ScotRail is urging passengers heading to Edinburgh over the coming days to plan ahead as services are expected to be very busy.
With thousands of people expected to travel to Edinburgh today (Monday, 12 September) and Tuesday to pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen, the train operator is providing the following advice:
- Passengers heading to St Giles’ Cathedral should travel to Edinburgh Waverley station, where supporting arrangements will be in place. Due to construction work being carried out on a building next to Haymarket station and the proximity of the tram lines, passengers are advised not to use Haymarket station if they are heading to St Giles’ Cathedral.
- Queues are expected at some major stations, particularly Edinburgh Waverley. Please be patient with ScotRail and Network Rail staff, who are working flat out to ensure people are supported to pay their respects.
- Plan ahead by downloading the ScotRail app or visiting scotrail.co.uk for the most up-to-date service information, including first and last services.
To support events in Edinburgh and to help passengers spread their journeys throughout the day, ScotRail is making some alterations to services. Customers are encouraged to check their travel plans in advance using the ScotRail app or website.
Alex Hynes, Managing Director of Scotland’s Railway, said:
“On behalf of everyone at Scotland’s Railway, we share the nation’s sadness at Her Majesty The Queen’s death and gratitude for her decades of service. We send our condolences to His Majesty The King and the Royal Family.
“ScotRail and Network Rail are doing everything we can to support people who want to pay their respects while The Queen lies at rest in St Giles’ Cathedral.
“We expect trains to be much busier than normal over the coming days, particularly to and from Edinburgh. Changes are being made to services to help people spread their journeys throughout the day, and passengers should still plan ahead and expect queues throughout the day.
“Customers are advised to buy a ticket before travelling, and to download the ScotRail app or visit scotrail.co.uk to ensure they have the most up to date information.”
Notes on additional services:
- An hourly overnight service between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High in both directions on Monday night into Tuesday morning.
- Additional carriages across the network for services to and from Edinburgh. We will monitor passenger numbers across the network and make further interventions where required and where possible.
- A 15-minute service between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High between 10.00 and 16.00.
- Express services between High Street and Airdrie (and then the normal service east of Airdrie to Edinburgh), with intermediate stations removed from the service. Shuttle rail services for the intermediate services will be introduced for those wishing to travel to stations between High Street and Airdrie.