Rail services between Aberdeen and Inverurie face continued disruption following a signalling system fault that has already cancelled multiple trains, with the technical problem expected to persist into Thursday, affecting one of Scotland’s busiest commuter corridors.
The fault, which emerged as part of broader Storm Amy-related disruption across Scotland’s railway network over the weekend, has impacted services on a line that carried 261,146 passengers in 2023-24, representing 11% of all passenger journeys at Aberdeen station. The Aberdeen-Inverurie corridor has experienced remarkable growth, with patronage increasing by 247% over the past decade as the region’s economy expanded.
Network Rail Scotland confirmed that engineers are investigating the signalling system malfunction in the Inverness area, with disruption initially expected until around 10am on Tuesday but now extended through Thursday. The fault affects multiple routes including services between Aberdeen and Inverness, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.
A Network Rail Scotland spokesman stated: “We’re experiencing issues with the power supply at our signalling centre, which is affecting some services between: Inverness – Elgin and Aberdeen – Inverurie. We’re working hard to resolve the issue, but we expect some services will still be disrupted or cancelled tomorrow.”
ScotRail advised passengers that tickets can be used on Stagecoach North buses between Inverness and Aberdeen at no additional cost, while disruption continues across the wider Highland network. The operator implemented emergency timetable changes as Storm Amy brought winds of up to 95mph across northern Scotland, forcing the closure of several routes from Friday evening.
Critical Infrastructure Under Pressure
The current disruption highlights ongoing challenges with Scotland’s aging railway signalling infrastructure, which has seen £4.8 billion allocated for operations, maintenance and renewal across Scotland’s network during the 2024-2029 control period. Industry experts have expressed growing concern about signalling systems commissioned during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s that are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain due to outdated technology and scarce replacement parts.
Recent data shows that signal failures caused nearly one million minutes of passenger delays across Britain in the past five years, with more than 36,000 signal failures leading to nearly 15,000 journey cancellations since 2018-19. Scotland’s railway network has been particularly affected, with asset failures accounting for 20% of train delays, notably including overhead line problems and signalling failures.
The Aberdeen-Inverurie line represents a significant economic corridor, with the route benefiting from a £330 million investment in Phase 1 of the Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project, which included redoubling 25.5km of track between Aberdeen and Inverurie completed in August 2019. This infrastructure upgrade was designed to support increased capacity and frequency, enabling more commuter services into Aberdeen.
The current disruption affects not only daily commuters but also connections to Aberdeen Airport and the wider Aberdeenshire business community.
The broader implications for Scotland’s railway reliability remain a concern as the network faces increased pressure from both extreme weather events and ageing infrastructure requiring substantial ongoing investment.
