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Friday 26 Nov 2021

Storm conditions set to affect passengers and rail services on Scotland’s east coast

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

With winds of up to 90mph expected to hit the east coast of Scotland from late this afternoon (Friday, November 26) Scotland’s Railway will be introducing speed restrictions and closing some lines to trains.

Speed restrictions will be introduced on services travelling between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, Aberdeen and Inverness and the Far North line this afternoon (Friday).

The East Coast Mainline, and North Berwick branch lines, will be closed to trains from 17:00 until end of service today (Friday).

The West Coast Mainline will remain open for cross-border travel.

Speed restrictions and short-term line closures are being introduced for safety reasons as the wind speed predicted can blow trees and other debris onto the tracks and cause damage to overhead power lines.

Due to the adverse weather conditions, passengers within Scotland should allow extra time for their journeys and those travelling south on the East Coast Mainline should postpone their journeys and check with their train operator about plans over the weekend.

Hundreds of Scotland’s Railway staff will be working over the course of the storm to keep lines open and safe for passengers and freight customers.   Teams will be repairing damage caused by the weather as quickly as possible.

Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, said: “Safety of our customers and colleagues has to be our first consideration during severe weather. The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning. We are monitoring the conditions very closely and will have teams in place across the country to react quickly to any damage caused by the weather.

“Where conditions are predicted to be most severe, we are withdrawing a small number of services in the interests of passenger safety until the worst of the storms have passed.”

For more information on the changes to services, check www.nationalrail.co.uk or with your train operator.