Storm Éowyn: Major rail firms issue ‘do not travel’ warning for Friday

The warnings came from Avanti West Coast, TransPennine and LNER with each expressing concerns over the high winds forecast later this week.

Major rail firms issue urgent 'do not travel' warnings this Friday amid Storm Éowyn

⚠️‼️ Do not travel north of Preston or on our North Wales route - Friday 24 January.

We're asking customers not to travel north of Preston or between Chester and Holyhead on 24 January due to the expected disruption by Storm Éowyn.

If you were planning to travel on the above…

— Avanti West Coast (@AvantiWestCoast) January 22, 2025

Issuing its warning to passengers, Avanti West Coast said on X, formerly Twitter: "Do not travel north of Preston or on our North Wales route - Friday 24 January.

"We're asking customers not to travel north of Preston or between Chester and Holyhead on 24 January due to the expected disruption by Storm Éowyn.

"If you were planning to travel on the above routes on Friday 24 January, then your existing ticket can be used on any Avanti West Coast service via the same route from Thursday 23 January until the end of service on Sunday 26 January."

⚠️#StormÉowyn update⚠️

Due to predicted gale-force winds we are urging customers not to travel between the following locations on Friday 24 January:

- Manchester/Liverpool and Scotland
- York, Newcastle and Edinburgh

ℹ️ Please check for updates here: https://t.co/1nC00dMPAD pic.twitter.com/1qvUISGT68

— TransPennine Express (@TPExpressTrains) January 22, 2025

Following this, TransPennine said: "Due to predicted gale-force winds we are urging customers not to travel between the following locations on Friday 24 January: Manchester/Liverpool and Scotland - York, Newcastle and Edinburgh."

LNER similarly told customers to avoid travel on Friday with the firm writing: "Weather warnings for high winds due to Storm Éowyn have been issued.

"We are advising customers not to travel to and from stations north of York on Friday 24 January."

Recommended Reading: 

Storm Eowyn named by Met Office as UK braces for strong winds and 'weather bomb'

The 9 things you need to do to protect your home during storms

These alerts come after the Met Office issued a rare amber weather warning for wind in Southern Scotland, Northern England and North Wales.

This warning was brought about by the incoming Storm Éowyn which is expected to cause power cuts, rail cancellations and pose a danger to life.

The warning is in place between the hours 6am and 9pm on Friday, January 24.