Storm Goretti disruption - 8/9 January 2026

[TwinTurbostar]

WMR are now advising not to travel all day today (Friday 9th), with services suspended until the afternoon.

https://x.com/WestMidRailway/status/2009406987813949883

 

[SteveElbows]

Continuing the theme spotted earlier in the evening, the final few Euston to Wolverhampton trains of the evening ended up going through Nuneaton instead of the usual route, and a bunch of freight trains throughout the night also ended up taking this sort of approach in both directions rather than their usual Birmingham-Coventry routes.

I believe there was also a Reading to Manchester train that got snarled up in Birmingham-Wolverhampton issues and in the end had to take the Birmigham to Nuneaton line and then reverse at Nuneaton to end up going in the right direction on the West Coast line.

 

[TwinTurbostar]

Continuing the theme spotted earlier in the evening, the final few Euston to Wolverhampton trains of the evening ended up going through Nuneaton instead of the usual route, and a bunch of freight trains throughout the night also ended up taking this sort of approach in both directions rather than their usual Birmingham-Coventry routes.

I believe the line from Birmingham to Wolverhampton is still blocked, if Traksy etc are correct, two 390s still sat at Monmore Green and Smethwick Galton Bridge, and a 730 sat at Sandwell & Dudley.

 

[SteveElbows]

Ive also been watching a Class 50 1Z99 on rail diagrams travelling around all sorts of lines in the area overnight. But it stopped when it reached a certain point on the Sutton Park line, and now the line in both directions there has been labelled TREE so it has obviously found a problem there.

 

[Angmering1974]

But to suggest that we in the railway are not trying, or not caring about passengers is frankly offensive. And I’d quite like some of you to come and say it to me in person in control one day.

The biggest problem on this forum is that railway staff can't see that passengers most of the time are angry at the government, not the staff (I know their wording can be confusing but I think ultimately it's where the anger lies)

To the extent you really just invited people to basically come fight you...!

 

[sammyg901]

Chiltern Railways did something interesting, showed all trains after around 10pm as cancelled and told passengers to travel earlier. However these did then run as booked (aside from the disruption caused by the points failure at Tylesey)

I am not sure if it was an intended action or just a concequence of the weather not being as bad as forecast on the south of their route, but it was a blunt but effective way at getting people to travel earlier when the impact on the route was unknown, whilst not actually leaving anyone stranded or causing too much disruption to stock/staff positioning!

 

[Requeststop]

Here in the far South West, things have certainly calmed down after the battering we had last evening. In my 72 years, I've never seen wind and rain like it even in tropical cyclones I've experienced. There are many many cancelations. The first six services from Penzance to Paddington are all cancelled and it seems that the first services out of Penzance will be after 11:30.
I notice that two services have started their journeys towards Penzance, 1C11, XC ex Bristol Temple Meads and 2C09 ex Exeter St Davids but it's yet to be seen if they can make it down here all the way with trees down on lines and signalling problems.
IC80 struggled from Plymouth to Penzance last night into the storm arriving in Penzance arriving 230 late. Congrats to the driver who completed the journey, and the signallers who must have also struggled with the electronics as well.

 

[trundlewagon]

two 390s still sat at Monmore Green

The idea that a train full of passengers could potentially have become stranded in the middle of the Hope Valley was apparently ridiculous though...

 

[dk1]

Woken up here in the East and you’d hardly know any storm had occurred such was its lack of impact here. Not a single cancellation or line problem showing for Greater Anglia as I head into just a damp Norwich.

 

[STKKK46]

The idea that a train full of passengers could potentially have become stranded in the middle of the Hope Valley was apparently ridiculous though...

Indeed.

See also 2V24 running in to trouble at Smethwick West in the early hours, resulting in 1J55 eventually locking up for the night at around 05:00.

It’s a significant weather event and once again the Railway gets a load of stick because they’re doing too much and they do it so much better in Europe.

It’s only a bit of snow, after all.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Can anyone in the Hope Valley tell us how much snow there is?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Can anyone in the Hope Valley tell us how much snow there is?

Based on some of the webcams publically avaliable at https://www.jamesgphotography.co.uk/peak-district-webcams/ (and other sites), there's quite a bit of snow, but roads are cleared.

 

[Killingworth]

Can anyone in the Hope Valley tell us how much snow there is?

Judged from the SW Sheffield side of Totley Tunnel it's not too bad. After black ice everywhere yesterday it may be deceptive as snow is lying more deeply in some places. In Sheffield itself traffic will be moving with care. Many suburban roads in Dore & Totley have been ploughrd overnight. Buses are running.

For those looking forward to total chaos it's not happening and there's not much snow forecast for today.

However, over the hill in Hathersage and up Edale it can often look very different.

 

[Tetchytyke]

You phrase it as being "convenient", but it's actually the most sensible timeframe which doesn't lead to stranded customers.

As I’ve repeatedly said, the decision to shut up shop early yesterday made sense. What I have issues with is the decision to close everything today based purely on a forecast.

I still simply do not understand why the decision to close today was made so early for the Hope Valley. They could have looked out the window at 7am and made a call this morning. That’s what they’ve done in the West Midlands where the snowfall was heavier than forecast: they’ve looked out the window this morning and seen that it is not safe to operate. They didn’t cancel everything two days ago just in case.

Judging by the webcams linked above, the Hope Valley could have operated today. But they’re not going to, because they’ve already decided not to.

 

[trundlewagon]

looked out the window at 7am and made a call this morning. That’s what they’ve done in the West Midlands

Only after a number of trains were stuck for several hours last night (and several still are)...

 

[Falcon1200]

I'll bet the snow in Leeuwarden or Groningen is at least as deep as anything we get here and the temperatures far lower.

Evidence required, rather than uninformed supposition.

As one of the few people commenting here who have been in the position of having to take decisions such as those made in the last 48 hours, and also having been party to the decisions made in the last 48 hours, I wholeheartedly agree. There seems to be a number of armchair controllers out there who perhaps don’t understand the realities of operating the railway.

Agree with everything you say!

During my years in Control I too was responsible for making such decisions, and having to deal with the aftermath when things went wrong. I recall passengers having to be rescued, by helicopter, from a Stranraer train stranded in snow in, quite literally, the middle of nowhere. I recall, also during heavy snow, two trains almost heading towards each other on a single line after one had been released from a blockage and a miscommunication occurred. I recall us promising passengers (in effect because timetables had not been amended) a full, normal train service, only for the entire Scottish network to be shut down when the number of incidents became unmanageable. I was retired by 2020 but after Covid struck was asked to return to my old job, had I accepted I might well have been on duty during Carmont, and therefore held by some to be directly responsible for the deaths of three people.

 

[ChrisC]

Here in Nottinghamshire it’s the Mansfield area which seems to have been affected quite badly. No EMR train service on the Nottingham to Worksop route. There’s been no buses this morning from Stagecoach in Mansfield or from Trent Barton out of their Sutton in Ashfield depot. Stagecoach have just started to run buses towards Nottingham on the Pronto route.

 

[Chrius56000]

. . .No trains reported until at least 1130.today and all the buses are suspended here in Walsall!

. . .My friend can't even get the car moving on our street because of all the ice and ridges, etc!

 

[Tetchytyke]

Only after a number of trains were stuck for several hours last night (and several still are)...

Indeed, mostly trees from what I can see.

For today they’ve looked out the window and decided accordingly. They didn’t decide two days ago to bin everything off just in case.

These webcams from the Edale valley show nothing more than moderate snow, if that.

 

[D1511]

Evidence required, rather than uninformed supposition.

16cm overnight in central Leeuwarden with some drifting. -7 overnight rising to -1 today (but -8 with windchill) with persistent heavy snow showers {triple snowflake icon) from around 10am until at least 8pm. Winds gusting to 45mph. Presumably a bit worse outside the urban area.

So, as I said, more snow, and colder. And 2tph.

 

[Pete 1981]

Can anyone in the Hope Valley tell us how much snow there is?

Not sure about actually in the Hope Valley but I live at Western end of the line and there's none. Reddish North, my local station, is operating with one service an hour instead of the usual two.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Meanwhile, in my bit of the Hope Valley, we didn’t actually get a vast amount of snow overnight and the temperature is above freezing. Win Hill and Lose Hill are only lightly covered.

It’s warmer and less snowy where I am than it was on Monday. Quite surprising.

 

[Lewisham2221]

As I’ve repeatedly said, the decision to shut up shop early yesterday made sense. What I have issues with is the decision to close everything today based purely on a forecast.

I still simply do not understand why the decision to close today was made so early for the Hope Valley. They could have looked out the window at 7am and made a call this morning. That’s what they’ve done in the West Midlands where the snowfall was heavier than forecast: they’ve looked out the window this morning and seen that it is not safe to operate. They didn’t cancel everything two days ago just in case.

Judging by the webcams linked above, the Hope Valley could have operated today. But they’re not going to, because they’ve already decided not to.

I'm not sure how many ways and times you need to be told: the closures were announced in advance to give passengers advance notice and to prevent people making outbound journeys with an unrealistic expectation if being able to make their return journey.

Announcing a closure, then possibly being able to offer something (or not) provides a far more positive outcome than telling people that you can (or might) provide a service which it then transpires you can't. Humans have an incredible talent for interpreting terms such as "possible" or "maybe" or "might" in the most positive way for themselves - "disruption possible" = "naah, it won't affect me" and "services might operate" = "but they said trains would run".

Also, which one of the webcams linked to above provided a full, clear view of the entire Hope Valley line? I must've missed it, could you link directly to it please?

I seem to recall (last year?), one armchair expert boldly proclaiming that there was absolutely no reason why trains couldn't run along the North Wales coast because the wind had died down and he couldn't see any issues. Turns out, when the route proving train ran, it took the best part of two days to get from Holyhead to Chester, such were the number of issues and obstructions encountered along the way.

 

[D1511]

Meanwhile, in my bit of the Hope Valley, we didn’t actually get a vast amount of snow overnight and the temperature is above freezing. Win Hill and Lose Hill are only lightly covered.

It’s warmer and less snowy where I am than it was on Monday. Quite surprising.

At least you've got plenty food in!

 

[BAFRA77]

They could have looked out the window at 7am and made a call this morning. That’s what they’ve done in the West Midlands where the snowfall was heavier than forecast: they’ve looked out the window this morning and seen that it is not safe to operate. They didn’t cancel everything two days ago just in case.

WMR did purge/did their usual sacrifice of most of the Birmingham - Hereford services yesterday morning - with suspension of some runnings starting a full 5 hours or so before even a flake of snow had hit the ground and before any impact was seen.

 

[matthenj]

The idea that a train full of passengers could potentially have become stranded in the middle of the Hope Valley was apparently ridiculous though...

I think, what people would like to see is Network Rail identifying a train might become stuck, and then employing countermeasures - rather than going "nah, not worth the bother"

Risk of trees on the line? Put a crew of workman on the train with chainsaws.

Risk of snow? Attach plough to front of train.

There is no "can do" attitude anywhere in this country any more: just people giving reasons why stuff can't be done, and therefore deploying no energy, or out of box thinking, to get them done.

This isn't just limited to the railway - its a general criticism of the nation we've evolved into.

We're so in love with SoPs that we have zero adaptability - don't get me wrong, I understand why: in an era where trying and failing results in a court case or public enquiry, why try?

 

[Angmering1974]

There is no "can do" attitude anywhere in this country any more: just people giving reasons why stuff can't be done, and therefore deploying no energy, or out of box thinking, to get them done.

This isn't just limited to the railway - its a general criticism of the nation we've evolved into.

100% agree.

I bet someone will explain why we can't adopt a "can do" attitude

 

[Hunccy]

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.

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I’m in north Wales on Rail Rover trip.

Moving from Llandudno to Barmouth yesterday took all day due to Trains for Wales here closing down 12 hours in advance of predicted storm despite weather being unseasonably dry and still. Despite this scaremongering the buses worked fine, just slow for my route.

Blaenau F route closed all day yesterday before storm. This may be more understandable due to hills.

But Porthmadog - Barmouth is closed all day too! It will it open today despite storm arriving last night in the form of a bit of rain.

If they weren’t having their maintenance breaks, I’m sure the Little trains of Wales Heritage lines would have carried on.

 

[yoyothehobo]

16cm overnight in central Leeuwarden with some drifting. -7 overnight rising to -1 today (but -8 with windchill) with persistent heavy snow showers {triple snowflake icon) from around 10am until at least 8pm. Winds gusting to 45mph. Presumably a bit worse outside the urban area.

So, as I said, more snow, and colder. And 2tph.

Can you share your source for this?

Current webcams over most of the netherlands show a max of 2-5cm of snow, with a lot of that from previous days, with some areas having no lying snow.

Current temperatures are showing as 3 degrees and max wind gusts of 40 knots in gronigen.

 

[trundlewagon]

Risk of trees on the line? Put a crew of workman on the train with chainsaws.

Where are we conjuring this apparently endless supply of people with chainsaws from?