ScotRail is reminding customers to plan their journey, allow extra time at stations, and to expect some services to be busier than normal, ahead of another busy weekend.
More than half a million customers travelled on ScotRail services across the country last weekend, and the train operator is expecting a similar couple of days as the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships come to an end.
The Edinburgh Festivals also continue, and it’s a full Scottish football fixture list with three top-flight matches taking place on Saturday and another three on Sunday.
The cycling events have proved to be hugely popular with locals and visitors, seeing 197,000 people travel on ScotRail services on Sunday alone – the highest since 2015.
This weekend, the Mountain Bike Cross-Country Elite Olympic event takes place at Glentress Forest, in the Scottish Borders, with the women’s road race on Sunday as the best female riders in the world tackle the Loch Lomond to Glasgow course.
ScotRail has been running more trains and increased services to support the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. Full travel advice is available on the ScotRail website at scotrail.co.uk/uci-cycling-world-championships.
More services and later trains are also planned for the Edinburgh Festivals.
During the festivals, which run until Monday, 28 August, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on Edinburgh and will be treated to thousands of shows spread across more than 250 venues in and around Scotland’s capital city.
Festivalgoers can plan their journey and buy tickets using the ScotRail app or on ScotRail's dedicated festival webpage at scotrail.co.uk/scotland-by-rail/things-do/getting-you-edinburgh-festivals.
Customers are encouraged to plan their journey in advance and purchase their tickets through the ScotRail app as part of the mTickets system. This means people can secure 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 hand to assist customers, and the train operator is reminding everyone that the carrying and consumption of alcohol is prohibited on ScotRail trains and in ScotRail stations.
Phil Campbell, Customer Operations Director, said:
“This will be another very busy weekend and we are again excited to be playing our part.
"We have made significant improvements to our services to support the events, running as many trains as possible, with extra seats to help where they are needed most.
“Last weekend was a record-breaking success with more than half a million journeys on our services, and we are looking forward to helping people get around for another exciting couple of days across the country.
"To make your travel experience as smooth as possible, I’d encourage to purchase your train tickets before boarding. The mTicket system, available on the ScotRail app, offers a convenient way to secure your tickets and download them straight to your mobile phone, avoiding any unnecessary queues on the day.”