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Friday 23 Oct 2026

Storm Boelo: Rail lines to close as amber warning issued for Scotland

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Rail lines in the west and north of Scotland will close during Storm Boelo, with speed restrictions also being introduced across the country as strong winds and heavy rain move in.

The first closures will begin on Saturday night, with services south and west of Kilwinning stopping from 9pm and the Oban and Mallaig lines closing from around 10pm.

On Sunday, the line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach will be closed from the start of service, as well as the railway between Wick and Helmsdale.

Trains will also run at reduced speeds across large parts of Scotland as the storm moves through. Speed restrictions will begin late on Saturday night and continue into Sunday.

Passengers should expect significant disruption and longer journeys and are being urged to plan ahead and check their journey before setting off.

The closures and speed restrictions have been confirmed after the Met Office upgraded its warning for Storm Boelo from yellow to amber. The amber warning covers the majority of the country from 9pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday, with gusts of 60 to 70mph forecast and winds of up to 80mph possible in exposed coastal areas.

Strong winds can bring trees and other debris onto the tracks and damage railway equipment. Closing the most exposed sections of railway and slowing trains elsewhere will help keep passengers and staff safe through the worst of the conditions.

Teams across Scotland’s Railway have been preparing for Storm Boelo ahead of its arrival. Specialist weather forecasters are tracking the storm closely, while extra staff across the network will be ready to respond to fallen trees, debris and any other damage caused by the weather.

Craig Gorman, head of operational weather strategy at Network Rail Scotland, said: “We know closing lines and slowing trains will have a significant impact on people’s plans this weekend, and these aren’t decisions we take lightly. But when we’re facing weather of this scale, we have to put safety first and make sensible calls before conditions deteriorate.

“A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes to understand how the weather could affect different parts of the railway. We’ll keep a close eye on conditions as Storm Boelo moves across Scotland and adapt our response where we need to, while doing everything we can to keep people moving.”

Speed restrictions are already in place on parts of the railway today (Friday), as heavy rain associated with Storm Austen affects southern and eastern Scotland.

Passengers are urged to plan ahead, allow extra time and check their journey before setting off. The weather picture may continue to change, so people should keep checking the latest information with National Rail and their train operator throughout the weekend. Updates from across Scotland’s Railway will also be shared on X via @NetworkRailScot.

Line closures and speed restrictions on Scotland’s Railway:

Friday 23 October 2026

• Speed restrictions on the East Coast Main Line, West Coast Main Line, Edinburgh to Carstairs, Glasgow to Carlisle via Kilmarnock and Dundee to Aberdeen.

Saturday 24 October 2026

• Line closure between Kilwinning - Ardrossan/Ayr from 9pm.
• Crianlarich - Oban and Fort William - Mallaig lines close from 10pm.
• Speed restrictions across all of Scotland's Railway from late Saturday night.

Sunday 25 October 2026

• Speed restrictions remain in place until the winds ease.
• The Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh line will be closed between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach until it can be inspected for any damage or debris following the storm, as will the Far North Line between Wick/Thurso and Helmsdale.
• Kilwinning – Ardrossan/Ayr remains closed until inspected and safe to reopen.
• Crianlarich - Oban and Fort William - Mallaig lines remain closed until inspected and safe to reopen.