Storm Dudley: Railways reopen after checks and repairs - BBC News
Network Rail said engineers checked 1,500 miles of track after Storm Dudley swept across Scotland.
Network Rail said Scotland's routes were "back in business" by 10:00 on Thursday

Scotland's railway lines have reopened after Storm Dudley hit the network "really hard".

Network Rail said they had inspected 1,500 miles of track and only three areas were left with signalling problems - Lanark, Largs and Girvan.

The track operator said Scotland's railway was "back in business" by 10:00 on Thursday.

A second storm, Eunice, begins at 03:00 on Friday, with a yellow warning of snow for much of Scotland.

It follows closely behind Storm Dudley, which swept across the country on Wednesday and cleared in the early morning.

A yellow warning of wind has also been issued by the Met Office, affecting parts of Dumfries and Galloway, Argyll and Bute, and Ayrshire from 07:00 to 18:00 on Friday.

Road maintenance provider Bear Scotland said it had gritting trucks out in north east Scotland, where there has already been snowfall, and would be working round the clock to ensure routes remain safe.

Network Rail route director for Scotland, Liam Sumpter, said Storm Dudley had brought a "really tough evening and night" with many fallen trees on the tracks, and damage to overhead lines and signalling systems".

"Storm Dudley hit us really hard," he added.

A flood warning put in place by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in Ayrshire was lifted, but alerts for the area and four other parts of the country remain in place.

Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway and West Central Scotland are still on alert for coastal flooding.

The Drumalbin weather station in South Lanarkshire recorded 71mph gales on Wednesday and a gust of 101mph was recorded on Aonach Mor, near Fort William.

A fallen tree blocks the railway line at Beattock, Dumfries and Galloway

Overhead lines were damaged on the railway at Kilwinning, North Ayrshire

ScotRail worked with Network Rail overnight to deal with wind damage to power supplies. A fallen tree in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire caused significant damage to power lines.

Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express warned customers that significant disruption of services was likely on Friday during Storm Eunice, and tickets booked for that day would be valid on Thursday or Saturday.

Ferry operator CalMac cancelled services on most of its routes on Wednesday as waves reached 12m (39ft) in some areas. Some services services were still not operating on Thursday.

Rain lashed down on commuters in Glasgow during Storm Dudley

Mammatus clouds captured during Storm Dudley over the south side of Glasgow

Forestry and Land Scotland said it was still clearing up damage to forestry caused by Storm Arwen and Storm Malik and urged people to avoid woodland areas during this week's storms.

Meanwhile, a severe weather warning has been upgraded to red for parts of south-west England and south Wales on Friday - meaning there is a danger to life from flying debris.

The Met Office warned Storm Eunice could bring winds of up to 90mph, causing significant disruption.

It said conditions could be even more damaging than Storm Dudley, with stronger winds, heavy snow and possible blizzards in Scotland.

Storm Dudley is the fourth storm to hit Scotland since November. Last month alone, storms Malik and Corrie caused power cuts for 118,000 homes in Scotland and 80,000 in northern England.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), which supplies power in the north of Scotland, said it was prepared for potential damage to the network and had brought in more engineers.

The firm urged people to keep their mobile phones charged, keep battery or wind-up torches and beware of fallen power lines.

It also advised people to keep the national 105 emergency helpline on hand.

SP Energy Networks, which supplies power in central and southern Scotland, issued similar advice, adding that conditions could make it extremely challenging for engineers to fix power cuts - especially if climbing poles or pylons is required.

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