Services getting back on track

Rail passengers faced a string of delays

ScotRail services have returned to relative normality after a series of incidents caused severe disruption.

About 100 trains were cancelled and many others were delayed on Wednesday after a broken rail and a car's collision with a bridge affected services.

A ScotRail spokesman said all trains had been running to timetable on Thursday morning following the problems.

Track repair work is continuing

Most of the disruption occurred when a car crashed into a bridge in Glasgow at the height of the morning rush hour.

The collision in Pinkston Road, Sighthill, half a mile from Queen Street station, showered rubble onto the track and forced the closure of both lines leading into and out of the station.

Railtrack engineers inspected the site and reopened one of the lines, but delays and cancellations on services to Edinburgh, Stirling and Aberdeen continued until both lines were cleared by the afternoon.

Services between Glasgow Central and Ayrshire were also delayed following the discovery of a broken rail at Cardonald, prompting Railtrack to impose speed restrictions on the line.

In total, 87 trains from Queen Street and nine on the Cardonald line were cancelled.

Hatfield crash

Another 22 Queen Street services were partially cancelled and 136 trains across Scotland delayed.

ScotRail was due to hold talks with Railtrack on the speed limits imposed in the wake of the Hatfield rail crash, in the hope that some of the restrictions can be lifted.

One of the lines expected to come under the spotlight is the key Edinburgh to Glasgow line, where services have been reduced from four an hour to two.

ScotRail said it expected to be able to restore the full service and cut the journey time from 65 minutes to the regular 48 minutes if Railtrack manages to complete weekend track work at Cowlairs.