Storm Ciarán: Will trains, ferries and flights be cancelled?

Forecasters have warned that extreme weather is expected to hit northwestern Europe in the coming days.

Storm Ciarán could batter northern France and the British Isles with winds of up to 150km/h and very high waves. This so-called ‘weather bomb’ is being created by a clash between the Atlantic jet stream and a low-pressure system that is descending from the north of Europe.

The epicentre of this extreme weather will likely be over the UK and France with some ferry services, trains and flights already cancelled on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 November ahead of the storm. 

Some travel operators are saying disruption could continue until Friday.

Will ferries be cancelled due to Storm Ciarán?

Ferry services are likely to be disrupted due to strong winds and very high waves in the English Channel.

DFDS Ferries has now cancelled all sailings between the UK and France from late on Wednesday evening until Friday morning.

Brittany Ferries has also warned passengers of potential disruption on its cross-Channel routes.

“Weather-related delays and/or cancellations may occur on Wednesday 1 November and (particularly) Thursday 2 November,” it told travellers.

“We will continue to monitor forecasts carefully in the coming 24 hours. If your sailing is affected, we will be in touch as soon as possible via email or SMS. May we ask you not to contact us by phone, as call volumes are expected to be high.”

Condor Ferries has cancelled passenger routes between the Channel Islands and the UK on Wednesday and Thursday. The operator is also expecting disruption to its cross-Channel routes.

Will trains be cancelled due to Storm Ciarán?

French rail operator SNCF warned passengers to expect cancellations and disruption due to Storm Ciarán.

“In anticipation of the violent winds which will blow across the northwest of France and in order to guarantee the safety of travellers, many trains will not run,” it has said. 

TER services in Brittany Normandy, Hauts-de-France, Pays de Loire and Centre Val de Loire have been cancelled but some TGV services may still be running. SNCF has said high-speed Paris-Rennes and Paris-Lille services will still run.

The best way to check if your train is likely to be affected by the storm is at the SNCF Connect website.

In the UK, National Rail has warned that “heavy rain accompanied by strong wind” will impact journeys across Wales and the south of England on Wednesday and Thursday. Some trains in Cornwall have been cancelled and speed restrictions are being brought in on coastal routes in southern England.

Nine operators in regions likely to be affected are allowing passengers with travel booked on Thursday 2 November to travel on Wednesday or Friday instead. They are C2C, CrossCountry, Gatwick Express/Southern/Thameslink, Great Western Railway, Southeastern, South Western Railway and Transport for Wales.

Rail operator LNER has also warned of disruption to services until at least 4 November.

“We strongly advise customers to avoid travelling on Thursday 2 November and Friday 3 November,” it has said.

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“Some LNER trains will be running, but there is likely to be major disruption including severe delays, short-notice cancellations and overcrowding.”

Eurostar told AFP that it was expecting disruptions or slowdowns and recommended that passengers delay trips planned for Thursday.

Will flights be cancelled because of Storm Ciarán?

In the Channel Islands, Jersey Airport will close to all passenger flights on Thursday with plans to reopen on Friday after an inspection of its infrastructure. Airports in Guernsey and Alderney are also closing on Thursday.

A number of airlines have warned of potential delays across Ireland and the UK on Wednesday and Thursday including easyJet and Ryanair. Passengers are advised to check for flight updates before travelling to the airport.

Quimper Airport in Brittany, France also closed on Wednesday morning for 24 hours and Brest airport will close from 5pm on Wednesday until 9:30am on Thursday.