Railways ‘unsafe’ and hundreds affected by power cuts during heavy rains

Rail services across Scotland have been affected by heavy rain, dangerous water levels and landslips causing line closures.

Trains between Inverness and Perth have been canceled after the main railway line was closed in the Highlands, while mud in Brora closed the line completely.

Hundreds of people have also lost power in Scotland due to the bad weather.

A number of weather warnings are in place across the country, resulting in the cancellation of a number of Hogmanay events.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said at least 180 customers were affected by power cuts in Ardgay and Lairg, nine in Golspie and more than 240 on the north coast.

The company said engineers were working to restore power, and it expected “severe weather on our network” to blame for the problems.

It added that “additional teams” were on duty to try to minimize disruption.

A major outage that affected more than 300 people on the northwest coast since Tuesday morning is currently being restored.

The North West and Central Highlands are expected to be worst affected by the rain, with the Met Office Amber Alert in place from 00:00 to 17:00.

Sepa has about 50. Flood warnings and alerts is in place and has appealed to people to avoid going near rivers as life is at risk.

On Monday, Edinburgh’s outdoor Hogmanay celebrations – one of the most popular New Year’s Eve celebrations in the world – were canceled after the Met Office issued a number of weather warnings.

Stirling Council has urged people affected by the cancellation of other events not to travel to the city.

He also confirmed that the Hogmanay event at Stirling Rugby Club is strictly ticketed and there will be no access to the Wallace Monument for the fireworks display.

Scottish Government Resilience Minister Angela Constance said it was “vital” that people in affected areas did not take unnecessary risks.

Scotland’s railways have been significantly affected by the rains, with Network Rail dealing with 15 incidents of flooding on the Far North line.

Due to “numerous issues” along the route, ScotRail closed the Wick/Thurso line for the rest of the day, with “dangerous” road conditions meaning replacement buses could not even run.

The operator said it had closed the Highland Main Line at Kingusi due to “heavy” rain overnight.

It said the water level was “well above safe limits” for trains to run, posting footage on social media of burning fast-flowing train tracks in the area.

Network Rail also closed the line between Muir of Ord and Dingwall, north of Inverness.

Water levels in the River Tay have risen above safe limits for trains to run.

Services between Glasgow and Edinburgh were also affected by the line closure at Carfin but have now reopened.

On the roads, a landslip forced the closure of the A832 on the Black Isle between Fortrose and Ewich.

The A9 at Tomich was closed in both directions due to flooding, but reopened with temporary lights around 17:00.

Beer Scotland, which maintains the trunk road network, said it was helping to clear a landslip on the A82 at Lochand in the Highlands, which left rocks and debris on the road.

BBC Scotland weather forecaster Calum McColl said there was “a huge amount of surface water” around as heavy rain pushed into the eastern wards.

Sepa had earlier issued three severe flood warnings for hilly areas, but these were lifted by 07:45.

The Environment Agency said overnight rain was not as heavy as expected for Aviemore and Carrbridge but urged people to be alert around floodwaters.

Seppa’s flood duty manager, Pascal Lordt, said there was still “particular concern” for communities living along the River Spey, with other affected catchments including the Tay, Ness, Forth and Teeth.

He said: “I want to make it clear that communities in these areas should remain vigilant throughout the day and into tomorrow as some rivers will continue to rise during the day and into the evening. People are still advised to take any necessary measures to protect themselves. Should be their property.

“It has been a difficult few days across Scotland, with the weather causing widespread travel disruption on road and rail networks and impacting communities.

“There is still some deep water in many areas of the country and it’s really important that people are prepared and aware of the danger.”

Mr Lordt added that some dangers may be hidden, so people should not attempt to walk or drive in floodwaters.

ScotRail – which already is. Planned to end services early on Hogmanay – said its services were being affected by speed restrictions on many routes due to “heavy rain”.

People have been asked to check their itinerary before travelling.

And ferry operator CalMac urged people. Check in advance 25 of his 30 routes were blocked before he could travel.

Scottish Government ministers and officials – including First Minister John Sweeney – attended a meeting of the Scottish Government’s resilience room on Monday to discuss climate action.

Angela Constance, Minister for Resilience, said: “Severe flood warnings with life-threatening risks are rarely issued and it is important that everyone living in affected areas does their part to stay safe.

“I would urge everyone to take action now by staying away from flood waters and not taking any unnecessary risks.

“I know many people will have plans to celebrate Hogmanay with friends and family but with road, rail, air and ferry services likely to be affected, I would ask everyone to please plan ahead. Plan to make sure it’s safe to travel.”

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay events including Princes Street Gardens Concert by the band Texas and fireworks display, canceled on Monday.

Organizers of the Unique Assembly said it had made the decision. Due to fear of strong winds There is a threat to public safety.

Unique Assembly Director Al Thompson said BBC Radio Scotland’s Drive Time The program was to “make the right decision.”

He added: “We want the world to come and celebrate in Edinburgh, but I think everyone has seen the weather we’ve had and what’s on offer over the next two days.

“It’s a decision that no one takes lightly, but in light of the weather last night and today, it was a fairly easy decision given the information we had.”

Indoor events, including an Idol Wild concert in the Assembly Rooms and a candlelit concert at St Giles Cathedral, are expected to go ahead as planned.

Yellow warning Rain for Hogmanay covers central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, the Highlands and Western Islands, Edinburgh, West Lothian and Strathclyde, including most of Argyll and Bute.

A separate “persistent snow” warning for Orkney and Shetland will remain in place throughout the day from 05:00.

The New Year is likely to bring some respite in some areas, with yellow weather warnings for snow and ice already in place for Inverness and the Highlands on New Year’s Day and January 2.