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Friday 20 Oct 2023

Rail services continue to face disruption as further red weather warning issued for north-east of Scotland

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Several railway lines in the north and north-east of Scotland will remain closed tomorrow (Saturday 21 October) due to extreme weather caused by Storm Babet.

Another red weather warning for parts of Angus and Aberdeenshire has been issued by the Met Office, with up to 100mm of rain expected this over the next 24 hours.

People in those areas are being strongly advised not to travel.

Speed restrictions will remain in place on lines across central and eastern Scotland and the following routes remain closed:

• Perth – Aberdeen via Dundee
• Perth – Aviemore (Highland Mainline)
• Perth - Dunblane
• Aberdeen – Elgin (Aberdeen – Inverness line)
• Tain – Wick/Thurso (Far North Line)
• Fife Circle services

Engineers will inspect the track when it is safe and will work to restore train services as quickly as possible.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: “The safety of passengers and colleagues continues to be our top priority during this extreme weather.

“As a precaution we need to keep lines in the worst affected areas closed until it is safe for our engineers to inspect and re-open the network in these areas.

“Our specialist weather team will be monitoring conditions throughout the weekend, while our ground teams remain ready to deal with any issues caused by Storm Babet.”

The line closures and speed restrictions are in place as a precaution against potential flood damage to the railway. Heavy rain can cause landslips onto the tracks or wash the stone ballast away from beneath the rails.

Network Rail will deploy additional engineers across Scotland’s Railway to inspect lines, repair damage, and reopen routes as quickly as possible for passengers and freight customers once the weather clears. Disruption is expected to continue until at least Sunday 22 October on some routes.

Passengers should check their journey before travelling at National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator.