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Wednesday 4 Dec 2013

Reduced service on Thursday as rail network prepares for severe storm

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Due to severe weather conditions forecast for tomorrow (Thursday, December 5), train services across Scotland will be running at a reduced level.

With gale force winds of up to 95mph expected to hit parts of the country during peak commuter hours tomorrow morning, service levels and speeds are being reduced as a safety precaution.

Passengers should check before they travel, as some routes and stations will not be served tomorrow until the worst of the gale force winds have passed.

Network Rail will have hundreds of engineers out across the network ready to react quickly to problems on the lines, removing trees and fixing equipment where necessary.

The company will also be monitoring its system of over 200 weather alarms across the network to help track the passage of the storm.

With winds of up to 95mph expected, railway infrastructure could be affected as severe winds can blow debris and trees onto tracks and damage equipment such as overhead electric power lines and signals.

While every effort will be made to run services for passengers, it will be necessary to follow industry-wide safety guidelines and implement speed restrictions and reduced timetables.

David Dickson, Network Rail area director for the west of Scotland, said: “Safety is our number one priority during such severe weather. We will be monitoring conditions on the ground closely throughout the night and into the morning. We have teams in place across the country to react quickly to any damage caused by the weather and will keep as much of the network open as is possible.

“However, the extreme nature of the conditions, and the potential impact they can have on our infrastructure, means that speed restrictions and other measures are necessary in the interests of safety.

“We are working closely with the train operators and other industry partners to do everything we can to reduce disruption, while also operating a safe network for passengers.”