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Friday 15 Dec 2023

Passengers urged to check before they travel in north and west of Scotland

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Extreme rainfall will mean speed restrictions are in place across parts of Scotland’s Railway this weekend.

The Met Office has issued Amber and Yellow warnings for rain and high winds across the north and west of the country tomorrow (Saturday 16 December) and on Sunday.

Passengers are being advised to check their journeys on the following lines as they may experience disruption:

• The West Highland line (including the Oban and Mallaig routes) will be under speed restrictions from Saturday afternoon until at least 09:00 on Monday.
• The Wemyss Bay line (between Port Glasgow and Wemyss Bay) will be under speed restrictions from Sunday morning until at least 09:00 on Monday.
• The Highland Mainline and Far North line will be subject to restrictions from start of service until at least 15:00 on Sunday.
• The Kyle of Lochalsh line will have speed restrictions in place from start of service on Sunday morning until at least 09:00 on Monday.

Heavy rain can cause landslips or wash the supporting stone (ballast) away from beneath the rails. High winds also increase the risk of trees falling onto the track.

Slowing trains down during bad weather allows more time to stop if the weather causes trees or landslips to block tracks.

Network Rail’s specialist weather forecasters will monitor the situation around-the-clock and engineers will be ready to respond to disruption caused by the conditions.

Liam Sumpter, route director, Network Rail Scotland, said: “We’re expecting the severe weather to affect parts of Scotland’s Railway, particularly on routes in the north and west.

“Heavy, consistent rainfall across the weekend means we need to use speed restrictions on some lines to help keep our colleagues and passengers safe.

“Please check your journey with your train operator before travelling if you’re planning on using one of the affected lines.”