A stretch of railway line between Inverness and Wick has been closed after a sea wall was damaged by the recent storms and high seas.
Network Rail said that around 27 metres of the wall along the railway at Lothbeg, between Brora and Helmsdale, has been damaged, in two separate sections.
One 18-metre section of sea wall has also been completely washed away, exposing the foundations of the rail track.
Urgent repairs are required to make the railway safe and to prevent any future issues during adverse weather, the rail operator said.
This is an aerial view of the damaged sea defence between Helmsdale and Brora. Around 27m of the wall along the railway has been damaged, in two separate sections. We’re here now to carry out an inspection - we’ll share more as soon as we can. @ScotRail https://t.co/DU9kh6LMMh pic.twitter.com/qcLlPZia77
— Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) October 30, 2023
As a result, no trains are running between Inverness and Wick until at least the end of the day on Wednesday.
Trains are running between Wick and Helmsdale, and also between Inverness and Tain / Lairg and Invergordon.
It comes after a slipway at St Andrews harbour was destroyed by rough seas.
High winds brought strong waves in coastal areas, and damage to the harbour in St Andrews is likely to cost £500k to repair.
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