Network Rail is carrying out checks on Scotland’s railway tracks.
17 February 2022
Rail and ferry passengers are facing disruption after Storm Dudley, with most ScotRail services withdrawn until around 10am.
Network Rail engineers are checking more than 1,400 miles of Scotland’s railway and ScotRail said services will not run until the lines have been cleared as safe to reopen.
Due to Met Office amber weather warnings for high winds, the final services departed across most of Scotland before 4pm on Thursday as wind and rain caused trees to be uprooted and debris blown on to tracks.
Scotland was buffeted with strong winds as Storm Dudley swept across the country, with a gust of 74mph recorded at Drumalbin in South Lanarkshire, the Met Office said.
⚠️ Due to the early shut down following #StormDudley we’re doing our best to get our services back up and running as quickly as possible. As @networkrailscot engineers continue to do safety checks our services will not run until the lines have been cleared as safe to re-open. pic.twitter.com/yNF1YuBS2g
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) February 17, 2022
On Thursday morning ScotRail tweeted that as a result of strong winds and heavy rain due to Storm Dudley, passenger services have been withdrawn until around 10am, with the exception of a number including between Aberdeen and Inverness, Edinburgh to Dunbar and Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High.
It tweeted: “Due to the early shut down following #StormDudley we’re doing our best to get our services back up and running as quickly as possible.
“As @networkrailscot engineers continue to do safety checks our services will not run until the lines have been cleared as safe to re-open.”
Ferry passengers also faced disruption.
Caledonian MacBrayne tweeted that a number of ferry services were liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.
Network Rail said its track inspections are well under way with teams out across the network inspecting more than 1,400 miles of track.
A yellow weather warning for ice in the Highlands and Western Isles is in place until 10am on Thursday.
#StormDudley brought some very strong #winds to parts of the UK over the last 24 hours. Here are the highest reported wind gusts pic.twitter.com/rH8TMzoEdx
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 17, 2022
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney warned that the coming days will be “very challenging” as a result of Storm Dudley and the expectation of Storm Eunice on Friday.
He said: “We expect another period of disruption this week, with storms Dudley and Eunice set to bring strong winds to Scotland.
“High winds may cause issues on roads and bridges, disruption to power supplies and danger from falling trees.
“We would urge everyone to plan their journeys in advance, exercise caution on the roads, and follow the latest travel advice.”
Robert Morrison, CalMac’s director of operations, said: “This will be the fourth week of extreme and unprecedented weather disruptions.
“We shared last week that this is taking place when other factors are affecting our service – including technical faults, overhaul, and the continuing but lesser effects of Covid-19.
“We know we cannot control every factor, but we want to stress to our customers again that we do understand how much you and the communities we serve rely on our services.
“Ensuring ferries work as they should is our priority and we are working hard to ensure we limit the impact of this upcoming period of disruption as much as we can and protect the lifeline service we deliver.”
