De-icer and empty trains to tackle snow disruption

Specialist de-icer teams and empty trains will help tackle any possible snow disruption across the north-west of England, rail operators have said.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice forecast for the region has meant cold weather plans for Merseyrail and Network Rail have been activated.

Merseyrail will run empty trains on their lines on Tuesday so rail conditions can be checked before services begin.

Staff at Network Rail will also be equipped with specialist kits to defrost frozen points and signals to keep the railway running safely.

Temperatures are expected to fall to minus 3C overnight with challenging conditions expected for the rest of the week, including snow, ice and freezing rain.

Network Rail said this could impact rail travel on some rural routes in the Peak District, across the Pennines between Manchester, Leeds and in Cumbria.

Chris Pye, Network Rail’s North West route infrastructure director, said: "Snow and ice always pose a challenge at this time of the year, not only to the track, it can also obscure signals and causes branches to fall from trees on to the line.

"We work hard to ensure that points, which we use to direct trains on the track, don’t become compacted with snow and ice. We have teams who can monitor these remotely and further teams on standby ready to respond to heavy snow, should it be needed."

Across the Merseyrail network the first service of the day on each line will run without customers to enable conditions to be checked.

If predicted ice and snow arrives, Merseyrail and Network Rail said they would work together to run as many first trains as possible.

Customers are being urged to check the Merseyrail and National Rail website, and social media before they travel.

Transport for Greater Manchester said they would be gritting bus stations and interchanges, and running trams overnight to keep overhead lines clear of frost.

Platforms and crossings were also being treated with grit and anti-icing measures to keep them safe for use.

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