ScotRail has warned that disruption to train services in the north and northeast of Scotland because of Storm Babet will probably continue at least until tomorrow morning, Sunday, 22 October, with some lines closed completely.
The Met Office has re-issued a red weather warning alongside a number of amber warnings to make people aware of the exceptionally wet and windy conditions that have severely affected much of Scotland since last Thursday, 19 October.
An amber warning has been issued for Scotland north of Inverness for all of tomorrow, and that will probably affect services on the Far North Line.
The new red weather warning is for 24 hours effective from midnight tonight in the northeast of Scotland, while in other parts of the country, there will still be very heavy rainfall and gusts of winds of over 55 mph until at least this afternoon, Saturday, 21 October.
Because of the continuing bad weather, it is taking longer than normal for engineers to inspect routes for damage, which makes it highly unlikely that services will resume until at least Sunday morning.
ScotRail's highest priority is always the safety of customers and staff, therefore it will not reopen routes until they are judged to be safe.
Routes affected by the closures are those between:
- Aberdeen and Elgin.
- Edinburgh and Aberdeen via Fife.
- Perth and Aberdeen via Dundee.
- Dunblane and Perth.
- Perth and Aviemore.
- Tain and Wick / Thurso.
- All Fife Circle services.
Besides routes that are closed completely, services are also being affected between:
- Glasgow Queen Street and Aberdeen / Inverness;
- Edinburgh Waverley and Aberdeen / Inverness.
On those routes that are still operating, they may be affected by the imposition of precautionary speed restrictions, and some services may still be subject to delay or cancellation.
Because of the exceptional weather conditions, customers should only attempt to travel on the routes affected by the weather warnings, to expect delays if absolutely necessary, in any case, they should check their journey before travelling, on ScotRail's website, mobile app, or social media channels.
Anyone whose journey has been cancelled or disrupted because of the adverse weather can delay their travel for up to two days after the date on their ticket. They can also apply for a fee-free refund if they have not used any tickets.
The disruption caused by Storm Babet is not confined to Scotland, as yesterday, Friday, 20 October, Great Western Railway services between Bristol/Bath/South Wales/Gloucester and Swindon were also severely affected by flooding.
David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “The impact of Storm Babet, with heavy rain across eastern Scotland, and heavy rain and high winds in central and northern Scotland, has been extremely challenging.
“We want to thank customers for their continuing understanding as we make all possible efforts to inspect routes for damage, before reopening them when it is judged safe to do so.
“We know the impact the withdrawal of some train services has on customers, but our first priority is always to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.
“For routes in the south and west of Scotland, customers are encouraged to check their journey before setting off, and keep an eye on our website, mobile app, or social media channels for live updates.”
