A full time Weather Desk staffed by meteorologists is being set up in Scotland for the first time to protect the railway.

Transport Scotland arranged a meeting between representatives from the railways, ferries and roads at Shettleston railway depot to draw up their plans to deal with winter weather. 

As well as the Weather Desk, there will also be Seasonal Resilience Teams to support preparation and help with recovery, and equipment which includes snowploughs, a £1 million Winter Train for defrosting infrastructure and a dedicated Network Rail helicopter.

Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘Severe weather has traditionally been associated with winter, snow, ice and gritters. However we just have to look back at the impact of Storm Amy and Storm Floris to realise that we can face challenging conditions at any time of year.

‘We can see the real impact of climate change almost every day, be it on our television screens or through social media. Today gives us a chance to highlight all of the preparation that is put in place ahead of winter by our transport operators and resilience partners, as well as an opportunity to look at the hard work being carried out behind the scenes to cope with severe weather.’

Network Rail Scotland route director Ross Moran said: ‘Severe weather doesn’t respect railway timetables, which is why our teams are ready to respond throughout the year to conditions including strong winds, flooding, and ice. We use a wide range of tools to monitor and manage these risks, including our 24/7 weather desk with in-house meteorologists, a dedicated helicopter for aerial inspections, and specialist kit such as snow ploughs and de-icing trains to keep the railway safe and operational.

‘Storms Amy and Floris showed how quickly conditions can change and how important it is to have boots on the ground and the right technology in place. Today’s event is a reminder of the value of working together across the transport sector to protect Scotland’s infrastructure and keep people moving whatever the weather.’

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