In the UK, the New Year has arrived with severe floods across the country, leading to significant disruptions to train services. In Greater Manchester, a major incident was declared due to extensive flooding, causing a slew of cancellations and delays.
On New Year’s Day, heavy rainfall triggered unprecedented levels of flooding across parts of the UK’s North West, significantly affecting rail operations. Network Rail received 45 flood alerts from the Environment Agency, with operators including TransPennine Express and Northern forced to advise passengers against travelling, as numerous routes were rendered impassable by waterlogged tracks.
The Warrington area and Greater Manchester were among the worst-hit regions. Floodwaters submerged the railway under several centimetres of water in multiple locations, leading to extensive damage. Network Rail’s infrastructure director for the North West route, Chris Pye, described the flooding as “highly unusual,” adding that millions of pounds have been spent annually on drainage improvements at at-risk sites.
Rapid repairs to minimise disruption
Railway workers were deployed across the affected regions to mitigate damage and restore services. In Mobberley, Cheshire, significant damage to the ballast—the stones supporting the track—required the overnight replacement of 60 tonnes to reinstate services between Northwich and Stockport. In Warrington, water levels receded enough to allow repairs on key routes, enabling services between Manchester and Liverpool to resume.
⚠️ Weather warnings are in place for snow and ice across parts of north England, Scotland and Wales.
❄️ Extremely cold weather can pose a serious safety threat to the railway.
Check @nationalrailenq before you travel:
➡️ https://t.co/QIibbevtRD#WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/mKzeuImWPI
— Network Rail (@networkrail) January 2, 2025
At other locations, such as Warrington West station, teams worked overnight to pump out floodwaters in a bid to get services on the southern Liverpool-Manchester route running again. Passengers travelling from southern and western parts of Greater Manchester were urged to check updates before travelling on 2 January.
Broader weather impacts across the UK
The challenges faced by the North West were mirrored across other parts of the UK, as persistent rainfall, combined with snow and ice warnings, created hazardous conditions. The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings, forecasting travel disruptions and urging both road users and rail passengers to plan ahead.
Northern, TransPennine Express, Transport for Wales, and ScotRail reported service interruptions, while newly issued flood alerts highlighted the risks for the Lower River Wharfe and Lower River Ure systems in Yorkshire. In these areas, water levels peaked, and surrounding tributaries faced risks of overflowing, further threatening transportation links and residential areas.
Passenger support and outlook
Network Rail expressed gratitude to passengers for their patience and understanding during the flooding. Pye emphasised the efforts of railway workers in draining floodwaters and repairing damage, with the aim of resuming normal operations as soon as possible. While many problem sites like Tebay and Sutton Weaver, which had seen prior drainage upgrades, remained unaffected, the issue of how rising flooding should be handled amid European rail expansion is becoming ever more pressing.
‘Integrate climate adaptation into rail policy’
Over in mainland Europe, a recent European Commission (EC) study stressed that climate adaptation would have to be integrated into its TEN-T policies. “On several occasions in 2024, extreme weather events rendered transportation systems unusable, destroying infrastructure and disrupting supply chains for long periods,” the EC report says.
It added that public investment was now needed to strengthen the resilience of the transport infrastructure. The EC recommended establishing a tracking system to monitor the progress of TEN-T cross-border projects, including their milestones, costs, and completion status. In that way, climate-related challenges could be detected early, and proactive solutions could be found on time.
“A complete and climate-resilient TEN-T is vital for fostering growth and cohesion across the EU,” Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas commented. “As climate extremes intensify, adapting our infrastructure is urgent. If we don’t act now, we put at risk our infrastructure, harming our citizens, companies and the economy.” Despite the UK’s exit from the EU, the same goes for British rail.
This article was originally published on our sister publication RailTech.com