Swinney calls for ‘patience’ as work to clean up after Storm Eowyn continues

John Swinney has appealed for “patience” as work is carried out to restore power supplies and transport services in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn.

People all over Scotland were urged to stay indoors on Friday to avoid injury in hurricane-force winds, as a rare Met Office red weather warning was issued for much of the south of the country.

Yellow and amber warnings for wind were in place elsewhere.

Thousands were left without power as winds of up to 100mph swept across parts of Scotland, and there was widespread travel disruption, with trains, ferries and flights suspended and roads closed.

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Work is under way to clear up after the storm, but thousands of homes remain without power and there is ongoing disruption to road, rail and ferry travel.

The inclement weather is likely to continue, with new yellow weather warnings for wind, snow and ice in place over Saturday and Sunday.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the First Minister asked for “patience” while the work to restore services affected by the storm was carried out.

“After the significant impact of Storm Eowyn, work is underway to restore power supplies and transport networks,” he said.

“It will take some time to complete and I appeal for the patience of the public.

“Power company staff and our public servants are working at speed to restore services”.

Ministers have also thanked those involved in repairing the damage.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the advice not to travel had been lifted but that people should remain “vigilant” for disruption.

“With some yellow weather warnings still in place and the clear-up operation ongoing, I am asking people to remain vigilant for disruption,” she said.

“Teams across the network will continue working tirelessly as we move throughout the weekend towards the Monday commute.

“On behalf of the Scottish Government, I would like to express our thanks for their incredible continued efforts.

“We stand ready to assist local authorities where we can and would urge the public to remain cautious, plan ahead, and check before travelling.”

Network Rail said major transport disruption continues in Scotland, with around 400 separate incidents reported across the network since the storm began.

It said damage to overhead power lines at Lockerbie, Abington and Rutherglen meant the West Coast mainline will be closed until Sunday.

Ross Moran, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: “Our engineers are hard at work across the country repairing the damage caused by Storm Eowyn.

“The extreme winds which battered our network have caused extensive damage across Scotland’s Railway bringing over 120 trees down onto the tracks.

“With hundreds of incidents across the country to respond to we are working around the clock to reopen all of our railway as quickly as possible and keep our customers moving.”

ScotRail repair teams worked throughout the night to clear debris from tracks and to fix damaged infrastructure.

The railway operator says it has been able to reopen some lines, but “the vast majority” remain closed while inspections and repairs continue.

On X, a spokesperson said it had reopened lines including Perth – Inverness, Inverness – Elgin, Inverness – Aberdeen, Dundee – Aberdeen, Perth – Dundee, Edinburgh – Tweedbank, Edinburgh – Dunbar, and Drem – Edinburgh.

The spokesperson added: “But the vast majority of our routes remain closed while Network Rail continues its inspection and repair work.

“We hope to be able to operate some more services later today, but significant disruption will continue for the rest of today and into Sunday.

“Please check the ScotRail website and app for the most up-to-date information when planning your travel.”

Ferry operator CalMac said on X that many of its ferries remain in service, but are subject to amended timetables and potential further disruption.

Stagecoach has been able to restore services, but said on X that many of its services are subject to delays and diversions due to debris on roads.

Flights have returned, but airports have suggested on social media that passengers should check the status of their flights in advance.