Because of extreme rainfall expected to fall in Scotland this weekend, speed restrictions have been imposed on many railway routes throughout the country.

The Met Office has issued Amber and Yellow warnings for rain and high winds across the north and west of the country today, Saturday, 16 December, with a possible total rainfall in some places of up to 175 mm.

Disruption may be experienced on many lines, but especially on the following, where passengers should check their travel arrangements before they set out:

• The West Highland line including the Oban and Mallaig routes will be under speed restrictions until at least 9.00 am on Monday, 18 December.
• The Wemyss Bay line between Port Glasgow and Wemyss Bay from Sunday morning until at least 9.00 am on Monday, 18 December.
• The Highland Mainline and Far North line from start of service until at least 3.00 pm on Sunday, 17 December.
• The Kyle of Lochalsh line from start of service on Sunday morning until at least 9.00 am on Monday, 18 December.

The reasons for the speed restrictions is because heavy rain can cause landslips or wash the ballast away from underneath the rails, while high winds increase the risk of trees falling onto the track.

By imposing speed restrictions, the slower train speeds during bad weather allows trains more time to stop if the weather causes trees or landslips to block tracks.

Network Rail’ s specialist weather forecasters will be continuously monitoring the situation and will have engineers ready to respond if there is any disruption caused by the conditions.

Liam Sumpter, route director, Network Rail Scotland, said: “We’re expecting the severe weather to affect parts of Scotland s Railway, particularly on routes in the north and west.

“Heavy, consistent rainfall across the weekend means we need to use speed restrictions on some lines to help keep our colleagues and passengers safe.

“Please check your journey with your train operator before travelling if you’re planning on using one of the affected lines.”