Flooded tunnel blocked a railway in Scotland

Extreme weather conditions in Scotland flooded a 340-meter tunnel blocking a major railway network near Edinburgh.

The Winchburgh Tunnel is located west of Scotland's capital. The tunnel was flooded after heavy rainfalls struck the region on August 7, 2019. According to officials, 60% of the monthly anticipated precipitation dropped in just three hours in the area. "It is almost impossible to avoid the negative effects of freak storms such as these but we’re continuously working to better understand the areas most at risk of flooding, and where we can put measures in place to mitigate this", Lesley Macinnes, Edinburgh City Council Transport and Environment Convener, said.

All trains schedules between Edinburgh and Glasgow were delayed or canceled for the next 24 hours. Moreover, some passengers were trapped in immobile trains.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) brought a high standard pump, capable of removing 7 m³ of water per second out of the tunnel. "We currently have one fire appliance and one high volume pump in attendance at Winchburgh Tunnel. Crews are working in partnership with Network Rail to remove water from the railway line following flooding in the area", David Murdoch, SFRS group manager, stated.

ScotRail stated that the water level was steadily dropping and thanked the passengers for their patience and support. Once all the amount of water was pumped, engineers inspected the tunnel to guarantee its safety and an empty train was deployed to test the lines.

On Friday, August 9, 2019, the pumping works were completed and the train schedules returned to normality. "Trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow are running again. We have cleared the flooding on the railway at Winchburgh tunnel and lines between Glasgow / Stirling to Edinburgh are now open", Network Rail tweeted.