ScotRail evacuates dozens from train 'filled with smoke and strange smell'

Forty passengers have had to be evacuated from a train after carriages started filling with "smoke and a strange smell".

Fire crews rushed to the ScotRail train, which left Inverness at 5.36am today, after smoke appeared on board. The train was halted between Gleneagles and Dunblane, with passengers taken off amid the pungent smell of smoke and transferred to another service for Perth, with no reports of injuries. They were told their tickets would be valid for rail replacement transport.

ScotRail said services between Glasgow Queen Street and Inverness/Aberdeen, and Edinburgh Waverley and Inverness may face alterations and delays.

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A passenger, Sarah MacMath, 35, told the BBC how a "person came over with a loud speaker" and told people to leave her carriage.

"We did notice there was a bit of a funny smell from Aviemore or Kingussie - just a strange smell," she said. "I dozed off and woke up when the train stopped near Gleneagles and there was quite a lot of smoke in the carriage. The person then came over the loud speaker and asked us to either move to the end carriage or the first carriage.

"At that point, I stood up and there was a pretty heavy smell of smoke and there was quite a lot of it in the carriage."

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail's service delivery director, confirmed that passengers were evacuated safely after reports of smoke being detected on the train.

He said: "The 05:36 Inverness to Glasgow Queen Street service was brought to a stop near Gleneagles this morning after reports of smoke being detected in one of the carriages. Our immediate priority is the safety and wellbeing of everyone on board, and customers have been safely assisted from the train."

A message by ScotRail on X this morning read: "Due to a broken down train between Gleneagles and Dunblane all lines are blocked. Please keep an eye on our app/website for live service updates."

It later said: "A rescue train has been dispatched to assist the broken-down train," and that was followed by a post, shortly before midday, saying: "The broken-down train is now on the move back to the depot and we're working to get trains and crew back into position."

And on the ScotRail website it says of trouble between Gleneagles and Dunblane: "Train services running through these stations are returning to normal but some services will still be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected to last until around 13:30 today (01 August)."