River Ness rail bridge swept away by floodtide

collapsed under the flood water of the River Ness, leaving only 50 yards

of twisted rails across the middle of the river.

Seventeen hours later, at 1am this morning, police said three of the

four arches had gone, and the ribbon of rail had stretched to 200 yards

skimming the surface of the water.

It was at 8.10am that the central buttress disappeared into the river,

cutting off the west and north rail lines from the rest of the national

network. Ten minutes earlier a goods train had crossed the bridge with a

driver and guard on board but it was the two early morning passenger

services which could have produced a disaster.

The first train out of Inverness was the 6.35 for Wick and Thurso. It

left on time carrying 20 passengers. Twenty minutes later the west train

bound for Kyle of Lochalsh crossed the bridge with 13 passengers.

Mr John Ellis, general manager of ScotRail, dismissed suggestions that

the nineteenth century bridge was bound to be increasingly unsafe,

blaming its collapse on the ''totally exceptional circumstances''.

Mr Ellis said witnesses had talked about a tidal wave but it became

clear that this effect had been produced by the bridge's collapse.

However he emphasised that the bridge had a full underwater inspection

in November, 1987, and another 18 months earlier in April, 1986.

Speculation mounted in the wake of the collapse that it could deal a

fatal blow to the future of the Wick/Thurso and Kyle of Lochalsh lines

whose closures have been rumoured many times in the past 10 years.

Sir Russell Johnston, MP for Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber, who was

fog-bound in Paris yesterday, immediately called for a financial

commitment from the Government to rebuilding the bridge. Mr Ellis gave a

categorical assurance that ''the damaged railway viaduct over the River

Ness will be rebuilt''.

He said: ''We have today appointed a firm of consultants to give us a

full structural report on the bridge and, with the support of the

British Railways Board, I can confirm that the viaduct will be rebuilt.

I can also confirm that ScotRail is fully committed to maintaining rail

services north and west of Inverness.''

He said that within two hours of the bridge's collapse ScotRail had

organised a service to the

TURNS HERE

north and west by bussing people to Dingwall station from Inverness.

This would continue on the two lines which carry three trains each way

daily during the winter.

''ScotRail are already examining all of the options for summer

services, including the possibility of getting our brand new Super

Sprinter train across the river by road or even by helicopter to operate

the present timetable or even the new timetable we were planning to

introduce in May. We are also examining options for the maintenance of

rolling stock on the other side of the river from the maintenance depot

in Inverness.''

Inverness was on flood alert yesterday morning. The river rose as the

1pm high tide approached. An emergency co-ordination office was

established at Highland Regional Council headquarters, 76 Gordon

Highlanders from Fort George and 37 RAF servicemen from Kinloss were

called in to help with a massive sandbagging operation (nearly 20,000

sandbags were used with a further 50,000 in reserve) along the river

banks and in riverside doorways.

According to Captain Ian Fairgrieve, Inverness's deputy

harbour-master, the afternoon tide was 25ft 6in ''which I think must be

the highest or within a few inches of the highest recorded''.

Captain Fairgrieve said that the afternoon tide today and tomorrow

were due to be higher but the river levels would depend on rainfall. The

tides would drop away after that as the spring tide was passed.

There was serious flooding elsewhere in the Highlands. The Conon

Valley was again hit and Mr Charles Kennedy, MP for Ross, Cromarty and

Skye, called for a public inquiry into flooding in that area.

British Rail was keeping an eye on its bridge at Achnasheen on the

Kyle line while four Class A roads and many other unclassified ones were

still closed last night because of flooding and landslide. These

included the A82 Inverness to Fort William at Letterfinlay and again at

Dochfour; the A852 Dores to Foyers at Inverfarigaig; and the A832

Moybridge at Marybank.

According to Glasgow Weather Centre the weather in Scotland today will

remain fairly dry with occasional sunshine but strong winds and rain

will return later tonight. The weather is expected to stay unsettled for

the remainder of the week.

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Services

on alert

as more

high tides

approach