ScotRail has announced it will run later trains and extra carriages on services to and from Edinburgh throughout the Edinburgh Festivals.
The rail firm will operate extra late-night trains from Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High from Friday, 5 August until Sunday, 28 August to accommodate culture vulteres travelling to and from the capital.
A late-night train will be in operation from North Berwick to Edinburgh between Friday, 5 August and Thursday, 14 August to support return travel from the Fringe by the Sea.
Extra carriages will also be added to key trains to and from the celebrations from Tweedbank, Fife, Perth, Dundee, Stirling, Dunblane, and Glasgow Central throughout the event.
However, the train operator is warning of potential for 'significant disruption' during the festivals due to planned strike action by Network Rail members of the RMT trade union.
David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “This year’s Edinburgh Festivals are set to be special as they celebrate their 75th anniversary, and we’re thrilled to be able to, once again, play our part in making it a success.
“Our trains are going be extremely busy, so we’re encouraging everyone visiting the capital to plan their journey in advance, and to buy their train tickets before they board using our mTicket system on our mobile app.
“Festivalgoers should be aware of the potential of significant disruption during the festivals due to planned strike action by Network Rail members of the RMT trade union.
"We’ll let customers know our plans and travel advice in the coming weeks, should this planned strike action go ahead.”
The RMT union announced strike action for Thursday, 18 August and Saturday, 20 August across the Great Britain railway network resulting from a pay dispute with Network Rail.
The dispute does not involve ScotRail staff, but it will have a major knock-on effect on the train operator’s ability to provide services as the RMT planned action involves Network Rail staff in Scotland.
Disruption to ScotRail services would not be confined to the days of strike action themselves but will also affect the day before (Wednesday, 17 August) and the days following them (Friday, 19 August and Sunday, 21 August).
More than two million people are expected to descend on Edinburgh during the festivals, which are set to operate fully for the first time since the covid pandemic.
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