Travel and power problems to continue across Scotland- QHN

Travel services remain severely disrupted with trains and ferries suspended and roads closed as Scotland recovers from Storm Éowyn.

More than 60,000 customers are still without power and Police Scotland said they have responded to almost 1,900 weather-related incidents across the country.

First Minister John Swinney said the clean-up operation would “take some time”, and appealed to the public for “patience” while works are carried out.

One person was seriously hurt in a single vehicle collision in Mauchline, East Ayrshire on Friday, while another was injured when a van was struck by a falling tree in Glasgow.

A red weather warning for areas of central, southern and western Scotland expired at 17:00 on Friday but an amber wind alert remained into Saturday in northern Scotland.

The storm has now largely moved away, leaving behind a trail of damage and disruption.

On Saturday morning, 67,000 customers were still without power according to the latest figures from power suppliers.

Network Rail Scotland said services on some lines have resumed after tracks were cleared but that the “vast majority” of lines remain closed.

Inspections are being carried out on tracks and stations across the country, including with the help of a helicopter.

Network Rail Scotland said 400 incidents of damage on Scotland’s railways had been found since the storm passed, including more than 120 trees and other debris being found on tracks, with work ongoing to clear lines.

National rail operator ScotRail said “extensive damage” had been done to overhead lines in some areas, which they said would need to be repaired before trains could resume safely.

This included four areas of overhead wire damage south of Carstairs on the West Coast Main Line, with engineers assessing the damage.

The Kilwinning to Largs andArdrossan route will also remain closed on Saturday after an overhead line mast was brought down by a fallen tree.

Joanne Maguire, ScotRail managing director, warned that disruption would continue “throughout the weekend at least”, and advised travellers to check the ScotRail website or app before making travel plans.

Most trunk roads that were closed as a result of the storm have reopened, though Transport Scotland has warned that local roads may still be flooded or closed.

Bus services have also been disrupted, with travellers advised to check with operators before travelling.

Ferry operators have announced continuing disruption over the weekend.

CalMac said storm damage has caused all services on its Kennacraig, Port Askaig and Port Ellen route and Oban, Colonsay, Port Askaig and Kennacraig route to be cancelled on Saturday.

All sailings between Gourock and Dunoon are cancelled on Saturday and Sunday, with a replacement shuttle bus being provided.

Meanwhile a number of other CalMac services face disruption or possible disruption and replacement timetables have been issued for a number of routes, with further information being available on the CalMac website.

Two yellow weather warnings remain in place in Scotland:

• An ice and snow warning over most of the mainland from 18:00 on Saturday until 10:00 on Sunday.
• A wind warning for the far north-west coast and Western Isles from 18:00 on Saturday until 10:00 on Sunday.

Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Jim Dale, senior meteorologist at British Weather Services, said it was one of the most significant storms of his 40 year career.

“People will recognise this in terms of the damage that has been done. One thankful thing, and I’ll try to be positive about storms, is that there is only sadly one death in the Republic of Ireland,” he said.

“But you can imagine if there had been no warnings, if people hadn’t heeded those warnings – red and amber as they were – then the casualty list would have been far, far higher.

“The storm was well forecasted so it wasn’t like it came out of the blue like some storms do so I think people handled it reasonably well,” he said.

Mr Dale said the storm is now heading towards Norway, leaving behind wintry conditions over much of Scotland.

“There is snow across much of the high ground and even some of the lower ground.

“So it’s a case of picking up the pieces literally today and some of those without electric may be taking a bit more time to get that one back but that’s the sort of normality. There is a lot of work to be done after the storm, not just while it’s going on,” he said.

A gust of 100.7mph was officially recorded at Drumalbin in South Lanarkshire on Friday afternoon, while another of gust of 102mph was reported on the Tay Road Bridge.

In a post on X, John Swinney asked for “patience” while the work to restore services affected by the storm was carried out.

“After the significant impact of Storm Éowyn, work is underway to restore power supplies and transport networks,” he said.

“It will take some time to complete and I appeal for the patience of the public.

“Power company staff and our public servants are working at speed to restore services”.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance told BBC Scotland News “great caution” was still required from the public during the clear-up.

“If I can reiterate the advice from Police Scotland, if people need to travel they must do with great care,” she said.

“There are still a number of incidents, blockages and diversions on the transport network and of course the less traffic there is on the transport network, that aids the recovery because that clears the way for utility companies and other operators to be getting on with the recovery operation.”