First Minister calls for 'patience' as power cuts and travel chaos hold in wake of Storm Éowyn

Thousands of homes are still without power after winds of up to 100mph swept across parts of Scotland on Friday with the storm leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

SP Energy Networks said 28,000 customers were without power at 4pm this afternoon (Saturday) with supply now restored to 192,000 customers

Today, engineers for Network Rail Scotland are tending to more than 400 reports of storm damage with overhead lines brought down, trees on tracks and debris - from part of a roof to a garden shed and a trampoline - discovered on lines across Scotland.

Work is under way to clear up after the storm, but weather conditions continue to pose challenges in the aftermath of the storm, which the Met Office has described as “the worst in 10 years”.

The bad 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.

He said: “After the significant impact of StormÉowyn , 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.

READ MORE: 27 dramatic pictures as Storm Éowyn batters Scotland

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.”

Major disruption continues on train lines but some routes have re-opened as engineers clear debris and declare routes safe.

Almost 400 incidents of damage were discovered on Scotland’s rail network in the aftermath of the storm, with a trampoline among debris blocking the tracks at Carstairs. A garden shed was found on the line at Forgandenny between Perth and Stirling while part of a roof was discovered at the entrance to the tunnel at Glasgow Queen Street.

An overhead line mast on the Kilwinning - Largs/Ardrossan route was brought down by a fallen tree, with the line to remain closed today.

A helicopter team deployed to survey the line between Edinburgh and Glasgow found overhead line engineers repairing damage in the Polmont area with further debris on the track reported at Lenzie.

While the vast majority of routes remain closed, some lines have reopened as engineers work across the network.

The Aberdeen to Inverness to line has re-opened alongwith the main Highland line from Perth to Inverness. Trains are now running on the Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh line.

Meanwhile, Network Rail Scotland said at noon today that repairs to the overhead wire damage at Cairstairs would take at least 24 hours.

Rail services are due to be disrupted until at least noon as the massive repair and clear-up job continues. More than 120 reports of fallen trees have been made by engineers.

As progress is made, some trains are running this morning. The Highland Main Line between Perth and Inverness has re-opened and trains are now running between Perth and Dundee after a large tree was cleared from the tracks.

The trampoline was cleared from the line near Carstairs.

READ MORE: Storm Éowyn: Disruption to continue across Scotland over weekend

Network Rail Scotland said: “Almost 400 incidents of damage have been found since the storm passed, disruption is likely until at least midday.

“So far, we’ve seen over 120 reports of fallen trees across Scotland, along with damage to signalling systems, overhead wires, stations, boundary fencing, level crossings and even train depots suffering damage.”

“We really appreciate your patience while we work to reopen Scotland’s railway. It’s going to be a challenging day, but our teams are working extremely hard to do this. We’ll keep you updated as the day goes

The railway line between Edinburgh and Newcastle has re-opened in the wake of Storm Eowyn, Network Rail Scotland has said.

On Saturday morning, the rail operator said on X, formerly Twitter: “The first good news from us following the storm.

“We’ve inspected, cleared fallen trees and reopened the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh and Newcastle.”

Joanne Maguire, ScotRail Managing Director, said “severe damage” had been caused to the rail network.

She said: “Network Rail colleagues have been working throughout the night to assess the extent of the damage and ScotRail teams are supporting this tireless work to get services back up and running but this will take time. Disruption will continue throughout the weekend at least. Customers are advised to check the ScotRail app or website for the most up-to-date information before making travel plans.

“So far almost 400 incidents have been identified, all of which need to be assessed and repaired before we can restart services. The safety of our customers and staff is our priority at all times.

“Some services have been able to run this morning on routes where we experienced the least damage, but the vast majority of routes remain closed.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in the cleanup operation, it’s an almighty task and our teams are working flat out to deliver services to our customers.”