Weather warnings for snow and ice set to cause chaos to public transport in Scotland

Public transport services in Scotland are facing disruption or cancellation due to weather warnings for snow and ice.

The Met Office has yellow snow and ice warnings in force for the north east of Scotland and across the entirety of the Shetland Isles. The warning for the north east of Scotland spans from just north of Montrose up to the Orkney Islands, and reaches as far west as Ullapool.

The Met Office says on its website that the warning for the north east will end on Saturday at 12pm. The warning for the Shetland Isles ends at 10am on Saturday.

ScotRail has warned some services will be cancelled and others may be subject to delays. On X, formerly known as Twitter, the train operator said that “journeys on some routes will take longer for safety reasons”.

It added: “This is due to forecast heavy rain and snow, increasing the risk of flooding, landslips and snow drifts.” ScotRail said some Glasgow to Oban services would be cancelled on Saturday, as would some Inverness to Elgin trains.

All other services which travel via Elgin will be unaffected. The company said passengers can expect delays across its West Highland Line services, which includes trains that travel between Inverness, Kyle, Wick, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

ScotRail advised passengers to check the ScotRail app ahead of travelling to see the status of their planned route. Meanwhile, ferry operator Calmac cancelled a number of services on Friday night and on Saturday, with others being liable to disruption or short-notice cancellations.

Calmac said on X that the cancellations and disruptions are due to “adverse weather” and “strong winds”. For updates on journeys, people can check the ScotRail app and Calmac’s X account.

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