ALL rush hour trains to and from Helensburgh - and across Scotland - have been cancelled this morning due to Storm Isha.
ScotRail says that all train services on all routes will be cancelled until safety inspections have been carried out to see if there are obstructions on any lines - and that those inspections will not be held until daylight.
With the sun not due to rise in Helensburgh until 8.32am, that means there will be no morning rush hour services on the lines to and from the town - including both the Helensburgh Central line and the West Highland route via Helensburgh Upper.
Shortly after 6am on Monday Network Rail posted on X - formerly Twitter - to advise that it was aware of damage to the overhead electric wires in "at least 20 separate locations", as well as fallen trees and damage to infrastructure, and warned that reopening the railway across Scotland was "going to be a challenge".
/1 06:00 Jan 22. Morning. It's been a difficult night for all our teams across Scotland and in the control room. No passenger or freight trains will run in Scotland until we inspect rail routes and repair damage #StormIsla has caused. This is to keep you, and our people safe.
— Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) January 22, 2024
ScotRail bosses announced at the weekend that because of the forecast bad weather there would be no services outside the central belt after 7pm on Sunday.
But later in the day, with the weather worsening, the rail operator said that that blanket cancellation after 7pm would apply in the central belt too.
A yellow Met Office warning for strong winds is in place for the whole of the UK until 12 noon on Monday
ScotRail says that tickets dated for Sunday will be accepted for travel on both Monday - when trains start to run again - and Tuesday.
The ScotRail page at JourneyCheck.com , where real time travel information is published, is currently - as this article was published at 6.30am - warning that all trains to and from Helensburgh will be cancelled all day on Monday, though that's expected to be updated once checks of the route have been carried out.
A spokesperson said: "Anyone who is unable to use their tickets, or has made alternative arrangements, is entitled to a full refund on their unused train tickets.
"Just visit our refunds page to claim.
"Customers who travel but arrive over 29 mins late to their destination are also entitled to money back under our Delay Repay guarantee. To claim this, keep hold of your ticket (or save a copy on your phone if it's an mTicket) and visit our Delay Repay site .
"As always, if you have to travel during extreme weather, we recommend you check your journey before setting off."
You can check the latest information at the ScotRail app and via JourneyCheck.com, as well as at the ScotRail feed on X.
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