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Thursday 28 Dec 2023

Engineers working hard to re-open lines closed by Storm Gerrit

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail engineers have been working around-the-clock to re-open the railway in areas severely impacted by Storm Gerrit.

Teams have been inspecting routes across Scotland and re-opening sections of the track where it is safe to do so, including the West Highland line and the Aberdeen - Inverness line.

Passengers are still being advised to check their journeys before travelling with disruption expected to continue on several lines throughout the country until at least tomorrow (Friday 29 December), including:

• Inverness - Wick/Thurso
• Aberdeen – Dundee
• Dundee – Cupar
• Glasgow - Carlisle via Dumfries

The line between Cupar and Dundee remains closed due to a landslip caused by the heavy rain on Wednesday, although services are running between Dundee and Perth.

Engineers are clearing over 100 tons of debris from the line between Dumfries and Kilmarnock due to flooding and a landslip close to Sanquhar.

Water has been discovered flowing quickly on to the track at Kirkton of Kinellar, near Dyce in Aberdeenshire, with teams working to divert the water and remove a significant amount of silt before trains services can resume.

Liam Sumpter, route director, Network Rail Scotland, said: “The heavy rain and high winds brought by Storm Gerrit have had a significant impact across Scotland’s Railway, with landslips, flooding and debris on the track in several locations.

“Our teams have working really hard to inspect the railway and carry out vital repairs, including flooding and debris removal work to make the lines safe for passenger services again.

“We will continue to work to re-open the remaining affected routes as quickly and as safely as possible.”

Phil Campbell, ScotRail Customer Operations Director, said: "Storm Gerrit brought yellow weather warnings for high winds, rain, and snow across most of Scotland, which caused disruption to services across the network.

"Along with Network Rail colleagues, our teams have been working flat out to keep people moving where possible, but we faced extreme conditions in different parts of the country which resulted in significant disruption. The safety of our staff and passengers is our top priority.

"We're sorry to customers who experienced disruption to their journey as a result of this storm.

"The vast majority of the network is now open. However, we'd encourage customers who plan to travel to check their journey before setting off, and keep an eye on our website, mobile app, or social media channels for live updates.”