(Image: Network Rail Scotland)
Rail lines in the west and north of Scotland are to close during Storm Boelo, with speed restrictions also being introduced across the country as strong winds and heavy rain move in.
The first closures will begin on Saturday night, with services south and west of Kilwinning stopping from 9pm and the Oban and Mallaig lines closing from around 10pm.
On Sunday, the line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach will be closed from the start of service, as well as the railway between Wick and Helmsdale.
Trains will also run at reduced speeds across large parts of Scotland as the storm moves through. Speed restrictions will begin late on Saturday night and continue into Sunday.
Network Rail Scotland has warned rail passengers to expect "significant disruption and longer journeys", urging them to plan ahead and check their routes before setting off.
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The closures and speed restrictions have been confirmed after the Met Office upgraded its warning for Storm Boelo from yellow to amber. The amber warning covers the majority of the country from 9pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday, with gusts of 60 to 70mph forecast and winds of up to 80mph possible in exposed coastal areas.
Craig Gorman, head of operational weather strategy at Network Rail Scotland, said: “We know closing lines and slowing trains will have a significant impact on people’s plans this weekend, and these aren’t decisions we take lightly. But when we’re facing weather of this scale, we have to put safety first and make sensible calls before conditions deteriorate.
“A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes to understand how the weather could affect different parts of the railway. We’ll keep a close eye on conditions as Storm Boelo moves across Scotland and adapt our response where we need to, while doing everything we can to keep people moving.”
Speed restrictions are already in place on parts of the railway today (Friday), as heavy rain associated with Storm Austen affects southern and eastern Scotland.