A Highland railway line may remain closed until Saturday after heavy rain caused a landslip.
There was a raft of delays and cancellations after a stretch of the West Highland Line between Fort William and Crianlarich closed this morning following the landslip at Bridge of Orchy.
It came after a weekend of severe weather which saw one area of the north receive 59% of its average September rainfall in just 48 hours.
Engineers have carried out an assessment of the damage, and work continues to repair and reopen the line between Fort William and Crianlarich. The line is likely to reopen on Saturday 19th September. https://t.co/IAvCSmrDMH
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) September 14, 2020
Achnagart in Glenshiel normally sees around 10 inches of rain each September, but had roughly six inches on Saturday and Sunday.
The wild conditions had already closed the railway line between Fort William and Crianlarich on Sunday.
An inspection of the track by Network Rail this morning led to the discovery of a landslip between Bridge of Orchy and Tyndrum.
Further assessments led engineers to conclude the track would likely have to remain closed until Saturday September 19.
From tomorrow, trains from Mallaig/Fort William to Crianlarich/Queen Street will terminate and start back from Bridge of Orchy, with rail replacement buses running between Bridge of Orchy and Crianlarich to connect with trains.
A spokesman for Network Rail Scotland said today: “Our team are on-site.
“They’re assessing the damage and what needs to be done to get the railway open again.”
The railway line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Inverness was also badly affected by the conditions.
NEW: Our Kyle of Lochalsh – Inverness route is being inspected by @NetworkRailScot following severe weather being overnight. We had water breaching the red safety marker on a bridge near Attadale which meant the line had to be closed. Please check your journey before travel. ^CT
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) September 14, 2020
Water breached the red safety marker on a bridge near Attadale which meant the line had to be closed.
The Met Office had earlier issued a severe weather warning for most of the west Highlands over the weekend.
After Achnagart, the two wettest parts of the region were Tyndrum and Kinlochewe.
Tyndrum’s number three weather station saw 3.6 inches of rain across the weekend, 43% of its average September rainfall.
There was 2.5 inches of rain in Kinlochewe, 34% of the village’s September average.
Further south, the A83 at Rest and Be Thankful remains closed following a “significant landslide” on Sunday.
Around three inches of rain fell in 24 hours, causing 1,000 tonnes of material to slide down the hillside and close the road for the second time in six weeks.
The road had only reopened earlier in the week following a 10,000 tonne landslide at the beginning of August.
Bear Scotland said Sunday’s landslide occurred at the same location as the one last month. Much of was “caught” in temporary mitigation measures including a pit and a rockfall barrier.
A diversion route consisting of a 60-mile detour was put in place via the A82, A85 and A819.