Moray gets ready to tackle winter hell
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TRANSPORT PROVIDERS are gearing up for another fierce winter, with extra investment rolling out across the rail and road networks.
Stations at Elgin, Forres, and Keith have been supplied with more equipment to tackle snow and ice on platforms and walkways, while on-train and ticket staff will have better access to ‘live’ train running information to ensure customers are kept up-to-date.
Moray Council has completed its winter preparation programme, Operation Snowdrop, with 13,500 tonnes of salt in stock and more on order to bring stockpiles to full capacity. And more grit bins have been brought in following requests from the local community, bringing the total number to 544 stationed across the area.
BEAR Scotland, responsible for the area’s trunk roads, said it has increased resources, manpower and expertise to help keep roads open and ice-free.
In winter 2010-11, the roads authority carried out more than 2,500 precautionary treatments across the North-east and have stockpiled 15,000 tonnes of salt in preparation for this winter. Seven overnight patrol vehicles will be operating across the network – carrying out reactive salting and recording of real time information and road surface temperatures to report back to a 24-hour control room.
Under ScotRail’s £2 million investment, ‘power showers’ to remove snow and ice from the undersides of trains more quickly have been introduced at all maintenance depots. New 75m polytunnels have been brought in, also to de-ice trains faster in a controlled, warm environment.
Improved live travel information will ensure staff and customers are better informed, including a ‘traffic lights’ system on the ScotRail website – www.scotrail.co.uk – to see at a glance which routes are running normally.
Customers can register to receive free text alerts and, at times of disruption, ScotRail’s Twitter service will stay open later to help.
A ScotRail spokeswoman said: “We are encouraging all customers in the North-east to check their trains before setting off and, this year, we’ve made it even easier for them to do this.”
ScotRail said prolonged sub-zero temperatures and snow will affect train services but that the actions taken will reduce the impact on customers.
BEAR will also be using its website to keep drivers up-to-date with the ever-changing picture on its roads, including the A95 and A96 in Moray.
Deputy managing director, Brian Gordon, said: “We will be using expertise from within the company and our wider group to use techniques to manage the network as quickly as possible and communicate with the public of any disruption”.
See Friday's Northern Scot for more on this story.
