Tens of thousands of travellers across the UK have woken up on Tuesday in places they did not intend to be, as Storm Floris continues to cause severe disruption to rail, sea and air services. Northern Scotland has been particularly hard hit, with fallen trees and damaged overhead lines forcing the cancellation of numerous train services.
Network Rail Scotland reported that it had dealt with hundreds of fallen trees overnight, reopening 30 of its 34 routes by Tuesday morning. However, no trains have arrived at or departed from Inverness, and the daily Highland Chieftain service to London has been cancelled. ScotRail warned that a significant clear-up operation would be required before a full service could be restored.
English train operators are also affected, with LNER warning of delays and short-notice cancellations on services north of Newcastle. Passengers holding tickets for cancelled Monday trains can travel on Tuesday or Wednesday instead.
Ferry services in western Scotland remain disrupted, with half of Caledonian MacBrayne's routes affected. Sailings between Oban, Colonsay and Islay have been cancelled, and passengers on other routes are warned of possible disruption at short notice.
Air travel has also been severely impacted, with Aberdeen airport particularly badly affected. Three planes attempted to land on Monday but were forced to return to their departure points due to strong winds. A Ryanair flight from Faro to Aberdeen diverted to Prestwick after a holding pattern. Loganair is allowing passengers booked on Tuesday to rebook within seven days without charge.
