Exclusive:Unique snow shelter removed from Highland rail line weeks before Scotland's heaviest snowfall for years
Network Rail defends decision on safety grounds because of structure’s poor condition
A unique snow shelter which has protected a Highland railway line from being engulfed by snowdrifts for 130 years has been removed shortly before the heaviest snowfall for years blocked other routes in northern Scotland for days.
The Cruach snow shed, near Rannoch on the West Highland line between Glasgow and Fort William - the only one on Britain’s rail network - was dismantled in November by Network Rail because of its poor condition.
It came weeks before both the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh and Wick lines were shut amid the largest snowfall across parts of northern Scotland for some 15 years.
The 186m-long (610ft) snow shed - a steel cover made of rails with concrete walls - was built two years after the line opened in 1894, “when it became obvious this location was regularly subject to blockage by snow”, according to the Railscot website.
A report last August on its state, seen by The Scotsman, said: “Corrosion is visible across the roofing sheets. The lack of maintenance has accelerated the corrosion, and perforation is visible in numerous places.”
One observer criticised its removal. They told The Scotsman: “The narrowness of the cutting emphasises how necessary it was.
“Perhaps we will get a huge blizzard, despite global warming, which will demonstrate it was ill advised to remove this unique, at least in the UK, structure.”
Another, Colin Alston, said: “I find its removal an odd decision, backed up by recent weather conditions, as it is a relatively simple structure and I would have thought keeping it functional would have been cheaper than removing it and then bolting and meshing the cutting.”
The condition report stated: “The snow shed, having been built shortly after the railway being created, shows the level of exposure to the prevailing weather on that section of line.”
However, it also said: “It is understood that, due to the extent of the repairs required which will amount to a re-build, the structure is no longer viable, and its continuing deterioration will become more problematic for the line than from the risk of snow.”
Hamish Baillie, who chairs the Friends of the West Highland Lines, said: “Whilst the removal is disappointing, the structure had fallen in to a poor condition and could have become a danger to passing trains.
“Network Rail will have assessed the risks and will deploy appropriate resources as and when future snowfalls arise.”
Network Rail Scotland said it did not have records to show how often the shed had prevented the line from being blocked.
Its spokesperson said: "We recently invested £15 million in improvements on the West Highland Line and as part of this work, we removed the Cruach snow shed on safety grounds after more than a century of service.
“Despite yearly inspections and repairs, the structure was in very poor condition, with severe corrosion and failing concrete supports.
“Built in 1896, the shed’s original purpose is less relevant today, as the severe snow drifts it was designed to protect against are generally considered much rarer.
“Removing the shed eliminates the risk of structural failure or debris reaching the track and causing an unplanned closure."
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