Media centre

Sunday 4 Jan 2026

Monday morning line closures expected following heavy snowfall in north and north-east

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Some rail lines in the north and north-east of Scotland won’t open until at least midday on Monday, 5 January to allow snowploughs to clear the tracks following the heavy snowfall and strong winds forecast for Sunday night.

Passengers are being advised that services on the Aberdeen – Dundee, Aberdeen – Inverness and Inverness – Wick/Thurso and Kyle of Lochalsh lines are likely to be affected and customers are urged to check their journey before travelling.

The Met Office has issued updated Amber weather warnings for snow in northern and north-east areas of the country, which come into effect tonight and remain in place until Monday morning. Elsewhere, Yellow warnings have been issued for snow and ice.

Deep snow can pose a serious risk to the railway, and when snow depth exceeds 30cm, trains can’t run safely unless fitted with snow ploughs. In low temperatures, snow and ice can also build up on the tracks, blocking points, the equipment that allows trains to move between tracks.

Network Rail’s snowploughs have been operating around-the-clock across all affected routes, though snowdrifts continue to form quickly and are disrupting services in those areas.

Railway meteorologists are closely monitoring the forecast and supporting the preparations and response. Teams will be on standby throughout, ready to react quickly to keep trains moving where possible.

Passengers are advised to plan ahead and check their journeys with their train operators or at nationalrail.co.uk before travelling this weekend.

Ross Moran, route director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “The heavy snow across the north of Scotland is causing disruption to services, though our teams are working hard to keep the railway running and passengers informed, with the aim of minimising disruption as far as possible.

“We’re ready to respond quickly to any issues that arise. Our weather experts are monitoring conditions closely from our control room. Safety of our passengers and our colleagues is our top priority. We’ll only reopen lines and return to normal operations once we’re confident it’s safe to do so. We appreciate the patience of passengers while we manage the impact of this heavy snowfall.”

ScotRail Service Delivery Director Mark Ilderton said: “Safety is our number one priority so it’s very important we make sure all routes that have been affected by the heavy snowfall and low temperatures are safe before we run any passenger services.

“We estimate trains between Aberdeen and Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness, and Inverness and Wick will be unable to run until at least midday tomorrow (Monday, 5 January), and while I know this will inconvenience some people trying to get to work or to school, we don’t want any trains getting stranded in snow drifts and low temperatures.

“Our advice to customers is to check your journey before you travel on the ScotRail website, app, or by following us across our social media channels.

“We thank customers for their patience and understanding if they have been affected by cancellations or delays caused by the weather and we look forward to welcoming passengers as the new week and new year begins.”

Follow @NetworkRailScot on X for the latest updates. For more information on any changes to services, check www.nationalrail.co.uk or with your train operator.