Disruption expected on train and ferry routes as Storm Pia sweeps in

Travellers have been warned to expect disruption on trains and ferries in the run-up to the festive period due to Storm Pia, with schools on Shetland already told to close.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind from midnight to 9pm on Thursday, forecasting gusts of 70-80mph in northern Scotland, with 65-70mph on high ground, and 45-55mph elsewhere in the country.

Schools in Shetland will be closed on Thursday due to the high winds, and extra electricity network engineers are being brought in to deal with potential power cuts.

Ferry services across the west coast of Scotland are expected to experience disruption, CalMac warned.

On the trains, Network Rail said many services will only run once safety inspections have taken place, leading to some cancellations.

The West Highland line, Kyle of Lochalsh line, and the Far North line, along with Inverness-Inverurie services, will all be subject to inspections before trains can run, and speed restrictions will also be in place in the central belt and the south of Scotland.

Travellers have been warned of “short notice changes to journeys” on ScotRail services and are advised to check ahead, while additional engineers will be deployed to deal with any incidents.

Liam Sumpter, route director for Network Rail Scotland, said: “Safety is our first priority and that’s why we’ve stopped some trains from running on Thursday morning and slowed others down.

“High winds can cause trees and other debris to fall on to the track, with the potential to damage infrastructure and block lines. It’s important we assess the impact of the severe weather before reopening lines and removing restrictions.”

David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “Services on some routes will be significantly impacted by Storm Pia, and in addition to some cancellations on the routes most impacted, customers can expect short notice changes to their journeys.”

Finlay MacRae, head of operations at CalMac, said: “While we can’t control the impact from weather, we do have a committed team working hard to reduce the impact on our communities and customers wherever we can.

“Our crew will monitor the situation and respond to limited weather windows by operating untimetabled services whenever they can do so safely.”

Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: “It is quite a wide wind warning area. Gusts are forecast quite widely to be 45-55mph, possibly 65-70mph to the east of high ground in Scotland.

“The strongest winds are likely to be found in the north and north-east of Scotland, including the Northern isles, with 70-80mph in the morning.”

The Met Office forecasts showers along with the wind, with more rain expected on Friday.

Mr Dixon said there is the possibility of snow on Christmas Day, but only in the far north of Scotland.

He added: “It looks like there will be a drier afternoon in the south of the UK for those post-Christmas dinner walks.”