South Western Railway say if you are travelling from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo via Guildford you are advised not to travel on this route until after 3pm today (Friday).
Storm Eunice is affecting travel across the network, including on the Isle of Wight, with services on the Island Line not running between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade all day.
Other restrictions include:
- Services between Lymington Pier and Brockenhurst will not run until approximately 15:00.
- Services between Portsmouth Harbour and London Waterloo via Eastleigh will end and start their journey at Portsmouth and Southsea instead of Portsmouth Harbour between 09:00 and 15:00.
- Services between Portsmouth Harbour and Petersfield will end and start their journey at Portsmouth and Southsea instead of Portsmouth Harbour between 09:00 and 15:00.
Due to the service changes, if you do decide to travel, SWR can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to complete your journey and replacement transport will not be available.
Blanket speed restriction of 50mph
Network Rail have imposed a blanket speed restriction of 50mph across the network from the start of the train service on Friday morning until 21:00 which will cause disruption to train services.
This is to protect passengers and train crew from the effects of the high winds as drivers are better able to bring trains to a halt if anything is spotted ahead.
Debris on the tracks
Gale force winds cause severe disruption, especially when debris is blown onto the tracks, including trees or other forms of vegetation, which can cause delays to services while lines are being cleared.
To ensure that any incidents can be dealt with effectively, specialist response teams will be placed on stand-by at key locations on the network to quickly clear any issues and help minimise disruption to services.
Longer journey times
Running trains at reduced speeds means services in the areas where temporary speed restrictions apply, will have longer journey times.
It may also mean that short notice alterations are made to train services.
Check before you travel
Please consider if your journey is entirely necessary and SWR strongly advise that you check before you travel.
If you are able to re-plan your journey, SWR say your ticket will be accepted on Saturday 19th February (tickets will be subject to the same restrictions).
You can do this by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk and for more information of service disruption on SWR’s network, please visit www.southwesternrailway.com/disruption
