Music lovers travelling to Murrayfield to see Eagles perform on Wednesday night have been urged to plan their journeys in advance and know their options for travel.
ScotRail is urging those heading to the BT Murrayfield stadium to see iconic band to travel to the stadium early where possible, allow plenty of time for their journey, and to consider their travel options when heading home.
Eagles are due to be on stage shortly after 8pm, however, gates at BT Murrayfield will be open from 5pm, and ScotRail is encouraging fans to get to the venue early as trains will be very busy.
However, services across Scotland on Wednesday, 22 June will be disrupted following today’s (Tuesday, 21 June) strike action by Network Rail members of RMT due to signal boxes across the country opening at different times during the day.
Signal boxes are key pieces of infrastructure located across the rail network that control train movements, their use is critical to ensure that the railway can operate safely.
While large signalling centres in the Central Belt will be able to operate from 07.15, this will not be the case at signal boxes elsewhere and it may well be later in the day before many routes are able to operate as normal. This is particularly the case for routes beyond the Central Belt, so customers should check their journey before travel.
The train operator is also urging customers to check their journey and consider their travel options when heading home, as there will be a limited number of trains departing Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket after the event finishes at 10.30pm due to the temporary timetable currently in place. These services are:
- 22:46 Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street (22:50 from Haymarket)
- 23:00 Edinburgh Waverley to Kirkcaldy (23:04 from Haymarket)
- 23:14 Edinburgh Waverley to North Berwick
- 23:18 Edinburgh Waverley to Dunfermline Town (23:22 from Haymarket)
- 23:30 Edinburgh Waverley to Stirling (23:34 from Haymarket)
- 23:46 Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street (23:50 from Haymarket)
Customers should be aware that space on board these services is limited, and no rail replacement transport is available, so customers should check their journey and know what alternative modes of transport are available to them.
Queuing systems may be in place at key stations prior to the concert, and at Haymarket after the event. To reduce the need to queue on the day, customers are encouraged to buy their ticket to Haymarket in advance via the mTicket system on the ScotRail app.
Buying tickets through the mTickets system means people can buy their tickets from the comfort of their home or on the way to the station and it will instantly become available on their mobile device.
ScotRail will have extra staff on the ground to assist customers, and the train operator is reminding customers that the carrying and consumption of alcohol is prohibited on ScotRail services.
Thursday, 23 June will also see widespread disruption due to a second day of strike action by Network Rail RMT members.
This means customers who have stayed overnight in Edinburgh after the concert will see journeys severely impacted, with ScotRail only operating services on five routes across Scotland between the hours 07.30 and 18.30. These routes are:
- Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh – Bathgate: two trains per hour
- Glasgow – Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
- Glasgow – Lanark: two trains per hour
- Edinburgh – Glasgow via Shotts: one train per hour
Phil Campbell, ScotRail Head of Customer Operations, said:
“We’re doing what we can to help music fans travel to see Eagles perform at Murrayfield on Wednesday night, but customers should plan ahead as services will be impacted by the Network Rail RMT strike action, and by the temporary timetable we currently have in place.
“The gates at BT Murrayfield open from 5pm, so I’d encourage customers to travel to the stadium early if they can and allow plenty time for their journey as services will be busy.
“After the concert ends, we’ll have a very limited number of trains departing from Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley, and space on board is limited, so I’d urge customers to plan ahead and know their travel options.
“Those who stay overnight in Edinburgh after the concert should be aware that further Network Rail RMT strike action will severely impact services across the country on Thursday, 23 June.”