Midlands to wimp out in middle of the afternoon when the warnings are for late evening in those parts.

Seems to be complete mismatch between not completing the evening peak 100-200 miles inland from western coasts and any shutdown that might be required after 7pm or 8pm depending on how things progress as bad (or slightly less poor than average) weather progresses

 

[trundlewagon]

You could hypothesize worst case scenarios every day of the week - if you did, you'd never do anything.

If the risk is managed and reviewed on the day, you could absolutely avoid that situation.

You asked for a scenario where a train could become stranded overnight. If you're continuing to run services right up to the point you can't run them, there is a very real chance of something becoming stranded.

Trains, signalling equipment, points, trees all fail on a daily basis - it's not a particularly fantastical idea - if that happens when the conditions are getting marginal, it's game over. Especially as the roads will have become impassable long before it starts to become an issue for the railway.

 

[duffield]

I'm seeing the same old severe weather debate here which is going round in the same old circles. It would be nice if this thread was more focused on this particular storm, in practical terms of what the railway is actually planning and what is actually happening on the ground rather than what should be happening and how the railway should be handling it. That's pretty much been done to death.

 

[Bikeman78]

I will, however, concede that on an electrified network, planned curtailing of services does make sense as a stranded EMU is a far, far more likely, when weather makes OHLE vulnerable. Being trapped without power is a very different ball game.

During the 90s, I used to go out for a ride on the southern electric system on snowy days if I wasn't in school. I only got stuck once, for three hours, and then got rescued by a class 73. The toilets and heaters still worked so it wasn't a big deal.

 

[muz379]

Which is, of course, bad luck, however, the rest of the world doesnt work around this principle of worst case scenarios ruling the show and people are still expected to make it to work etc.

Which is always going to be a risk during cold months. You might have a 158 sit down somewhere near Dent on a -2° evening with no road access and 2-3 hour delays (being optimistic, worse has been known) before anyone can be onsite. Should we close the S&C (and any other isolated rural route) throughout the winter months, just incase?

You asked how could a train become stranded overnight and I reiterate and stand by my belief that this is not something that is beyond the realms of possibility. Trains fail on an almost weekly basis on the hope valley , and infastructure fails on a relatively frequent basis as well. This isn't some extreme fringe case, these things happen all the time.

But what you need to factor in is normally that can be responded to by response staff , S&T , P Way , Fitters and evacuation being arranged relatively easily either with another train or onto road transport, staff required can get on site by road. That just isn't going to be possible if the roads do become closed as is widely expected or in some cases already announced.

There is a difference between a 2-3 hour delay in an incident response which in remote areas could already happen, and it being totally impossible to provide one. If the conditions were forecast to be the same at Dent no doubt the route would be closed as it has been in the past.

In fairness I dont know the procedure behind setting up extended block working - how does it happen?

I mean you need all the points in the correct position and detected otherwise someone has to go out and manually secure them which just obviously wouldn't happen. The end of degraded working sign needs to be put out although you can start EBW without this on certain other conditions.

Professionalism is guaged by how you manage disruption, not to cancel everything in the hope of avoiding disruption full stop.

Yeah and if you know in advance that you won't be capable of providing an incident response in a particular area then I would say as an infastructure operator it is probably wise to consider that it might not be safe or professional to then try and continue operations.

Ironically I think that this "war time spirit" and "we got everyone home still" rhetoric is embarassing back slapping that is rightly seen as outdated by many in the industry.

Edit: to provide a counter example - would you suggest Birmingham Airport is unprofessional?

There are currently no scheduled cancellations - anyone booked on flights is still expected to turn up at the airport unless they're prepared to sacrifice their airfare.

No doubt there will be disruption if the weather materialises as expected, given that the airport sits directly in the worst of the forecast weather.

Flights will no doubt be diverted elsewhere, but it'll be managed.

Is this an unprofessional approach? Is aviation an unprofessional industry?

I mean that is like comparing apples and oranges, planes can be diverted even once on route far easier than a train can. and of course the airport isn't in a remote isolated area , has all the required equipment and personnell on site to continue operating as long as possible. They can keep ploughing the runway , they have the required fire cover to continue operating on site anyway otherwise they couldn't be open. Looking at weather forecasts they will probably have more issues friday morning tbh. And wind is likely to be a bigger concern.

 

[sheff1]

. Given the fact that extreme weather events seem to only be becoming more and more frequent I suspect things like this are here to stay.

What is being forecast is just what used to be known as normal winter weather (and seemingly still is in The Netherlands) and not “extreme”.

Sorry state of affairs if the country now thinks normal winter weather is extreme.

 

[Sleepy]

Anyone going to Cornwall from London today had better get to Paddington quick because after 1303 nothing is going through.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

What is being forecast is just what used to be known as normal winter weather (and seemingly still is in The Netherlands) and not “extreme”.

Sorry state of affairs if the country now thinks normal winter weather is extreme.

I agree entirely. It's hard to remember a time when there wasn't a "severe" weather warning somewhere in the UK! Realistically it's only the rare red weather warnings you need to be aware of. Yellow ones generally mean it might be a bit breezy, amber ones mean at worst your bin might blow over.

 

[D1537]

I was just listening to a meteorological expert on the radio and they were quite clear that predicting snowfall when rain hits cold fronts (as in this case) is such an inexact science, even a few hours beforehand, that people in the Potteries could wake up to a foot of snow tomorrow, a big pile of slush., or anything in between.

Around this time last year (when we had a decent dumping of snow here in North Yorkshire) I remember a Met Office bod saying quite candidly that anyone who predicts heavy snow in low-lying areas with 100% certainty more than 24 hours ahead is simply guessing.

 

[johntea]

Grand Central have basically gone ‘use your 8th / 9th January ticket whenever you want until 10th January’ which is very kind of them considering that threatening mild blue sky in Yorkshire at the moment

 

[Freemo]

What is being forecast is just what used to be known as normal winter weather (and seemingly still is in The Netherlands) and not “extreme”.

Sorry state of affairs if the country now thinks normal winter weather is extreme.

Is there not a difference between the Hope Valley and the Netherlands, or are we ignoring the concept of three dimensional space?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I was just listening to a meteorological expert on the radio and they were quite clear that predicting snowfall when rain hits cold fronts (as in this case) is such an inexact science, even a few hours beforehand, that people in the Potteries could wake up to a foot of snow tomorrow, a big pile of slush., or anything in between.

Around this time last year (when we had a decent dumping of snow here in North Yorkshire) I remember a Met Office bod saying quite candidly that anyone who predicts heavy snow in low-lying areas with 100% certainty more than 24 hours ahead is simply guessing.

Very true.

On 2nd February 2009, there was a forecast of 3 inches of snow for Epsom, which was exactly this situation - a meeting of cold dry air with warm wet air.

We got 15 inches... literally overnight. Here's the proof:

 

[driverd]

You asked how could a train become stranded overnight and I reiterate and stand by my belief that this is not something that is beyond the realms of possibility. Trains fail on an almost weekly basis on the hope valley , and infastructure fails on a relatively frequent basis as well. This isn't some extreme fringe case, these things happen all the time.

I still feel this is pretty hyperbolic, though. Throw me an example, from the last two weeks of RTT data, where your near weekly basis of a train failing and blocking the route (for a period of time) has occurred?

The data is there so if this really is happening as often as you claim, you should be able to source atleast one case.

I'm not doubting this does happen, just that its not half as likely as you're making out.

But what you need to factor in is normally that can be responded to by response staff , S&T , P Way , Fitters and evacuation being arranged relatively easily either with another train or onto road transport, staff required can get on site by road. That just isn't going to be possible if the roads do become closed as is widely expected or in some cases already announced.

I'd agree completely but again, this is where monitoring actual conditions comes into play - perhaps my railhead snow threshold was too lenient and it should be linked to road closures?

There is a difference between a 2-3 hour delay in an incident response which in remote areas could already happen, and it being totally impossible to provide one. If the conditions were forecast to be the same at Dent no doubt the route would be closed as it has been in the past.

Again, though, we're talking about a reasonably short line of route. If anything went wrong at Edale, at worst you'd have 3 pasenger trains on the move behind it. You can turn back at various locations between Sheffield and Edale, and as above, if you manage your thresholds correctly, you don't end up with a scenario where you're trapped with no response.

I mean you need all the points in the correct position and detected otherwise someone has to go out and manually secure them which just obviously wouldn't happen. The end of degraded working sign needs to be put out although you can start EBW without this on certain other conditions.

So, in essence, other than a points failure it is just a phone call (never known the sign to be put out, they usually just use a exit signal number).

Yeah and if you know in advance that you won't be capable of providing an incident response in a particular area then I would say as an infastructure operator it is probably wise to consider that it might not be safe or professional to then try and continue operations.

But my point is that you do not know in advance. Theres a possibility.

Ironically I think that this "war time spirit" and "we got everyone home still" rhetoric is embarassing back slapping that is rightly seen as outdated by many in the industry.

I think, again, I've not advocated for anything silly here - I do work in the industry myself and am far more likely to end up in the middle of this stuff than a manager or controller, so this isn't like I'm advocating for someone else to deal with a problem.

Surely you'd agree that theres a better balance to be struck here?

You can think it unprofessional to aspire to deliver a service and persevere in challenging circumstances if you'd like, but it sure does set a disappointingly low bar for the industries customers.

I mean that is like comparing apples and oranges, planes can be diverted even once on route far easier than a train can. and of course the airport isn't in a remote isolated area , has all the required equipment and personnell on site to continue operating as long as possible.

I think you're missing the point - the airports will have disruption if the weather forecasted materialises. You claimed it unprofessional to try and continue to deliver a service when you know there will be disruption.

The issues faced by aviation in many ways shadow those of the railway. If you divert a flight, you still have to get 200-300 people to where they expected to be.

If weather deteriorates sufficiently, an aircraft can be placed in a hold for a prolonged period, leading staff to have to deal with disgruntled passengers.

Aircrew still need to get home after a diversion.

Trains can be diverted where route knowledge allows, there's sidings at both Sheffield and Stockport which could and are often used for standing down stock.

The key point here is in your last sentence - the airport will continue to operate as long as is safely possible. I don't think its a tall order to expect the railways to do the same.

I'm seeing the same old severe weather debate here which is going round in the same old circles. It would be nice if this thread was more focused on this particular storm, in practical terms of what the railway is actually planning and what is actually happening on the ground rather than what should be happening and how the railway should be handling it. That's pretty much been done to death.

Absolutely a fair point and with that I'll leave this one alone.

 

[dosxuk]

Pre-emptive flight cancellations because of forecast weather are far from rare, neither in or out of the UK.

Significant numbers of flights have been cancelled in the last few days, many long before passengers tried to head to the airport, in Amsterdam this week due to the weather.

 

[muz379]

I still feel this is pretty hyperbolic, though. Throw me an example, from the last two weeks of RTT data, where your near weekly basis of a train failing and blocking the route (for a period of time) has occurred?

The data is there so if this really is happening as often as you claim, you should be able to source atleast one case.

I'm not doubting this does happen, just that its not half as likely as you're making out.

I am not trawling through weeks of data , which include christmas and new year when services were reduced or not running at all anyway. Anybody that uses, works over or knows the route in general knows these types of occurrances really are not that rare indeed someone earlier in the thread who lives on the route already commented anecdotally about the reliability .

I'd agree completely but again, this is where monitoring actual conditions comes into play - perhaps my railhead snow threshold was too lenient and it should be linked to road closures?

Indeed the point I am making , it is the road conditions that matter most in these decisions.

So, in essence, other than a points failure it is just a phone call (never known the sign to be put out, they usually just use a exit signal number).

I mean given that emergency block working has literally only just come in with the december rule book changes , I dont think they do "usually just use the exit signal number" . There isn't any usually about it because I can't see it having been extensively used yet.

You can't just use the exit signal number with EBW It has to be one of the locations listed in the rule book. A station , tunnel Junction or level crossing.

Think you might be thinking of the now superseded ESW , even then you couldn't just "use the exit signal" it had to be in an identifiable place until the board could be provided.

The key point here is in your last sentence - the airport will continue to operate as long as is safely possible. I don't think its a tall order to expect the railways to do the same.

Exactly what they are doing , operating until 18:00 then withdrawing services because the forecasts indcate that they can't provide a response to incidents/ with fair warning that 18:00 is the cut off

We could go round in circles but if you hint to people that it may be possible to run after this time people will turn up expecting a full perfect service. We all know that.

The indsutry pays a lot of money for weather forecasting, seems daft to do that then just ignore what that tells you.

The only think which I already concurred is if the weather turns out to be not as bad as expected things should start running again sooner than saturday .

Besides flights are sometimes cancelled pre emptively as well that isn't that uncommon. And of course in a worst case scenario with a flight being diverted again airports aren't usually in highly remote locations surrouded by roads that are likely to be impassable , and they tend to be surrounded by hotels you can put stranded passengers up in as quite often happens.

 

[Taunton]

I think a lot of posters are missing the fact that these cancellations are a result of network rail closing the route not just at the whims of the TOC.

That's at least in part because network rail can't guarantee an ability to continue to provide incident response capability if weather is as bad as forecast.

That's not really so, because of the various undue strandings and incidents reported in recent times, I don't think there has been a single one due to Network Rail staff being tied up elsewhere on multiple problems.

Even the Carmont incident had the MOM responding straightforwardly to a train needing to reverse. Of course, there they needed to turn out from 25 miles away, through the storm, not to an actual incident, but initially just to clamp the crossover points for the train to return, as Network Rail had been too cheeseparing to provide either facing point locks, or to qualify the signaller in applying simple locks themselves.

 

[Freemo]

I live five miles from Hope Valley at the same or lower elevation and am going to go shopping this afternoon in preparation for it being likely I don't go out until Saturday.

People in this thread are talking about relatively benign forecasts etc. but when there is an amber warning in this neck of the woods it generally means that even people with their big Chelsea tractors fitted with winter tyres are going to struggle to move, and it can all happen in the space of 90 minutes.

We can pretend to be Switzerland when we're paying for Swiss infrastructure.

 

[notspy]

I still feel this is pretty hyperbolic, though. Throw me an example, from the last two weeks of RTT data, where your near weekly basis of a train failing and blocking the route (for a period of time) has occurred?

The data is there so if this really is happening as often as you claim, you should be able to source atleast one case.

The last time I was booked to work over the line (15th December) the service was held and cancelled at Stockport due to an EMR service striking a tree (RTT link attached, I believe it was 1R74 but happy to be proven wrong). I'm sure there's been more recent cases of disruption but as mentioned by other people above I'm not one for trawling through previous services.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y12455/2025-12-15/detailed#allox_id=3

It's hard enough turfing off 300+ passengers at a busy manned station, so worst case scenario if you're stranded somewhere without the extra staff, 1 guard trying to communicate with control and manage a few hundred people for hours with limited supplies (no real emergency food or water and limited amounts of foil blankets) would not be a fun situation to be in for anyone, especially if it was stranded overnight. Obviously this is an absolute worst case scenario and I think the chances of being stranded overnight are slim but it's definitely not nil, and that's not a chance that management, or traincrew would want to take.

Ticket acceptance is valid via HUD or LDS so if required essential travel is possible, albeit a bit longer.

 

[Horizon22]

They now appear to have reinstated quite a few trains on the Cotswolds line

On the flip side they are now closing off any trains to Cornwall after 1800.

 

[800301]

I still feel this is pretty hyperbolic, though. Throw me an example, from the last two weeks of RTT data, where your near weekly basis of a train failing and blocking the route (for a period of time) has occurred?

The data is there so if this really is happening as often as you claim, you should be able to source atleast one case.

I'm not doubting this does happen, just that its not half as likely as you're making out.

Off the top of my head

6C03 Failed on Tuesday across Kennet Bridge Jn

Realtime Trains | 6C03 0957 Northolt Sidings to Severnside Sita | 06/01/2026

Real-time train running information for 6C03 0957 departure from Northolt Sidings to Severnside Sita on 06/01/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

While it doesn’t seem to have caused any problems recently, during the last few cold snaps where temperatures have been freezing, the 720’s that have been out-stabled have been unable to raise their Pantograph’s as they became frozen in place

 

[BAFRA77]

Appears that WMR services between Birmingham New Street and Hereford will be suspended after 1440. Appears to be proactive thinking by WMR and Network Rail.

But it looks like they are running between Worcester and Droitwich this evening (according to their agent on X) - so not sure if it's just the New Street line affected and not the Snow Hill (no pun intended) route (as I'm due to be heading to Droitwich for an event this evening).

Can anyone confirm if there is anywhere online with accurate timetabling information as to what is and isn't running (would they have loaded in the changes to RTT yet?)

 

[Horizon22]

Off the top of my head

6C03 Failed on Tuesday across Kennet Bridge Jn

Realtime Trains | 6C03 0957 Northolt Sidings to Severnside Sita | 06/01/2026

Real-time train running information for 6C03 0957 departure from Northolt Sidings to Severnside Sita on 06/01/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

While it doesn’t seem to have caused any problems recently, during the last few cold snaps where temperatures have been freezing, the 720’s that have been out-stabled have been unable to raise their Pantograph’s as they became frozen in place

And that particular train failed in such a place that it blocked 3 out of 4 of the lines from the east into Reading.

Freight trains have naturally more risk on infrastructure due to their length and to be trailing across points which passenger trains may not, leading to a cascade effect of disruption, especially on busier routes with lots of pointwork in close proximity (e.g around larger stations).

 

[Bletchleyite]

It would help if TOCs posted better summary information. Just directing people to planners which may or may not be up to date is not helpful.

To Northern's credit they have done - WMT have not as of yet.

 

[43055]

It would help if TOCs posted better summary information. Just directing people to planners which may or may not be up to date is not helpful.

To Northern's credit they have done - WMT have not as of yet.

EMR is quite good detailing changes by the routes with more routes closing from 2000 and once available will detail last trains:

Storm Goretti: Service Disruption. | EMR

www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

Liverpool - Norwich - Hope valley shut from 1800 (1343 from Sheffield being the last west bound EMR, 1551 from Liverpool return) and all day tomorrow. Nottingham - Sheffield will close as well from 2000
Matlock branch, Derby - Crewe and Nottingham - Worksop are all closed from 2000 until 1000 Friday

 

[Bletchleyite]

EMR is quite good detailing changes by the routes with more routes closing from 2000 and once available will detail last trains:

Storm Goretti: Service Disruption. | EMR

www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

Liverpool - Norwich - Hope valley shut from 1800 (1343 from Sheffield being the last west bound EMR, 1551 from Liverpool return) and all day tomorrow. Nottingham - Sheffield will close as well from 2000
Matlock branch, Derby - Crewe and Nottingham - Worksop are all closed from 2000 until 1000 Friday

Agreed, that's pretty good.

It will be an interesting challenge for GBR as to how to represent this kind of thing when it's one website and app for the whole country.

 

[Taunton]

It would help if TOCs posted better summary information. Just directing people to planners which may or may not be up to date is not helpful.

Even more infuriating is being sent to a website/planner which says absolutely, word-for-word, what the initial notice said.