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The Independent
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Storm Floris: All the rail, sea and air disruption as dozens of services cancelled
Tens of thousands of frustrated UK travellers have woken on Tuesday morning where they did not intend to be, after Storm Floris triggered transport chaos for trains, flights and ferries. Northern Scotland is particularly hard hit. Network Rail Scotland said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): 'We've dealt with hundreds of fallen trees overnight, with our response and maintenance working in teams to cover as much ground as possible. 'We have now reopened 30 of our 34 routes, with work continuing on the remaining four below. 'Our control room team continue to coordinate the response on the lines which remain closed.' Network Rail Scotland has sent a train carrying engineers from Perth to Inverness to clear fallen trees along the route. No trains have arrived at, or departed from, Inverness on Tuesday. The daily Highland Chieftain service on LNER to London is cancelled along with many ScotRail trains – though a rail replacement bus has departed for Edinburgh. Other services from Inverness to Glasgow, Wick, Kyle of Lochalsh and Aberdeen are also cancelled. A single train to Edinburgh is currently shown as running at 12.48pm, with another in the afternoon to Glasgow at 3.44pm. In a statement, ScotRail said: 'Storm Floris is continuing to have a significant impact on Scotland's railway, including damage to overhead lines and trees falling on tracks across the country. 'With winds of up to 90mph in some parts of the country, a significant clear-up job will be required to inspect lines and carry out repair work before it is safe to restore a full service.' English train operators are also affected. LNER says trains north of Newcastle are subject to delay or short-notice cancellation. Tickets for trains that did not run on Monday can be used on Tuesday or Wednesday. Half the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry routes in western Scotland are still affected by Storm Floris. Sailings between Oban, Colonsay and Islay are cancelled for the day. On many other links passengers are warned by the ferry operator: 'Due to forecast adverse weather, sailings will be liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.' Many thousands of passengers experienced flight cancellations, diversions and turnbacks on Monday, with Aberdeen airport particularly badly affected. Three planes – two on British Airways from London Heathrow and one on KLM from Amsterdam – flew to Aberdeen, tried to land but returned to their starting points because the winds were too strong. As a result, on Tuesday morning the first BA flight from Aberdeen to Heathrow and the KLM service to Amsterdam were both cancelled. A Ryanair flight from Faro in Portugal to Aberdeen spent over half-an-hour in a holding pattern hoping to land at the northeast Scotland airport, but finally diverted to Prestwick in the southwest of the country. Loganair, Scotland's airline, is telling passengers booked on Tuesday: 'You can choose to re-book on an alternative flight up to seven days from your original travel date. 'There will be no change fee or difference in fare payable. If a seat is available on an alternative flight, you can transfer your booking to that flight without charge on a first-come, first-served basis.'
Scottish Sun
04-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Gamechanger new budget train line to launch from London next year
Plus, the first ever direct trains from London to Switzerland move even closer to launching TRACK ON Gamechanger new budget train line to launch from London next year A NEW direct train service between a central Scottish city and London is due to launch as early as spring 2026. Lumo, which is part of FirstGroup, will run four return services a day to Stirling in Scotland, with the exception of Sundays, where there will be three. Advertisement 3 Lumo plans to launch a train service from Stirling to London Credit: Alamy 3 Lumo trains are all-electric Credit: Alamy The route will provide first-ever direct services to London for Whifflet, Greenfaulds, and Larbert. Currently, the Lumo brand runs on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. The new West Coast services were due to start this year, however FirstGroup said they are "currently expected to commence mid-2026 following the delivery of the trains and staff training". Lumo's new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert. Advertisement The train company is currently awaiting approval from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to further extend services to Glasgow. Martijn Gilbert, managing director of Lumo, said: "Our new service between Stirling and London has the potential to unlock significant economic opportunities for communities along the route, and we're proud to deliver this direct rail connectivity to towns previously overlooked by traditional rail services. "We are focused on further expanding our services in Scotland to ensure even greater connectivity across the country and the whole UK." Sue Webber MSP, Conservative transport spokesperson, said: "Lumo is actively investing in our capital city – not only bringing in tourists but also supporting our vibrant hospitality and events sector. Advertisement "And this isn't just talk: we're looking at £740 million in economic benefits from Lumo by 2032." According to the BBC, there are currently only two daily trains to London that stop at Stirling - the Highland Chieftain from Inverness and the Caledonian Sleeper. Iconic steam train Tornado delights crowds as it powers through Cornwall on rail tour The new service, once launched, will also compete with Avanti West Coast and publicly-owned ScotRail, LNER and TransPennine Express. Last year, Lumo also announced plans for a cheap train route from London to the North West. Advertisement A proposed new train service would offer journeys between London and Rochdale, with stops at Manchester. If plans are approved, it would be the first time that a direct train has connected Rochdale to London for more than 25 years. What are Lumo trains like? LUMO trains are fully-electric trains which were introduced back in 2021. At the time of launch, passengers could travel from London to Edinburgh for just £19.90. The company claimed they provided "fares that are fair". The trains do not have a first class option, but they do have USB sockets, tray tables and comfortable seating. Passengers can also personalise their lighting via a button on the back of the seat in front of them. An application has been submitted to the Office of Rail and Road and if approved, the new services could take to the rails in 2027. Also announced last year, Lumo's train service joining Edinburgh and London is expected to be quicker than taking a flight. Advertisement Also, the UK's largest train station once had direct routes to Europe and now has a huge new Wetherspoons. Plus, the first ever direct trains from London to Switzerland move even closer to launching.
