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Thousands of trains, hundreds of flights and dozens of ferries have been cancelled ahead of Storm Eowyn.
The Met Office has issued an upgraded red warning, predicting extremely high winds gusting to 100mph.
On what would normally be the busiest travel day of the week, millions of people are finding their planned journeys for Friday scuppered by the latest round of extreme weather.
ScotRail has cancelled all its 2,400-plus trains for Friday, and several English train operators have made widespread cancellations.
For updates on Storm Eowyn – visit our live blog by clicking here
In the skies, many flights to, from and within the UK have been grounded – with British Airways alone cancelling around 100 domestic and Irish links on Thursday and Friday.
Ferries across the Irish Sea will stay in port, as will many Western Isles vessels.
Rail
All ScotRail services for Friday have been cancelled. No alternative transport is available. The operator said: “Once the warnings pass, the network will have to undergo safety inspections before services can be reintroduced. Please check the ScotRail website or app before travelling on Saturday morning.” Tickets for travel dated 24 January can be used up to and including Tuesday, 28 January.
In England, Network Rail has closed the West Coast main line north of Preston and the East Coast main line north of Newcastle.
Northern Trains has issued a Do Not Travel warning covering all services in Cumbria, Blackpool North to York, Wigan to Leeds, Manchester Victoria to Leeds via Hebden Bridge, Huddersfield to Sheffield, Leeds-Nottingham and the new Northumberland line from Newcastle to Ashington
TransPennine Express has already urged passengers not to attempt to travel from northern England to Scotland on Friday. It is now telling passengers: “We are advising customers to avoid travelling, unless absolutely essential, between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. Services which we are able to operate across the rest of the TransPennine Express network will run to an amended timetable and may be subject to significant disruption with short notice delays, alterations and cancellations all possible.”
While trains in England south of Preston and York are running, disruption from Storm Eowyn is hitting tens of thousands of commuters.
East Midlands Railway says: “There are trees blocking the railway between Sheffield and Stockport and between Manchester Oxford Road and Warrington Central. We are currently unable to run most of our trains between Sheffield and Liverpool.
South Western Railway says: “All lines from Hook towards Basingstoke are blocked by a tree.”
National Rail says: “Strong winds can blow trees into infrastructure, damaging the overhead lines that power electric trains. The winds can mean it’s unsafe to carry out repairs at height – or with certain machinery until the winds have dropped. Trains may have to run at a reduced speed causing delays to your journey.”
Air
Hundreds of flights to, from and within the northern half of the UK have been cancelled ahead of the extreme winds brought by Storm Eowyn. The key airports affected are Edinburgh with around 90 cancellations; Glasgow with 66; Aberdeen with 44; and Belfast City with 50. Belfast International, City of Derry and Inverness add another 40 cancellations.
Grounded flights include Emirates between Glasgow and Dubai, and Qatar Airways between Edinburgh and Doha. Both flights would have been carrying hundreds of passengers to the Gulf, many with onward connections to Asia, Africa and Australia.
Ryanair has grounded links from the Scottish capital to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Malaga and Venice.
British Airways has cancelled almost 100 domestic flights linking Scotland and Northern Ireland with London Heathrow and London City. A dozen Dublin flights have also been grounded.
In total, The Independent estimates that about 30,000 passengers have had their flight plans wrecked because of the extreme weather.
Under air passengers’ rights rules, travellers whose flights are grounded are entitled to be flown as soon as possible to their destination, and provided with meals and – if necessary – hotels while they are waiting.
Jet2 has delayed rather than cancelled holiday flights, with one Glasgow-Rome flight held for 16 hours. Passengers are now expected to arrive in the Italian capital in the early hours of Saturday morning rather than at lunchtime on Friday.
Sea
Almost all sailings linking England, Wales and Scotland with the island of Ireland are cancelled on Friday. Stena Line says its 7.30pm departure from Belfast to Cairnryan is not yet cancelled but is “in doubt”.
Caledonian MacBrayne has cancelled the entire sailing schedule for Friday.
Road
National Highways says: “The M48 Severn Bridge in South Gloucestershire is closed in both directions between J1 (Aust) and J2 (Chepstow) due to strong winds associated with Storm Eowyn. Traffic is being diverted via the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge. This bridge is fully open to all traffic.
“The A66 between North Yorkshire (A1M) and Cumbria (M6) is closed in both directions to all vehicles due to strong winds associated with Storm Eowyn.
“The A628 Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire/South Yorkshire is closed to all vehicles in both directions between the A616 (Flouch) and the A57 (Hollingworth).
“Road users travelling across the Pennines are advised to plan ahead and seek alternate routes.”
Police Scotland has advised the public to avoid travel on the roads in the red weather warning area.
RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “Strong winds mean there’s a higher likelihood of fallen branches and trees on rural routes between motorways and A-roads, which can obstruct journeys and puncture tyres if not carefully avoided.
“Drivers also need to be well aware of the buffeting effect of sudden gusts, especially along coastlines and exposed areas where the worst weather is expected. High-sided vehicles are most at risk of being blown off course, but cars can also be affected as they pass lorries on the motorway and are then hit by the wind on the other side.
“Keep speeds low and have a firm grip on the wheel to avoid being caught off-guard, especially in areas where heavy rain will affect visibility.”
The AA is advising drivers to check forecasts before venturing out and to adjust their speed to suit the conditions. “In the most affected areas drivers are asked to consider if their journey is necessary,” the organisation says.
Some National Express coach services are curtailed on Friday because of Storm Eowyn. They were all due to run within the red weather warning area across Scotland.
