ScotRail trains cancelled after tree falls on railway line as heavy snow disrupts travel

A tree has fallen and blocked a major railway line in Scotland as a yellow weather warning for snow and ice remains in place in Scotland.

Trains have been cancelled, delayed or revised on the line between Keith and Huntly in Aberdeenshire due to the fallen tree, ScotRail said.

ScotRail trains will need to be cancelled due to the fallen tree. Picture: Michael Gillen | Michael Gillen/NationalWorld

Engineers from Network Rail have headed to the site to clear the incident, but are being delayed by heavy snow in the area.

Parts of the Highlands, as well as Aberdeen, Moray, Orkney, Shetland, Angus and Perth, and Kinross are covered by a yellow weather warning that is in place until 10am on Wednesday.

A ScotRail post on X read: “Due to a tree blocking the railway between Keith and Huntly, all lines are blocked. Train services running through these stations will be cancelled, delayed or revised.

“Staff are being arranged to make way to site to remove the tree.”

A Network Rail post added: “We’re responding to a report of a fallen tree blocking the railway between Keith and Huntly, on the Aberdeen-Inverness line. Our team are on their way, but heavy snow in the area is delaying their response. We’ll share an update soon.”

A Met Office warning is currently in place for snow and ice covering Orkney, Shetland, the Highlands, Aberdeen, Moray, parts of the Western Isles, Angus and Perth and Kinross.

Morning commuters face widespread travel disruption on Wednesday after heavy snowfall and ice affected parts of the UK.

Several other warnings for snow and ice have been in force across the UK, with the Met Office advising vehicles could be stranded, power cuts may occur and rural areas could be cut off.

The forecaster on Tuesday warned of snow showers developing during the evening and continuing overnight into Wednesday morning. The showers may be heavy at times and accompanied by lightning in some areas.

Some lying snow could reach up to 10cm or more over higher ground and ice is expected to form on untreated surfaces.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon previously told the PA news agency: “We’ve had a fairly mild November so far.

“So it’ll feel like that first taste of winter for many with that snow and ice risk layered on top.”

He added: “The highest accumulations are likely over the mountains in Scotland, where over higher ground you could see around 20cm of snow through this week accumulating on the ground.

“They are not necessarily the most disruptive snowfalls, but it only takes a couple of centimetres on lower ground to cause some level of travel disruption.”

Tuesday saw widespread disruption across the UK, with more than 200 school closures reported by the afternoon.

The Met Office said the coldest temperature was recorded at Braemar village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with the mercury falling to minus 11.2C on Tuesday.