PA MediaTravellers have been warned of disruption across Scotland later as Storm Amy is set to hit parts of the country with winds of up to 95mph.
An amber warning has been issued for large parts of north and west Scotland. It will come force at 17:00 until 09:00 on Saturday.
Several ScotRail services and ferry journeys have been cancelled ahead of the storm’s arrival.
A Met Office yellow warning for heavy rain has also been issued for Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a forecast for 20-30mm of rain in a six to nine hour period.
A wider yellow warning for winds to up to 60mph – and up to 70mph in exposed areas – has been issued for all of Scotland, Northern Ireland and large parts of north west England and Wales, from 15:00 to midnight on Saturday.
Scotland’s transport secretary Fiona Hyslop asked people to check before they travel.
She said: “We are urging people planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights to contact their operators to find out if their service is affected.
“Motorists will face difficult driving conditions, so it’s vital people plan ahead if they have to travel to see if their route is impacted by the weather.”
Expected transport disruption:
- Trains in the north of the country, including services between Perth-Inverness, Inverness-Aberdeen and Fort William-Crianlarich will be cancelled from 18:00.
- Speed restrictions will be introduced on all rail routes from 19:00.
- Traffic at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll has been diverted on to the Old Military Road. Traffic Scotland said it was monitoring conditions.
- Delays and cancellations to routes on CalMac’s west coast ferry network. It asked passengers to check its website for updates
PA MediaNetwork Rail said its specialist weather team would be closely monitoring the storm’s path and working with ScotRail to confirm the routes are most likely to be impacted.
Scotrail Service Delivery Director Mark Ilderton, said: “Safety is always our top priority, and we’re working closely with our colleagues at Network Rail to keep people moving where it’s safe to do so.
“We know how frustrating disruption can be, but these measures are essential to protect our customers and staff.”
Serious weather event
Police Scotland’s Ch Sup Scott McCarren, head of Road Policing, said said drivers should drive to the conditions and be aware of increased stopping distances.
Motoring organisation the AA also urged drivers to avoid taking risks.
The AA’s Shaun Jones said: “Storm Amy is shaping up to be a serious weather event, and we’re already seeing signs of disruption.
Power firm SSEN has issued its own yellow alert.
It said text messages were being sent to more than 180,000 of its more vulnerable customers, giving them help and advice in the event they lose power.
