The City of Edinburgh Council is set to keep the city moving throughout wintry conditions forecast this week.

With freezing temperatures, snow and ice expected, plans are underway to minimise any resulting disruption.

Temporary traffic management measures, such as traffic signals, in place for inactive road and pavement works will be removed by the Council and public utility companies where possible, allowing the smoother flow of traffic.

Gritting teams are also out night and day treating and monitoring priority routes, while the Council’s severe winter weather tactical response team are on standby should a weather emergency strike.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said: “Our priority is to keep the city moving whatever the weather, and our team has already been out around the clock ensuring roads, pavements and cycle paths are gritted and safe to travel on.

“In light of the latest forecasts we’re making arrangements to clear routes of obstructions where possible, opening up the network and making it easier for the public to get about during the cold spell.”

The 939 miles of roads plus additional pavements and cycle routes in Edinburgh are treated on a priority basis, with important principal roads, bus routes and roads and pavements leading to hospitals, care homes, schools and fire stations amongst those gritted first.

The public can find out about priority road, cycle path and pavement gritting routes by visiting the Council website’s live winter weather pages which include an interactive map so that residents can locate their nearest salt bin.

If and when severe weather strikes, the Council will use its social media channels, website and local radio stations to keep residents updated on any impact on services.

Extreme weather in the north of Scotland expected to arrive as a result of Storm Caroline means some train services will be suspended from the start of service on Thursday.

With the Met Office predicting wind speeds of up to 90 miles per hour, the following services will be suspended:

– Aberdeen to Inverness
– Inverness to Wick
– Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh
– Glasgow Queen Street to Oban/Fort William/Mallaig

A safety inspection will be carried out on these routes in the morning, and a further decision will be taken about when to resume services.

Speed restrictions will also be in place for services between Perth-Aberdeen and Perth-Inverness due to expected winds of up to 60 miles per hour. This means trains will be slower and services will be disrupted.

Tickets already purchased for a cancelled service will be eligible for use from today up to, and including, Monday. Customers who do not wish to travel, but have already purchased a ticket for an affected route, will be given a full refund.

Customers who wish to travel are advised to check their service in advance via @ScotRail on Twitter, or on the ScotRail app.

David Lister, Safety and Sustainability Director at the ScotRail Alliance, said:

“With the Met Office predicting wind speeds of up to 90 miles per hour, we have taken the decision to suspend some services from the start of service on Thursday. This isn’t a decision that we have taken lightly, but the safety and security of our staff and customers must come first.

“Our staff will be working round the clock to get services back to normal and get customers moving as soon as possible.

“Customers should keep up to date with the latest information by checking @ScotRail, the ScotRail app or the website.”

The ScotRail Alliance has set out its winter weather plans, as Storm Caroline prepares to hit Scotland in the coming days.

Winter can have a significant impact on the railway, with its effects ranging from speed restrictions on exposed routes, to services being suspended due to avalanches.

Winter weather can impact the railway in the following ways:
– High winds can blow objects on to the line, meaning trains have to travel slower to ensure they can safely stop short of any obstructions.
– Points (movable sections of track, allowing trains to move from one line to another) can freeze up, preventing trains from accessing certain routes or platforms.
– Extremely low temperatures can sometimes prevent train carriages from attaching, leading to fewer carriages on services.
– Up to three tons of snow can accumulate on the underside of trains. In the past trains have been damaged by snow and ice falling from the undercarriage and bouncing back up. Trains have to be removed from service for safety checks when this happens.
– Heavy rain can cause flooding and landslips. When these occur, trains have to be stopped until the line has been cleared, and a thorough safety inspection of the track carried out.
To limit the impact of winter weather on its service, the ScotRail Alliance will take the following actions:
– Specialist meteorologists will map weather events as they approach, allowing us to deploy chainsaw teams and engineers to where they’re most likely to be needed.
– Teams will work to identify and remove any potentially dead and dangerous trees, which could be blown over the tracks, before high winds arrive.
– A helicopter fitted with thermal imaging equipment will be used to highlight areas to engineers where cold weather could cause problems.
– A £1 million ‘winter train’ will be used to defrost points and other key parts of the railway affected by snow or ice. The train, which will be used across Scotland, features hot air blowers and heat-lances, which are used to thaw critical infrastructure and allow staff to reopen the line quicker.
– Ten snowplough trains will also be on standby.
– Engineers will be working 24/7 to prevent vulnerable infrastructure freezing in the first place, with some equipment being fitted with heaters.
– Maintenance depots are being fitted with heated polytunnels, high pressure hot water ‘jet washes’, and space heaters to reduce the time required to defrost trains, and get them back in service quicker.

If severe weather is expected, contingency timetables will be created and customers informed. ScotRail’s website and social media channels will have full details of any changes to the train service. A series of roadshows are also being held across the country to inform customers about what the ScotRail Alliance is doing to keep people on the move. The ScotRail Alliance will update customers later today with the expected impact of Storm Caroline.

ScotRail Alliance Infrastructure Director David Dickson said:

“Winter is a particularly challenging time for the railway – snow and ice can damage trains, and can prevent the supporting infrastructure from working correctly.

“People know from their own lives the impact winter weather can have, and that applies even more so to the railway.
“That’s why we have invested in specialist equipment, so that when bad weather strikes we can keep our customers moving.

“Our staff will be working flat out, night and day, to get customers where they need to be, while ensuring that the safety of our customers and staff remains our number one priority.

“We’ll keep our customers up-to-date with the latest travel information on the ScotRail app, our website, and our Twitter feed.”

Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands said:

“We are working closely with the ScotRail Alliance to ensure they are ready for the challenges winter will bring, including Storm Caroline. Passengers can be reassured every effort is being made to make Scotland’s railways as resilient as possible, from using technology to pinpoint potential problems to having snow ploughs at the ready.

“At the forefront of that effort are the scores of staff working round the clock in all kinds of challenging weather to keep trains moving. The ScotRail Alliance is doing all it can to minimise seasonal disruption as far as possible but some disruption is inevitable. We would ask passengers to play their part by checking all the available travel information in advance.”