Storm Goretti disruption - 8/9 January 2026

[D1511]

Well, here are the decisions being made by NS control for tomorrow.
And in case you don't know where storm Goretti goes after it hits England .....that's right, smack bang into the Netherlands.

Here's the info from the NS Website today:

Travel information
Tomorrow Friday 09 January Winter schedule in force

Winter weather is expected tomorrow in a large part of the Netherlands, especially in the three northern provinces. In order to offer you a reliable and safe journey, the winter schedule will therefore be in force tomorrow. This means that fewer NS trains run on a number of routes. Take into account extra travel time, more frequent transfers and crowds on the train. Almost all routes run at least two trains per hour, sometimes four times per hour. Plan your trip shortly before departure for the most up-to-date travel advice possible. For international travel: check the NS International website.

Plan your trip Current situation NS International
What does this mean for your trip?
Almost all routes run at least two trains per hour, sometimes four times per hour. Because the weather remains unpredictable, despite the measures taken, trains can still run differently than planned. Therefore, always check your trip shortly before departure in the Trip Planner or enable the option "notifications" in the NS app. Take into account longer travel times and crowds. Trains can also leave at a different time than you are used to.

Extra switch to Zwolle
Especially in the north of the country, a lot of snowfall with strong winds is expected tonight. The train traffic above Zwolle will be disconnected from the rest of the NS train service. As a result, disruptions in the north have no (indirect) impact on train traffic in the rest of the country. Between Zwolle and Groningen and between Zwolle and Leeuwarden, only sprinters will ride tomorrow. For travellers from the northern provinces who want to travel further into the country or vice versa, this means that they have to transfer extra to Zwolle.

The main adjustments are:

Sprinters only all day:
Zwolle – Groningen
Zwolle – Leeuwarden

Less Intercity’s all day:
Amsterdam Central Station – Alkmaar/Den Helder
Amsterdam Central Station – Haarlem – The Hague Central Station
Amsterdam Central – Utrecht Central – Eindhoven Central – Sittard
Amersfoort Central – Deventer
The Hague Central Station – Utrecht Central Station
Rotterdam Central Station – Utrecht Central Station
Roosendaal – Vlissingen

Fewer Sprinters all day:
Amsterdam Central Station – Almere Oostvaarders
Uitgeest – Amsterdam Central Station – Breukelen
Hilversum – Almere Centre
The Hague Central Station – Dordrecht
Alphen aan den Rijn – Gouda
Arnhem Central – Nijmegen
Amsterdam Central Station – Schiphol Airport – Hoofddorp
Utrecht Central Station – Hilversum – Weesp – Hoofddorp

Fewer Sprinters in the rush hour:
Uitgeest – Utrecht Central Station – Driebergen-Zeist

Museum train
Museum train does not run Utrecht Central – Utrecht Maliebaan

International
Eurocity Direct does not run Lelystad Centre – Brussels South

Are you traveling abroad? Travel earlier and schedule extra time for a possible transfer. Regional carriers also operate with an adapted timetable. Consult the site of other public transport companies to see if there are any changes in their timetables.

During the winter schedule, the regular Money refund applies in case of delay schedule. You can visit NS.nl/compensatie for information about the validity of your ticket and any allowances to which you are entitled. NS Customer Service is particularly busy; keep in mind that they cannot offer alternative transport.

If the snow and frost are not too bad, we can unfortunately no longer return to a normal timetable. Employees and trains are scheduled elsewhere and the travel information is based on the adjusted timetable. Although this is annoying for our travelers, we would rather do it once too much than take the risk of the weather disappointing.

The seasons can have an impact on the railways, just like on the road or in the air. Want to know more? See: Adjusting the timetable | About NS | NS

So, are they worse at doing their jobs and highly irresponsible compared to the British equivalents, or better, with more sense of social responsibility and less willingness to put it in the too difficult pile? I know my view.

 

[Russel]

I bet the railways are rubbing their hands at the extra money from people (e.g. me) who hastily bought full price tickets to return home today, rather than chancing it with our cheap Advances for tomorrow. Glad I did it though, I'd only have worried all day and probably ended up stranded in North Wales.

I'm in a similar position...

I'm booked on the sleeper tomorrow night from Paddington and I'm already undecided on what to do, fingers crossed there is no major damage over night and things are back to normal-ish by tomorrow evening.

 

[tram21]

I bet the railways are rubbing their hands at the extra money from people (e.g. me) who hastily bought full price tickets to return home today, rather than chancing it with our cheap Advances for tomorrow. Glad I did it though, I'd only have worried all day and probably ended up stranded in North Wales.

Was there not ticket easements in place so you could travel earlier?

 

[trainophile]

Was there not ticket easements in place so you could travel earlier?

Nothing mentioned, and now we don't even have the luxury a TfW Journey Check page it was safer not to chance it. After all, first thing this morning when I made the decision there wasn't a flake of snow or drop of rain going on. There was some commentary about everything shutting down at 15:00 but that wasn't elaborated on as to what people's options were.

 

[nilvaj395]

Well, here are the decisions being made by NS control for tomorrow.
And in case you don't know where storm Goretti goes after it hits England .....that's right, smack bang into the Netherlands.



Travel information
Tomorrow Friday 09 January Winter schedule in force

Winter weather is expected tomorrow in a large part of the Netherlands, especially in the three northern provinces. In order to offer you a reliable and safe journey, the winter schedule will therefore be in force tomorrow. This means that fewer NS trains run on a number of routes. Take into account extra travel time, more frequent transfers and crowds on the train. Almost all routes run at least two trains per hour, sometimes four times per hour. Plan your trip shortly before departure for the most up-to-date travel advice possible. For international travel: check the NS International website.

Plan your trip Current situation NS International
What does this mean for your trip?
Almost all routes run at least two trains per hour, sometimes four times per hour. Because the weather remains unpredictable, despite the measures taken, trains can still run differently than planned. Therefore, always check your trip shortly before departure in the Trip Planner or enable the option "notifications" in the NS app. Take into account longer travel times and crowds. Trains can also leave at a different time than you are used to.

Extra switch to Zwolle
Especially in the north of the country, a lot of snowfall with strong winds is expected tonight. The train traffic above Zwolle will be disconnected from the rest of the NS train service. As a result, disruptions in the north have no (indirect) impact on train traffic in the rest of the country. Between Zwolle and Groningen and between Zwolle and Leeuwarden, only sprinters will ride tomorrow. For travellers from the northern provinces who want to travel further into the country or vice versa, this means that they have to transfer extra to Zwolle.

The main adjustments are:

Sprinters only all day:
Zwolle – Groningen
Zwolle – Leeuwarden

Less Intercity’s all day:
Amsterdam Central Station – Alkmaar/Den Helder
Amsterdam Central Station – Haarlem – The Hague Central Station
Amsterdam Central – Utrecht Central – Eindhoven Central – Sittard
Amersfoort Central – Deventer
The Hague Central Station – Utrecht Central Station
Rotterdam Central Station – Utrecht Central Station
Roosendaal – Vlissingen

Fewer Sprinters all day:
Amsterdam Central Station – Almere Oostvaarders
Uitgeest – Amsterdam Central Station – Breukelen
Hilversum – Almere Centre
The Hague Central Station – Dordrecht
Alphen aan den Rijn – Gouda
Arnhem Central – Nijmegen
Amsterdam Central Station – Schiphol Airport – Hoofddorp
Utrecht Central Station – Hilversum – Weesp – Hoofddorp

Fewer Sprinters in the rush hour:
Uitgeest – Utrecht Central Station – Driebergen-Zeist

Museum train
Museum train does not run Utrecht Central – Utrecht Maliebaan

International
Eurocity Direct does not run Lelystad Centre – Brussels South

Are you traveling abroad? Travel earlier and schedule extra time for a possible transfer. Regional carriers also operate with an adapted timetable. Consult the site of other public transport companies to see if there are any changes in their timetables.

During the winter schedule, the regular Money refund applies in case of delay schedule. You can visit NS.nl/compensatie for information about the validity of your ticket and any allowances to which you are entitled. NS Customer Service is particularly busy; keep in mind that they cannot offer alternative transport.

If the snow and frost are not too bad, we can unfortunately no longer return to a normal timetable. Employees and trains are scheduled elsewhere and the travel information is based on the adjusted timetable. Although this is annoying for our travelers, we would rather do it once too much than take the risk of the weather disappointing.

The seasons can have an impact on the railways, just like on the road or in the air. Want to know more? See: Adjusting the timetable | About NS | NS

So, are they worse at doing their jobs and highly irresponsible compared to the British equivalents, or better, with more sense of social responsibility and less willingness to put it in the too difficult pile? I know my view.

But the Netherlands is different because X,Y,Z and it cant be done in Britain because X,Y,Z.... said someone probably.

You would think rather than giving up and saying it cant be done because reasons, we would actually take our situation into account and take any possible measures to ensure service is maintained. I do find it funny that 2 tph is a 'reduced service' when compared to British standards. You can temper peoples expectations, but you cant just give up on them. Not unless there is some downright extreme circumstances like a red warning or unless you've tried absolutely everything and cannot reinstate service.

 

[Freemo]

So, are they worse at doing their jobs and highly irresponsible compared to the British equivalents, or better, with more sense of social responsibility and less willingness to put it in the too difficult pile? I know my view.

The United Kingdom isn't almost entirely flat though.

Schiphol Airport hasn't been faring so well this week, the people working there must be lazy and of questionable moral character.

If the snow and frost are not too bad, we can unfortunately no longer return to a normal timetable.

Unacceptable, why can they not have contingencies in place, this would never happen in Switzerland etc.

 

[Adam Williams]

Nothing mentioned

We received a brief about TfW easements at 19:13. Prior to that, the only TOCs mentioned were:

• Avanti West Coast
• CrossCountry
• East Midlands Railway
• West Midlands Railway / London Northwestern Railway
• Transpennine Express - for travel between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield only

 

[trainophile]

We received a brief about TfW easements at 19:13. Prior to that, the only TOCs mentioned were:

• Avanti West Coast
• CrossCountry
• East Midlands Railway
• West Midlands Railway / London Northwestern Railway
• Transpennine Express - for travel between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield only

19:13 tonight?

 

[CHAPS2034]

I bet the railways are rubbing their hands at the extra money from people (e.g. me) who hastily bought full price tickets to return home today, rather than chancing it with our cheap Advances for tomorrow. Glad I did it though, I'd only have worried all day and probably ended up stranded in North Wales.

And no doubt they are not rubbing their hands at the loss of income with fewer passengers making discretionary journeys tonight and tomorrow, plus all their disruption costs.

 

[Adam Williams]

19:13 tonight?

Yes

 

[D1511]

The United Kingdom isn't almost entirely flat though.

Schiphol Airport hasn't been faring so well this week, the people working there must be lazy and of questionable moral character.

Unacceptable, why can they not have contingencies in place, this would never happen in Switzerland etc.

This doesn't merit a response. It's as pathetic as our response to bad weather, and as all the apologists.

 

[Russel]

But the Netherlands is different because X,Y,Z and it cant be done in Britain because X,Y,Z.... said someone probably.

You would think rather than giving up and saying it cant be done because reasons, we would actually take our situation into account and take any possible measures to ensure service is maintained. I do find it funny that 2 tph is a 'reduced service' when compared to British standards. You can temper peoples expectations, but you cant just give up on them. Not unless there is some downright extreme circumstances like a red warning or unless you've tried absolutely everything and cannot reinstate service.

How risk averse it the Netherlands compared to the UK, just out of interest?

 

[Freemo]

This doesn't merit a response. It's as pathetic as our response to bad weather, and as all the apologists.

There are no practical differences between the network in the north of England and the Netherlands which may effect decision making, such as have been mentioned in this thread?

 

[nilvaj395]

The United Kingdom isn't almost entirely flat though.

Schiphol Airport hasn't been faring so well this week, the people working there must be lazy and of questionable moral character.

Except Schiphol Airport is still trying to run and our railways arent. Half of the flights still ran, and most of the cancellations were narrow body planes with long haul and freight being relatively unaffected.

You would think the people in charge would have the knowledge of the geography involved in this country and could take relevant measures of equal proportion to ensure something resembling a service is maintained. You're supposed to adapt, not just go "can't be done". I don't think the Dutch looked at climate change and said "we will not bother strengthening the infrastructure that protects the country because that's too much effort, we will just deal with the effects of not strengthening it". Why is the UK obsessed with managing decline?

And for what its worth, the only 'hilly' part of the Netherlands being Limburg has been fine even if it has only been in a code yellow area.

I just don't think cancelling commuter corridors around Manchester when people will still be expected to turn up at work is sensible nor a good look.

But the railways fortunately don't have to pay people's lost wages, or else there would probably be a push to maximise reliability. The buses are still running and yet Northern won't offer any form of similar replacement on the bits they are not operating, pushing the extra cost onto their 'valued' customers through using a do not travel warning.


Modal shift from cars isn't possible when no effort is put into reliability especially in the face of an ever increasing threat from a changing climate.

 

[trainophile]

Yes

What do the easements say? And how would ticket holders find out about them?

 

[KNN]

This thread has gone a bit off topic, perhaps the railway _should_ be more resilient, I'm not an engineer. But looking out of my window, I think the right decision was made to not risk stranding people in this.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Jan 2026 ==

What do the easements say? And how would ticket holders find out about them?

On the National Rail Enquiries website and pinned to the top of the TOC twitter, in the instance of WMR who is the one I would have used today had there not been a storm.

 

[D1511]

There are no practical differences between the network in the north of England and the Netherlands which may effect decision making, such as have been mentioned in this thread?

That's not the point at all here. It's about general organisational capability and ethos during bad weather events. And the network might be at different AODs but the challenge is exactly the same......heavy snowfall and strong winds forming deep drifts and frozen points and OLE. I'll bet the snow in Leeuwarden or Groningen is at least as deep as anything we get here and the temperatures far lower. BUT THEY'RE RUNNING A SERVICE.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

We received a brief about TfW easements at 19:13. Prior to that, the only TOCs mentioned were:

• Avanti West Coast
• CrossCountry
• East Midlands Railway
• West Midlands Railway / London Northwestern Railway
• Transpennine Express - for travel between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield only

Northern said the below (and as per #1), has been in effect the whole time.
Blanket "another operator" and "any reasonable route", which obviously is of no help to Buxton or Glossop, but works via the North for Sheffield.

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.

 

[Freemo]

Modal shift isn't possible when no effort is put into reliability especially in the face of an ever increasing threat from a changing climate.

Completely agree, but that's an issue that should have been dealt with from the beginning of this century onward. The people planning these things on a day to day basis are making decisions with what they've been given to work with by others.

 

[josh-j]

Personally my totally uneducated guess of opinion is that likely the right decision was made in the present circumstances but that ultimately we need more money spending on resiliency so that we don't have to be deciding to curtail services like this so often. I don't like how often anger is directed at the people making planning decisions, I think they are working with the infrastructure constraints forced upon them.

edit: What Freemo said!

 

[Requeststop]

!C80 is really struggling to get to Penzance. 78 minutes to get from Penwithers Junction to Chasewater. I'd hate to be travelling on the train and even driving. Here we've had a couple of power outages. Nearby we've had a gust of 98mph. Hate to say what it's like five miles away on the open section at Penzance.

 

[Russel]

Personally my totally uneducated guess of opinion is that likely the right decision was made in the present circumstances but that ultimately we need more money spending on resiliency so that we don't have to be deciding to curtail services like this so often. I don't like how often anger is directed at the people making planning decisions, I think they are working with the infrastructure constraints forced upon them.

edit: What Freemo said!

This I agree with.

Quite frankly, the increasing amount of do not travel messages posted by TOC's is unacceptable, but, if the money isn't being spent on resilience what choice do they have?

That said, I also think we're becoming far too risk averse as a whole, not just on the railway, the Avanti announcement thread is a perfect example of this.

 

[D1511]

How risk averse it the Netherlands compared to the UK, just out of interest?

Just on this point and OT obviously, I've noted that the Dutch use Kilkenny limestone kerbing, dropped kerbs and quadrants etc to contrast with their brick red block paving on roads, pavements and cycle paths in Amsterdam. It looks lovely, but just like any limestone, it's pretty soapy when wet. If you slip, it's your own fault and the Gemeente will not entertain any claims whatsoever. In my experience, there doesn't seem such a litigious culture there as we seem to have adopted here, so much less in my estimation.

In rail matters however, I have no idea, but I'd be surprised if they didn't have very exacting safety standards too. But i think it is more about NS & ProRail having greater confidence in being able to keep lines open and rescue trains in trouble because of their capability, flexible operational arrangements and their equipment - which you could perhaps collectively call 'investment'. I very much doubt they are any less risk averse regarding passenger safety than we are here, it's just that they've got a lot more to work with.

 

[duffield]

1L17 1940 Sheffield to Norwich is off route at Derby, missing out Alfreton. I wonder what's going on, given that the worst of the storm hasn't really hit yet?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

1L17 1940 Sheffield to Norwich is off route at Derby, missing out Alfreton. I wonder what's going on, given that the worst of the storm hasn't really hit yet?

Darwin is saying everything is cancelled and showing some Rail Replacement buses
All the cancellation messages say because of forecasted severe weather.

 

[Teapot42]

Storm Babet in autumn 2023 did a huge amount of damage to bridges and river banks that took over 18 months to claw back with loads of closures, diversions and temporary traffic lights. Hulleys Buses folded. There aren’t just problems on the trains.

I'm pretty sure Storm Babet had very little to do with Hulleys folding! It may even have been a benefit in a way, as they got tendered work from DCC to operate some diversionary services around road closures.

 

[Russel]

I'm pretty sure Storm Babet had very little to do with Hulleys folding! It may even have been a benefit in a way, as they got tendered work from DCC to operate some diversionary services around road closures.

Agreed, Hulleys had far bigger issues.

 

[sor]

!C80 is really struggling to get to Penzance. 78 minutes to get from Penwithers Junction to Chasewater. I'd hate to be travelling on the train and even driving. Here we've had a couple of power outages. Nearby we've had a gust of 98mph. Hate to say what it's like five miles away on the open section at Penzance.

I'm currently in mid Cornwall and we've been without power for coming up to an hour now. The National Grid map suggests they're going to be busy. Rain is practically sideways. I think they were right to suspend all rail services here tonight.

 

[LlanishenBull]

Correct and snow now falling - think WMR have taken a fairly sensible approach given timing of the weather with the approach to this evening’s services. Hereford was the only real surprise early cancellation.

It's never a surprise when WMT to Hereford are cancelled

 

[Dr Hoo]

I'm pretty sure Storm Babet had very little to do with Hulleys folding! It may even have been a benefit in a way, as they got tendered work from DCC to operate some diversionary services around road closures.

I know this is Off Thread but Hulleys really seemed to suffer with multiple road/ route closures and diversions over several months. I remember looking at the Bus Times live maps and noting times when none of the buses in the area were actually moving on their normal routes. At the risk of stating the obvious, many passengers just couldn’t travel.

The Hope Valley just doesn’t have much network resilience. One flood, landslip, road maintenance closure or accident can mean that a lot of people are late for work, school, missing trains or whatever. Ditto snowdrifts or black ice - to bring it back to this evening.