With temperatures plummeting this week and snow expected across much of Britain, railway customers are advised to plan ahead and take extra care on their way to and from stations in Wales and into England.

A yellow weather warning meaning up to 10cm of snow could fall in parts of the country has been issued for Wales by the Met Office for much of this week. Temperatures could fall as low as -10 degrees Celsius on some nights, with the worst of the weather expected later in the week. Whilst there are currently no plans to amend the train service, customers should keep a close eye on our Journey Check website or National Rail Enquiries for any unforeseen changes.

Arriva Trains Wales staff will be actively gritting stations as much as possible, however customers should still take extra care, particularly those travelling in the early morning.

Bethan Jelfs, customer services director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We know we’ll be seeing very poor weather conditions this week and we are working closely with our partners in Network Rail to be prepared for it and to minimise any disruption.

“In order to keep our customers and colleagues safe, we may need to make last minute alterations to some services.

“Customers should take extra care on their way to and from stations, and while our staff will be gritting wherever possible, it is likely conditions will be very icy so please be careful and allow yourself extra time to get to your station if possible.

“We will be doing everything we can to keep customers moving safely, but it is really important that customers check before they travel as we will be monitoring the impact of the storm on the network in real time, and the situation may change at short notice depending on the impact of weather.”

Bill Kelly, chief operating officer for Network Rail in Wales and Borders, said: “With extreme weather expected over the week ahead, we will be monitoring the weather closely and will continue to work with our partners at Arriva Trains Wales to keep passengers moving.

“Safety is a key priority and we will be implementing our winter plan, with 4x4 vehicles strategically placed across the route, so our people are ready to respond to issues such ice build-up on railheads and frozen points.

“Our workforce is provided with specialist equipment so that they can work safely and effectively in challenging conditions. Extra teams will also be on the ground to carry out regular inspections of our infrastructure, to minimise any impact on services.”

Passengers are reminded to check before travelling via: www.nationalrail.co.uk or https://www.journeycheck.com/arrivatrainswales/