Severe weather warnings led to operators cancelling services for a large part of the day on Friday 25 January
The north of England and southern and central Scotland were particularly badly hit by Storm Éowyn on Friday 23 January, with transport links affected across large parts of the countries. Central Scotland bore the brunt of the weather, with large areas of the central belt and south west covered by a red warning for wind from 1000 until 1700hrs, indicating a danger to life, whilst other areas of the country, plus northern England and North Wales, were issued an amber warning.
Central England and Wales received a less severe yellow warning, with significant disruption expected and gusts of up to 100mph forecast. In areas covered by the red warning, transport operations were largely closed down for most of the day, with all ScotRail trains and CalMac ferries cancelled, along with many flights.
Northern Ireland was also affected, with state-owned Translink announcing that it would suspend both bus and rail services as a safety precaution during the day.
Long-distance stoppage
All of the major central coach and bus operators elected to cancel their services during the day, including inter-city operator Citylink, which put out a statement saying: “From 1000 to 600hrs, all services departing from and arriving into Glasgow and Edinburgh will be cancelled… We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding as we prioritise the safety of our passengers and staff.
“We will not operate any services through a red warning area, as a result no services will operate south of Perth or in and out of Glasgow or Edinburgh.”
The company cancelled all services between Glasgow and Campbeltown, Oban and Fort William, and to Stranraer and Belfast, as well as those from Edinburgh to Oban. Services between Perth, Inverness, Dundee and Aberdeen were scheduled to continue to operate but on a reduced timetable, and those between Inverness and Fort William, Portree and Ullapool were expected to run as normal. Services to and from Skye ran only as far south as Fort William. Services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness were scheduled to restart after 1700hrs once the worst of the weather had passed, but the company warned that they would remain subject to change due to coaches and drivers needing to get into position to restart once the red warning lifted.
Cross-border services from Glasgow to destinations in England and Wales were also subject to change, with southbound departures brought forward to depart Glasgow at 0730hrs, and subsequent journeys cancelled. Customers were advised that their tickets would be valid on the day before or after, subject to space on board.
Local services halted
In Edinburgh, Lothian issued a statement saying that its services would be suspended and that buses would return to the depots after their morning journeys. “As a result of the red weather warning across our entire operating area on 24 January between 1000 and 1700hrs, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw all services during these hours. Vehicles will start to return to depots between 0800 and 0900hrs. We acknowledge that this is likely to cause significant inconvenience however the safety of our people and customers is paramount.
“We continue to work closely with partners across the region and aim to return services to our network when it is safe to do so,” the company said. “Our teams will continue to monitor this evolving situation, and we will endeavour to restore services as soon as it is safe to do so. Restoring our network will take some time and customers should be prepared for disruption until the end of service on Friday 24 January.”
First Glasgow put out a similar message, saying: “Following strong advice from the relevant authorities including the First Minister and Police Scotland, First Bus will be temporarily suspending all services across Greater Glasgow ahead of the red weather warning. We’re advising all passengers to follow the advice given by not travelling on Friday 24 January. Our network of routes will begin to be withdrawn from 0800hrs to allow us to return all vehicles and colleagues to their depots safely.
“These measures are being implemented in the interests of the safety of our people and passengers which are our utmost priority. Services will not resume until after the worst of the weather has passed and routes have been assessed as safe for operations to recommence. Pending the status of the red weather warning, we expect services to gradually be reinstated after approximately 1800hrs.”
The company also provided information for its staff via its website, stating: “Colleagues scheduled on the early shift should attend work as normal. You will receive further instructions via your manager, ticket machine or employee app, please continue to monitor. Your safety is paramount. Please prioritise your well-being and do not take unnecessary risks during this period of severe weather. If you have any concerns or require additional support, do not hesitate to contact your line manager.”
West Coast Motors and Borders Buses both also cancelled all services, with the expectation of resuming service on Saturday 25 January. “The safety of our staff and customers is key during this time. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for understanding,” the company said.
McGill’s cancelled services in central and western Scotland between 0900 and 1800hrs, advising passengers to consult its social media or website pages before travelling.
Further north, the company’s Xplore Dundee operation expected to continue to run services, apart from its ‘Fly’ coach service to Edinburgh airport, but advised passengers to expect possible disruption.
With a wide operating area, Stagecoach’s operations were more affected in some parts of the country than others. In Fife, all school services were cancelled, whilst others were either fully or partly suspended, with Dundee-bound services crossing the Tay Bridge terminating short in Tayport due to the closure of the bridge.
In the Perth & Kinross and Dundee & Angus areas, all school services were also cancelled, whilst other routes were subject to change and possible delays.
Further south, where a lesser amber warning was in place, operators such as Go North East warned that services could be subject to delays and changes due to the weather, but did not withdraw them in advance.
