Media centre

Thursday 7 Dec 2017

Storm Caroline service recovery update

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Some services in the north of Scotland have resumed, following disruption caused by Storm Caroline.

After a safety inspection of the tracks took place earlier this afternoon, a limited number of services have resumed on the West Highland line (Glasgow Queen Street-Fort William/Oban/Mallaig).

Services between Inverness and Wick/Thurso, and Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh, remain suspended until further notice due to high winds. It remains unsafe to run services on those routes due to the weather.

Further safety checks are being undertaken on the Aberdeen-Inverness line.

Speed restrictions between Perth and Inverness/Aberdeen have also now been removed. A revised timetable is now in place.

Services are expected to return to normal tomorrow, however snow and ice is also expected overnight and into the weekend - meaning services could face further disruption over the coming days. The ScotRail Alliance urged customers to check the ScotRail app or visit http://www.journeycheck.com/scotrail for the most up to date information.

 Mark Ilderton, Head of Integrated Control at the ScotRail Alliance, said: “The safety of our staff and customers remains our top priority, and it’s on that basis that we take decisions about services during extreme weather.

“Following a reduction in wind speeds in some areas of the country, services between Glasgow Queen Street and Fort William, Oban and Mallaig have now resumed. There will continue to be disruption as we work to get things back to normal.

“Wind speeds remain too high in the very north of Scotland, which is why services to Wick, Thurso and Kyle of Lochalsh remain suspended. It is not safe for services to resume in that part of the country.

“We are carrying out safety checks on the Aberdeen-Inverness line to determine if it is safe to resume services there.

“We know it has been a difficult time for customers. We really appreciate their patience while our dedicated staff do everything possible to keep people safe and keep them moving, where possible, in very challenging circumstances.”