Winter can be a difficult time for Scotland’s railways. Last year’s big freeze, the longest and most widespread for many years, caused major disruption to all forms of transport.
But we’ve learned from last year and have listened to you, to what you thought we did well and where you felt we could do better to keep Scotland moving this winter.
Better information
You told us that you want better information when services are disrupted, so we’re working with partners across the transport industry to make sure you get the information you need to get from A to B.
Our frontline people will have the most up-to-date, practical information to pass on to you.
We’ve announced a timetable which can be quickly implemented in extreme conditions to deploy resources where they’re most needed to keep Scotland moving.
See the temporary timetable.
We’re working with rail, bus, air and ferry providers to provide, through Traveline Scotland, an overview of any disruption and the transport alternatives.
How we're keeping Scotland moving
We're installing and trialling a number of new methods to make the network as robust as possible, including:
- Using a helicopter and thermal imaging to identify any points heaters that aren’t working effectively
- New insulating points heater strips which work for longer in the worst of the winter weather
- A new train which defrosts points with hot-air blowers and blasts of steam, hot water and compressed air
- Fitting snow displacers at selected points to stop snow building up and blocking the points
- Reducing ballast depth to prevent points sticking to the stones during prolonged sub-zero temperatures
- Using NASA-grade insulation to insulate points and prevent water building up and freezing
- Electronic monitoring points heaters so we know when they're starting to fail or power cables have been stolen
These new initiatives will support our workforce on the ground:
- Dedicated engineers working around-the-clock in severe weather to keep key infrastructure operational
- An increased fleet of 4x4 all-terrain vehicles so we can get to remote locations
- A 10-strong fleet of snow clearing trains will be in operation all winter
More about our preparations for winter