Network Rail logs 357 storm faults and clears 70 trees as Boelo hits North West railway

Network Rail's North West route dealt with 357 weather-related faults, removed 70 trees from the tracks and repaired four sections of overhead line over the weekend of 24 to 25 October as Storm Boelo swept across northern England.

The infrastructure owner said on Monday 26 October that torrential rain and gales flooded some tracks and brought down trees that damaged equipment and delayed trains. Network Rail put the gusts at up to 70mph; its Sunday release had described widespread gusts of 50 to 60mph across the North West.

Most lines in the region reopened on Monday morning, but Network Rail said the scale of the damage meant some disruption would continue that day, with amended timetables or reduced speeds while the recovery was completed.

Chris Wright, Network Rail North West route director, said: "Our teams have worked around the clock in extremely challenging conditions to repair the damage, remove fallen trees and reopen routes safely."

The recovery work

Network Rail listed the weekend's work on its North West route as:

• 357 weather-related issues that caused faults on the railway
• 70 trees cut back and removed from the tracks
• three items blown onto overhead line equipment removed
• nine floods that stopped trains running
• four key sections of overhead electrical line at Garstang, Lostock and Hazel Grove repaired after damage from strong winds and trees

Network Rail said the rail industry was committed to learning from the weekend, adapting its plans and improving how quickly and safely the network can recover from further severe weather this autumn and winter.

How the storm unfolded

The Met Office named Storm Boelo on Thursday 22 October, with a wind warning for Scotland and northern England running from 6pm on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday. Its initial warning was for widespread gusts of 55-65mph and up to 70-80mph in exposed coastal locations.

The forecaster upgraded the warnings to amber for Saturday night and Sunday, covering mainland Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England, with gusts of 60-70mph widely and the potential for 80mph on exposed coasts.

Jason Kelly, Met Office chief forecaster, said the storm would be felt across the UK over the weekend, with the strongest winds and greatest potential for disruption in the north. Boelo followed Storm Austen, which the Met Office said produced a recorded gust of 76mph at St Mary's Airport in the Isles of Scilly and 74mph at Aberporth.

Network Rail prepared ahead of the weekend. On Friday 23 October it said the northern section of the Cumbrian Coast line between Whitehaven and Carlisle would close from 9pm on Saturday because of high tides and strong winds.

Ross Davies, Network Rail North West network operations director, said on the Friday: "the high winds and heavy rain are likely to cause short notice cancellations to trains."

By Sunday 25 October Network Rail was warning of major disruption across the North West and strongly advising passengers to check before travelling. It said strong winds and heavy rain were also affecting roads, power supplies and other infrastructure across northern Britain, and that teams were assessing overnight damage and clearing debris.

Operators' position

Andrew McClements, TransPennine Express customer experience and transformation director, said Storms Austen and Boelo had created really difficult conditions across the weekend.

Northern said it was making changes to services from Friday 23 October to Tuesday 27 October. Its Monday plan included a shuttle bus every 40 minutes between Horsforth and Headingley on the Leeds to York via Harrogate route, and its Tuesday changes include fewer trains than normal on routes including Manchester Piccadilly to Hazel Grove, Manchester Victoria to Leeds and Blackburn to Rochdale via Bolton and Manchester Victoria.

Warrick Dent, Northern chief operating officer, said customers with tickets dated Sunday 25 October could use them on any Northern service on Monday 26 or Tuesday 27 October at no extra cost.

National Rail Enquiries' notice for Northern says disruption is expected until the end of the day on Tuesday 27 October, with rail staff working around the clock to restore services. Passengers whose Northern train is cancelled may travel on an alternative service run by any participating operator within two hours either side of the original departure time, it said.

What happens next

The Met Office said a further wind warning had already been issued for northern parts of the UK for Tuesday 27 October.

Network Rail owns, operates and develops 20,000 miles of track and 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts across Britain.