Bad weather and travelling with Northern

What happens when there is severe weather?  

Wind, rain, and storms

Strong winds, heavy rain, and storms can bring train journeys to a standstill. These conditions may lead to flooding, fallen trees, stray debris on the tracks, or even dangerous landslides. 

These hazards may force us to adjust our services rapidly, sometimes resulting in significant disruptions. What does stormy weather do to the railway? View the Network Rail guide.

Ice and snow

When temperatures drop, even a light rain or a dusting of snow can freeze onto our tracks. This layer of ice or compacted snow can create an insulating barrier on the electric rail, reducing power draw and slowing trains down. In extreme cases, it can bring the trains to a complete halt. 

Track points (the mechanisms allowing trains to change tracks) may freeze or become jammed, further complicating operations. Likewise, ice can affect couplings between carriages, limiting the flexibility and the number of available trains.

Snow and wind can also pile up as drifts, presenting additional risks and requiring extra caution from our drivers and infrastructure teams.

Heat and hot weather

During periods of hot weather, the overhead lines that provide power to the trains can sometimes expand and sag. When temperatures rise, this can also cause the rails to expand. 

This means that our trains may need to slow down to avoid potential damage to the lines and rails. Sometimes trains may be delayed or cancelled so that we can do extra safety checks on the lines during periods of hot weather.

How Northern Trains responds to extreme weather

Revised timetables and safety measures

During hazardous weather, we may need to operate on reduced timetables. This could mean running services less frequently, temporarily closing certain stations, or, in rare cases, suspending services altogether until it is deemed safe to resume. 

These measures are always designed with your safety and the well-being of our staff as our foremost priorities.

Anti-icing and track protection

During winter, we deploy specially equipped trains all day and night—often referred to as “snow-and-ice-busters”—these use anti-icing fluid like the salt spread on roads. 

Key sections of our network have heated and insulated track points to prevent ice build-up, helping us maintain service reliability throughout adverse conditions.

Information about major weather disruptions to travel will be shown on our Severe Weather Warning page.

We know you have places to go, and we work hard to get you there. Although extreme weather presents challenges, we are constantly working with Network Rail to restore services and keep you moving safely. We have information about major weather disruptions to travel in case of severe weather.

Thank you for your understanding and for travelling safely with us.