Bad weather in Scotland - bad service from Scotrail
 

I know we don't have a huge number of members from north of the border but just a thought. Although he weather in Scotland has been pretty rough today, that's actually not that unusual and the Scots have a way of just getting on with things (imagine the blanket coverage in the media if such weather had hit southern England). However, why has the strong wind caused such disruption to the passenger services in Scotland? Lines such as the vital links from Inverness to the far north have been closed whereas I remember 40 years ago the train service ran in far worse weather than todays. Is there really a safety issue or is it the usual modern obsession with running for cover at the first sign of perceived risk? Maybe they just prefer to give up running the railway. This is dangerous though: exactly the attitude which led to the closure mentality in the 1960s.

Just a thought but, with today's much lighter rolling stock, maybe the powers that be are afraid of being hit with heavy law suites or fines from the H&S nutters if a train was derailed or blown over and people were hurt.

I think the weather conditions in Scotland today have been abnormally severe. Road transport did not seem to be doing too well with many bridges, including the Forth Bridge, closed.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Is there really a safety issue

If you remember a couple of years ago the Great Western HST that collided with a tree, then that should answer the part of the statement above.

Speaking as a driver who works in Inverness there was rumours of winds reaching 161mph in the highlands.The A9 trunk road was closed for several hours with fallen trees and power lines as was the railway.

I am not for one minute praising Scotrail,I for one think the way they treated people yesterday was appalling(I don't work gor Scotrail) but I also can't condem them as the weather conditions were way out of the ordinary and they did do the best they could.

So yes there is a deffinate safety concern.

Les

I've chopped the message to make my answer relavent

Weather not the unusual -- The highest recorded windspeed was 165mph that is more than unusual it's unique

40 years ago trains were slower, heavier, had steam engines up front
now a lot have Pantographs and OHEL supplies -

ASFAIK from reports on Gen groups ALL electrics were Banned North of Carlisle and Newcastle ALL trains were to be diesel only

Todays trains are not lighter than they used to be consider the weigh of a mark 1/2/3/4 Coach compared to say a Class 221 coach
a MK1 weighed in at 30 ton while coaches on the voyager weigh in at over 50 ton each. Class 390 weigh in at only 30 tons for a trailer which is at least half as long again

So it's not mass but speed and side profile together with the use of OHEL equipment that made them useless

I can't comment on Scot-Rail but if they are as bad as some other companies then The traveller who had to venture out yesterday SHOULD get more than apologies from them

Having now read that a passenger train from Wick apparently hit a tree which had fallen on to the line near Inverness, I have to admit that there was a true safety concern. Sadly I hear that a passenger on the train was injured - not badly, I hope.