Travel on Scotland’s roads and railways saw significant disruptions on Tuesday due to strong winds and snowfall.

Winds gusts exceeded 70mph in some areas, according to officials, which accompanied snowfall across central Scotland on Tuesday, whilst heavier amounts of snow fell in the higher regions.

Driving became treacherous on roadways around the country, including the A9, where a seven-vehicle collision near Dalwhinnie forced officials to close the road for several hours beginning at about 1300 BST. Three lorries had been involved in the incident, the Northern Constabulary said, which had completely blocked the road. The motorway was reopened to traffic at 1930 BST.

The weather caused numerous debris-related difficulties for rail services. One passenger travelling from Wick had suffered minor injuries when the train hit a blown-over tree that had obstructed the track. A Scotrail spokeswoman said in a statement that he had suffered several bruises and was sent to hospital as a precautionary measure.

The disruptions came after a Met Office upgrade of severe weather warnings on Tuesday morning, when officials raised the alert from yellow to amber. Affected areas included Central, Strathclyde, Tayside, Fife, south west Scotland, Lothian and Border, Highlands and the Western isles.

Transport minister Keith Brown told reporters that the Multi Agency Response Team (Mart) would remain on duty 24 hours to provide assistance.