COMMUTERS WHO EXPECTED the return of rail services following ten days of closure for line and station upgrades faced immediate disappointment this morning.
ScotRail services between Inverness and Keith were expected to resume at 5am – however, the reopening of the line has been delayed with the first service not now expected until 9am.
Replacement buses will continue this morning as the national rail carrier explained that engineering works had taken longer than expected.
A spokesman said: “As a result we are not able to run trains between Inverness and Keith at present. Staff on site advise they expect to be able to run trains as scheduled from 9am.
“Replacement buses will be in operation between Inverness and Keith and onto Aberdeen if they are unable to connect with the train service.”
Those travelling onward from Aberdeen to the south are also facing disruption after a freight train struck a tree in Fife, forcing the suspension of services between Aberdeen and Edinburgh.