Storm Isha Edinburgh: Trains and flights cancelled as storm continues to wreak havoc
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The Met Office has issued more Yellow weather warnings, with Storm Isha expected to cause disruption for the next two days.
With extreme high winds, travel plans have been cancelled across the country, and many roads have been closed.
LIVE: Storm Isha in Edinburgh and the Lothians
Key Events
- Scots have been warned to avoid unnecessary travel
- Network Rail said it expects train services in Scotland to remain suspended until around noon after “a wild night”.
Impact on rail travel
ScotRail customer operations director Phil Campbell said: “We know the impact that the withdrawal of train services will have on customers, but our first priority is always to ensure the safety of staff and passengers – and this is a necessary step to ensure everyone’s safety during the severe weather.”
Speaking later on BBC Radio Scotland, he said it will be late morning and into the afternoon before routes start to reopen.
New storm coming this week
The next storm of the season has been named by the Irish forecaster Met Eireann.
Storm Jocelyn is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the UK on Tuesday and into Wednesday.
East Coast Main Line
Network Rail Scotland have reopened the East Coast Main Line south of Edinburgh.
Jocelyn is UK’s tenth named storm in five months
Storm Jocelyn, which arrives on Tuesday, will be the tenth named storm in five months and only the second time in a UK storm season that the letter J has been reached in the alphabet.
Storm seasons run from the start of September to the end of the following August.
The first time the letter J was reached was in March 2016, with Storm Jake.
The furthest a storm season has reached in the alphabet is the letter K, when Storm Katie was named, also in March 2016.
The Met Office began naming storms in 2015
Rail update
National Rail says following an object being caught in the overhead electric wires at Edinburgh earlier today trains are now able to run as normal.
Princes Street Gardens closed
Princes Street Gardens will remain closed today due to the high winds brought on by Storm Isha.
ScotRail services across Scotland to be suspended
ScotRail services across Scotland will be suspended from 7pm on Tuesday as Storm Jocelyn hits the UK and there will be no rush hour services the following morning, the railway operator has said.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, said: “The heavy wind and ongoing rain hitting most parts of the country mean that it will not be safe for our customers and our staff, and all ScotRail train services will be suspended from 7pm tomorrow.
“This is the second withdrawal of train services this week, and we know the impact this has on customers, but the safety of staff and passengers will always be our priority.”