Scots warned as yellow warning for heavy rain expected to cause travel chaos

John-Paul Clark
·2-min read
Speed restrictions will be in place on trains in parts of Scotland. -Credit:Network Rail Scotland
Speed restrictions will be in place on trains in parts of Scotland. -Credit:Network Rail Scotland


Scots are warned to plan thier journeys as heavy rain is expected to bring travel chaos to Scotland.

The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings for heavy and persistent rain across Tuesday and Wednesday.

Today's warning is in force from 1am until 6pm and covers the central belt of Scotland and the east coast up past Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen, with as much as 60mm is expected to fall in Glasgow and Edinburgh. and tomorrow's warning for western Scotland is in place from 9am to 6pm.

Network Rail say speed restrictions will be in place tomorrow on trains in some sections of the Glasgow South Western Line between 09:00 – 15:00.

Other sections on the West Coast Main Line, between Glasgow and Carlisle, and on the East Coast Main Line, from Edinburgh – Berwick, will have restrictions between 11:00 and 18:00.

Passengers are being advised to plan extra time for their journeys as heavy rain moves in across Scotland.

Liam Sumpter, route director, Network Rail Scotland, said: “Speed restrictions are being introduced as the rain moves in because we know that slowing trains down reduces the chances of striking obstructions on the line.

“Our engineering teams will respond to any issues on the railway while our control room will monitor the weather throughout the day.

“We understand that adding time to journeys is never ideal, however, we’ll remove the speed restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so.”

A Met Office spokesperson said: "A statement said: “Rain will become heavier across parts of Scotland overnight Monday into Tuesday before clearing away into the North Sea on Tuesday afternoon or evening.

“The rain could be heavy and persistent in places, with some areas seeing 20-40 mm of rain, and a chance that one or two spots could see 50-60 mm; these higher totals now seem more likely in the south of the warning area, roughly to the south of a line Glasgow to Edinburgh.

“Given saturated ground in many locations, such rainfall totals may cause greater impacts than they typically would.

“Fast-flowing or deep floodwater is possible, with one or two communities temporarily cut off by flooded roads.

“There is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses.”

For more information on any changes to services, check www.nationalrail.co.uk or with individual train operators.

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