Falkirk weather update: All rail services cancelled as district braced for Storm Isha

Weather warnings for strong winds have been issued for the region as the country braces for winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain.

All rail services in Scotland are being suspended from 7pm on Sunday evening as the country will be battered by strong winds, and there will be no trains during Monday morning’s rush hour.

The Met Office officially named the storm on Friday and an amber weather warning for wind is in place for most of the country from 6pm on Sunday to 9am on Monday.

The amber alert means potential power cuts and loss of mobile phone signal in affected areas.

There’s likely to be disruption to travel with roads and bridges likely to be shut and public transport could face delays and cancellations.

Forecasters say the strong winds could lead to damage to buildings and flying debris, and there is a risk to life in coastal areas from large waves and debris being blown in land.

Parts of Scotland are also under a yellow warning for rain from 3pm until midnight on Sunday.

Heavy rain is expected to lead to some flooding and travel disruption in parts with spray and flooding leading to difficult driving conditions and a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded.

Aside from the amber wind warning, Falkirk district also comes under a yellow warning for wind from 12 noon on Sunday to 12 noon on Monday.

As a result of the amber warnings, all rail services across Scotland are set to stop early on Sunday for safety reasons.

A review of the weather forecasts on Sunday afternoon showed the conditions will be much worse in many areas than earlier forecasts had predicted causing Network Rail to update its previous plans which included speed restrictions on services in the central belt and instead cancelling all services across Scotland from 7pm on Sunday. Any trains departing prior to 7pm will complete their journey.

The rail operator warned there will be no rush hour services on Monday morning either as services will not start until lines are inspected for damage after the storm subsides.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail Customer Operations Director, said: “The heavy wind and ongoing rain hitting most parts of the country mean that it will not be safe for our customers and our staff, and all ScotRail train services will be suspended from 7pm tonight.

“We know the impact that the withdrawal of train services will have on customers, but our first priority is always to ensure the safety of staff and passengers – and this is a necessary step to ensure everyone’s safety during the severe weather.

“Our colleagues at Network Rail Scotland will be working flat out through the night and into the morning to carry out safety checks, and assess what repairs are required to reopen the railway.

“However, customers will be unable to travel early Monday morning, as trains will not be able to operate until the infrastructure has been made safe.

“We will update our website, mobile app, and social media feeds when we have more information, and customers should check for the latest updates before they attempt to travel tomorrow.”

The wet and windy weather looks set to continue later in the week with the Met Office also putting a yellow warning for wind in place for the whole of Scotland from 4pm on Tuesday to noon on Wednesday.

Storm Isha is the ninth named storm to hit the UK since the season began in September.

Each storm is named when it poses a risk to people and they are given names beginning with consecutive letters of the alphabet.