Drivers facing 100 mile diversions on A86 and West Highland Line …
Roads and railway lines remain closed in the Highlands following landslides caused by heavy rainfall.
The A86 between Laggan and Spean Bridge has been closed since Monday after almost a week’s worth of rain fell over six hours.
The West Highland Line has also been closed due to damage caused by flooding in the same area near Roybridge.
Peter Jolly/Northpix
Heavy rainfall has battered the Highlands and caused landslips. Peter Jolly/Northpix
Areas of the Scottish Highlands have been battered by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with train lines, roads and properties affected after days of scorching weather.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued 16 flood warnings across the country.
Inspections on the West Highland Line by Network Rail overnight on Monday have deemed that the line is unable to open in its current condition.
The railway line between Roy Bridge and Tulloch was damaged on Monday by rainfall.
On Monday, Network Rail updated passengers with a statement that read: “Our earthworks examiner has carried out various inspections throughout the night and confirmed that the West Highland Line is currently unable to open in its current condition between Fort William and Crianlarich, due to two different areas of concern at the moment.
“Following our extensive investigation work overnight, we now expect the West Highland Line between Roy Bridge and Tulloch to be closed until Thursday morning, due to damage to the track caused by flooding.”
/1 ⚠️ Our earthworks examiner has carried out various inspections throughout the night and confirmed that the West Highland line is currently unable to open in its current condition between Fort William and Crianlarich, due to two different areas of concern at the moment. https://t.co/ZH71uULkrM[1]
— Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) June 13, 2023[2]
The infrastructure managers added that there were three sites of track damage along the line, around one mile apart between Roy Bridge and Tulloch.
At the first site, the stone supporting the track on a bridge and the surrounding area had washed away.
At the second site, a landslip on the nearby A76 diverted floodwater towards the railway, washing away the stone which supports the track in two places.
As it is a remote area and there is a road closure in place, Network Rail said access was “challenging” for engineers.
It added that at each site, mud and silt need to be cleared before the track can be fixed.
The railway in the surrounding area is also being inspected from the ground and from the air for any potential issues.
Drivers on the A86 have been warned of diversions exceeding 100 miles due to the damage caused by the weather.
Road users have been asked to continue on the A82 to Inverness before turning back on to the A9 to travel back to a safe part of the A86, resulting in a diversion of 112.7 miles.
It is not yet known how long the closure will be in place for.
Police Scotland would like to advise that due to landslides, there is a road closure on the A86 between Laggan and Spean Bridge. The B863 is also closed in it’s entirety.
Diversions are in place and the public are asked to avoid the area if possible.
— Police Scotland Highland & Islands (@PSOSHighland) June 12, 2023[3]
Meanwhile the B863 near Kinlochleven was blocked by a landslide following a downpour on Monday night and has been closed in its entirety.
Diversions are in place and the public are asked to avoid the area if possible.
Yellow weather warnings are in place for the Highlands from 12pm on Monday until 9pm.
Flooding to homes and businesses, power cuts, lightning strikes and cut-off communities are among the warnings issued for Tuesday by the Met Office.
The warning, in place for the west of the country, also states there is “a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life”.
It comes after Scotland officially reached heatwave conditions on Monday with Threave in Dumfries and Galloway reaching 30.1C.
References
- ^ https://t.co/ZH71uULkrM (t.co)
- ^ June 13, 2023 (twitter.com)
- ^ June 12, 2023 (twitter.com)