Train travellers have been urged to rethink their journeys for Friday as stormy conditions threaten disruption on the railways, with all services cancelled across Wales.

Strong winds from Storm Eunice could cause trees to be blown on to train lines, possibly leading to delays and cancellations elsewhere, the Rail Delivery Group said.

A Network Rail spokesman said disruption is “inevitable” and Welsh services will be suspended for the whole day, as the Met Office issued a red weather warning and said flying debris could result in danger to life.

The railway operator said there will be blanket speed restrictions of 50mph in most places, with winds forecast to reach 90mph in some areas.

The decision for a countrywide closure of lines in Wales “has not been made lightly”, said Bill Kelly of Network Rail Wales and Borders.

He added: “The safety of passengers and staff is our top priority.”

Passengers have been advised that disruption is likely into the weekend as more than 1,000 miles of track in Wales is checked and cleared of debris and fallen trees.

The most serious red weather warning is in place for the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as well as the south coast of Wales.

South Western Railway said a speed restriction will be in place across its entire network for most of Friday.

An amber weather warning is also in place covering the rest of Wales and much of England as far north as Manchester and Hull, while a yellow warning covers Northern Ireland and much of Scotland.

TransPennine Express urged people not to take the train on Friday amid severe weather expected in northern England and Scotland.

Warning that “significant disruption is likely”, the operator urged customers to travel on Thursday or wait until Saturday.

Paul Watson, operations director for the firm, said: “Storm Eunice will be the second storm to impact our services this week and it is likely to cause major disruption to train services, right across the North of England and into Scotland.

“The most important thing is that our customers and staff are kept safe, and we are urging customers not to travel by train on Friday 18 February. We are instead asking customers to make their journeys on either Thursday 17 or Saturday 19 February.”

Avanti West Coast said it will run an amended timetable on Friday, with longer journey times due to speed restrictions.

The operator tweeted: “We strongly recommend customers do not travel on Friday 18 & instead travel on Thursday 17 or Saturday 19 Feb with their original tickets.”

London North Eastern Railway said its services could be subject to delays, alterations and short-notice cancellations, while East Midlands Railway said it would “strongly encourage” people to travel over the weekend instead.

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive at the Rail Delivery Group, said that while rail companies are “working hard to keep people moving safely”, journeys will be disrupted.

She added: “We’re asking people to plan their travel for a different day if possible or to check and re-check before they travel.”

Network Rail’s group director Jake Kelly said: “We will be doing everything we can to keep as many services as possible running safely and reliably on Friday, but with such strong winds expected we know that disruption to passengers’ journeys is inevitable.

“Please consider whether your journey is necessary on Friday, and if possible re-plan your journey for another day.”