Storm Boelo is forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds to North West England, Lancashire, Cumbria, and Scotland on October 25-26, 2026, affecting rail services on the West Coast Main Line and surrounding routes.
Network Rail teams are prepared to respond to incidents caused by the extreme weather, including potential flash flooding and fallen trees. Residents near railways are urged to tether loose garden items to prevent them blowing onto tracks and causing delays. Passengers are advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk and train operators’ live disruption pages before travelling.
The northern section of the Cumbrian Coast line between Whitehaven and
Carlisle will close from 9pm on Saturday, October 25, due to high tides and gale-force winds. Routes north of Carlisle into Scotland will have speed restrictions, causing reduced or cancelled services.
Ross Davies, Network Rail North West network operations director, stated: “Our team in the control centre and also out on track are ready to deal with the weekend’s stormy weather, but the high winds and heavy rain are likely to cause short notice cancellations to trains. While we are as prepared as we can be, I’d ask the same of anyone planning to travel over the next few days
and urge that they regularly check National Rail Enquiries before they set out on their journey so they aren’t caught out by the storm. Also if you live by the railway please tie down any loose garden items – it’s amazing what can be carried by a strong gust of wind and end up on the tracks – causing unnecessary delays for passengers and freight.”
Britain’s railway infrastructure includes 20,000 miles of track, about 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts, and thousands of signals, level crossings, and stations. Network Rail manages 20 of the UK’s largest stations while train operating companies
operate over 2,500 others. Almost five million journeys are made daily on UK railways with over 600 freight trains running on the network. Network Rail undertakes thousands of projects annually under the Railway Upgrade Plan to expand and improve the rail network.
