Inverness gas leak forces shopping centre and supermarket to evacuate

Railway lines into the city have now reopened after temporary closure while emergency services dealt with the incident

Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from Inverness town centre (UCG/Universal Images Group via G)

Hundreds of shoppers have been evacuated from the centre of Inverness following a gas leak from a freight train.

All railway lines going in and out of the city were closed while emergency services dealt with the incident, but have since reopened.

The city’s Eastgate shopping centre and the nearby Morrisons supermarket were also evacuated.

In a statement, Network Rail Scotland said it was “working with the emergency services who are dealing with an incident involving a freight train at Inverness depot”.

The public was asked to avoid the Millburn Road and Academy Street areas while the situation unfolded.

Later this afternoon, Police Scotland confirmed the closed areas have reopened.

In a post on X, officers said: “Following a gas leak the Millburn Road and Academy Street areas of Inverness reopened around 1.20pm on Tuesday 14 May. Access to buildings was also restored. Thank you to everyone for their patience while the area was made safe.”

Gas firm SGN confirmed the gas escape involved a train carrying tanks that supply its network. In a statement, the company said it is working with Police Scotland and ScotRail to resolve the incident as quickly as possible.

British Transport Police said: “We were called to the line near Inverness railway station at 9.49am today to reports of a gas leak on board a freight train.

“Officers are currently in attendance alongside @fire_scot & @PoliceScotland. There are no reported injuries and precautionary cordon has been put in place.”

Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, apologised to commuters for the disruption. He said: “We are sorry to customers who have experienced disruption to their journey today.

“Anyone delayed by 30 minutes or more is entitled to compensation through our Delay Repay Guarantee. Just keep hold of your tickets and claim on the ScotRail website or mobile app.”

Ticket acceptance is in place with Stagecoach North Scotland Buses and Scottish Citylink services between Inverness, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.