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Snow, ice and heavy rain warnings spark speed restrictions and possible disruption on Highland railway lines


By Philip Murray

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Snow was falling at Tain Railway Station first thing on Saturday morning.
Snow was falling at Tain Railway Station first thing on Saturday morning.

Speeds restrictions are to remain in place on all Highland railway lines throughout Saturday, Network Rail has warned passengers amid ongoing Met Office weather alerts.

Separate yellow warnings for heavy rain, as well as snow and ice, were in force across many parts of the Highlands at the time of writing on Saturday morning.

Some residents were waking up to snow, even at sea level, first thing on Saturday.

And those living in areas where milder air is pushing in are expected to see up to 50mm of rain "quite widely" and as much as 100mm over higher ground.

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This has prompted the speed restrictions across large chunks of the rail network, for safety reasons.

Snow was falling at Tain Railway Station first thing on Saturday morning.
Snow was falling at Tain Railway Station first thing on Saturday morning.

Lines affected include the Kyle and Far North Lines, the Inverness to Aberdeen line and the Highland Mainline.

Elsewhere, the West Highland Line and a section of track in Inverclyde between Port Glasgow and Wemyss Bay are also affected.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "Due to adverse weather, we'll put speed restrictions in place for safety reasons on these routes today."

"They'll remain in place until 9am tomorrow (Sunday). In the railway control room, our weather team will be keeping a close eye on things to keep Scotland’s Railway moving."

Despite the speed restrictions, early morning trains on the likes of the Far North Line were running on time at the time of writing.


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