Weather warning: Rail passengers advised to check before travelling

With wind speeds in coastal areas expected to rise above 60mph in the early hours of the morning, Network Rail will be running empty trains through the night to check that routes are clear.

Chainsaw teams will be on-call to deal with any obstructions, and some early morning trains in coastal areas of Sussex and Kent may be required to run at a reduced speed for part of their journeys.

Some late night trains in parts of the South West Trains network will run at reduced speed tonight (Wednesday), taking longer to complete their journeys.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “We are expecting winds to be at their highest in coastal areas of Kent, Sussex and Hampshire and in the far west of the South West Trains network - between Weymouth and Southampton, and Exeter to Salisbury.

“Our teams will be working through the night to keep lines clear but we would advise people to check before they travel tomorrow morning with their operator or with National Rail Enquiries.”