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Tuesday 19 Sep 2023

Extreme rainfall to bring speed restrictions to the West Highland Line and West Coast Main Line in Scotland

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Speed restrictions will be in place on Scotland’s Railway as high winds and heavy rain begin to hit the west coast this evening (Tuesday 19 September).

Network Rail will set the restrictions later this evening to help keep passengers and staff safe. 

The following routes will be affected: 

• West Highland Line 
• West Coast Main Line 
• Inverness – Kyle of Lochalsh 
• Kilmarnock – Carlisle via Dumfries

ScotRail will operate an emergency timetable between Glasgow Queen Street - Oban, Fort William - Mallaig, Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh, and Glasgow Central - Carlisle via Dumfries. This will take into account the extended journey times expected as trains run at a reduced speed. 

Caledonian Sleeper journey times will also be extended on services to and from Fort William. 

Scotland’s Railway’s specialist weather forecasters predict 20-30mm of rain will fall across most of Scotland between Tuesday (tonight) and Wednesday, but most of the West Highland Line will see up to 55mm of rain.  

Winds of up to 55mph are expected across the southern half of Scotland and additional frontline teams will be deployed across the railway to respond quickly if needed. 

The changes are being made for safety reasons as high winds can blow trees and debris on to the tracks and cause damage to overhead power lines, while heavy rain can lead to flooding. 

Liam Sumpter, Route Director, Network Rail Scotland, said: “With extreme rainfall and strong winds arriving later today, there will be some disruption on Scotland’s Railway. 

“For safety reasons, we need to impose speed restrictions on areas of the West Highland Line, Kyle of Lochalsh Line, West Coast Main Line and Kilmarnock - Carlisle. 

“We have additional frontline teams working to check flood pumps and remove any debris on or near the railway. Our control room team will also be monitoring the weather in real-time and if conditions improve, we’ll remove the speed restrictions sooner.” 

Passengers are being urged to check their journeys before travelling. For more information on any changes to services, check www.nationalrail.co.uk or with individual train operators. 

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