Storm Jocelyn has closed Scottish railways, and services are not expected to return until later today, after Network Rail has checked the state of the tracks.

The second storm this week, with forecasts of high winds, caused the closure of the network from 19.00 last night, although trains which were underway at that time were allowed to complete their journeys.

ScotRail customer operations director Phil Campbell said: ‘The heavy wind and ongoing rain hitting most parts of the country mean that it will not be safe for our customers and our staff.

’This is the second withdrawal of train services this week, and we know the impact this has on customers, but the safety of staff and passengers will always be our priority.

‘Our colleagues at Network Rail Scotland will again be working flat out to carry out safety checks, and assess what repairs are required to reopen the railway.

‘However, customers will be unable to travel early on Wednesday morning, as trains will not be able to operate until the infrastructure has been made safe.

‘We will update our website, mobile app, and social media feeds when we have more information, and customers should check for the latest updates before they attempt to travel.’

Services had already been disrupted by Storm Isha at the start of this week, and that storm had a ‘significant’ impact.