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Sunday 29 Dec 2024

Passengers advised to plan ahead as extreme weather approaches Scotland

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Extreme rainfall and high winds may disrupt rail services across western and northern parts of Scotland from this evening (Sunday, 29 December).

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for heavy rain and snow across most of Scotland until Thursday, 2 January.

Up to 70mm of rain is forecast to fall across Scotland on both Monday and Tuesday, with up to 140mm likely across western Scotland.

In the north and east, including Perthshire, this could fall as snow, with 15 to 20cm forecast above 150 metres. High winds could also bring down trees as they strengthen through Monday and Tuesday.

Trains on the West Highland Line will need to be slowed down from this afternoon (Sunday 29 December), with the following lines also having speed restrictions put in place from tomorrow (Monday 30 December), until Thursday 2 January.

• Far North Line
• Kyle of Lochalsh – Inverness
• Aberdeen - Inverness
• Highland Main Line
• Perth – Stirling

Ahead of the extreme weather, Network Rail’s maintenance teams are carrying out additional checks in areas known to be at risk of flooding and will have additional staff on hand throughout the next few days to respond to any weather-related incidents.

Locomotives with mini snowploughs are on standby at strategic locations across the country to deal with any snowfall. Network Rail’s helicopter will also inspect tracks for any damage or obstructions.

Simon Constable, operations director, Network Rail Scotland, said: “In the lead up to Hogmanay, heavy rain, snow and high winds may cause disruption to some rail services.

“To keep passengers and colleagues safe, we need to slow trains down on several lines across Scotland from this afternoon.

“Ahead of the bad weather, our engineers are carrying out extra checks on our pumps and in areas known to be at risk from the elements, particularly flooding. We’ll have more staff than normal on duty to remove fallen trees and debris from the track, as well as to tackle flooding.

“Some journeys will take longer than normal, and we advise passengers to plan ahead. We will, of course, remove any speed restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so and we thank passengers for their patience.”

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “With a Met Office yellow weather warning for snow and rain across most of Scotland tomorrow and through New Year, teams from Scotland’s Railway will be working around the clock to deal with any weather-related incidents that occur. Our first priority is always to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.
   
“We’ll be doing everything we can to get customers where they need to be, but ask those who are planning to travel over the next few days to keep an eye on our website, app, or social media feeds for live updates.” 

Passengers due to travel over the next few days should check their journey at nationalrail.co.uk or with their train operator before travelling. For the latest information and live updates, follow Network Rail Scotland on X (Twitter): @NetworkRailSCOT