West Midlands Railway has issued a firm response to a customer who criticised its decision to suspend all services as heavy snow from Storm Goretti battered the region.
'Do Not Travel' Warning Issued
The rail operator took the drastic step of advising passengers not to travel on Friday, January 9, after the storm caused what it described as 'significant damage to railway infrastructure'. Services were suspended until the afternoon as engineering teams struggled to reach sites due to dangerous road conditions.
In a post on X, the company stated: "We are advising passengers NOT to travel on WMR services due to severe disruption caused by Storm Goretti." The alert was first issued on the evening of Thursday, January 8.
The Social Media Spat
The decision, however, was questioned by a user named Ian. He posted: "There has been some snow. Possibly as much as one inch here in Birmingham. In any serious country all the trains should be running."
A West Midlands Railway employee swiftly replied: "Have you tried looking out of the window. Or are you in Birmingham, Alabama." Ian countered that he was in Erdington, Birmingham, and insisted there was only about an inch of melting snow.
The exchange escalated when another X user joined in, suggesting railways in countries like Poland would run smoothly and criticising the sarcastic tone as poor customer service. The WMR account defended its position, stating: "I have faced weather related delays there too. Not to bash Polish rail networks but ours is levels above in infrastructure/comms/rolling stock. Our issues aren't purely due to the cold."
Why Services Were Halted
West Midlands Railway provided a detailed explanation for the widespread cancellations. Key routes were blocked, with damaged signals, overhead lines, and trackside equipment preventing normal operations. The severe road conditions also left engineering crews unable to assess damage or make repairs.
Jonny Wiseman, Customer Experience Director for West Midlands Railway, said: "Customers are urged not to attempt travel today while our services are suspended. We are working closely with Network Rail to resume services as soon as possible, once it is safe to do so."
The company confirmed that due to safety concerns, no rail replacement services were available. Passengers with tickets dated for Friday, January 9 were allowed to use them up to and including Monday, January 12.
The firm warned of continued heavy cancellations and delays, with services expected to remain extremely limited throughout the day as recovery work continues.
