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A signalling issue at Haymarket station has led to cancelations and delays of several trains heading in and out of the capital causing further misery for passengers.
Shortly after 3pm on 29th December, not long before the evening rush hour was about to start, several trains were cancelled by ScotRail without any notice.
On its Twitter account, the national train company announced that Network Rail Scotland had discovered a signalling issue at Haymarket, which will lead to a closure of “some lines.”
At least 9 out of 36 routes have been majorly affected by the issue. This includes train connections to Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Dunblane, with some lines to Inverness being suspended too.
In a response to the incident, ScotRail immediately offered alternative buses and coaches to passengers stuck in Edinburgh. However, those travelling to the city from other places, such as Glasgow, were left with no option but to wait for the next available train.
Source: Andrea Racekova
The replacement buses have proven to be challenging, with many of them being too full to accommodate all passengers. Kelly Gainty from Glasgow had to get a tram from Edinburgh Waverley to the airport to board an express bus home.
“I don’t use trains much, but every time I do, there is a problem – either the train is cancelled or delayed,” she said. “I would hate to rely on trains every day, it would be horrendous.”
Wishing he had driven to Edinburgh instead, Graham Collie from Gartcosh was ushered in and out of trains, and offered no alternative arrangement for his westward journey to Croy.
“Time and time again with ScotRail there are no communication strategies for disruption. There were no announcements for over 30 minutes and staff had no clue what was going on,” he recalls.
Graham and his friends, one of them travelling with a child, were left with no other choice but to take a bus at their expense before catching a delayed train in Linlithgow. At the time, their train tickets weren’t accepted as a bus fare replacement, which was later implemented by ScotRail.
At 16:56 Network Rail Scotland implemented a temporary fix, allowing reduced services to operate between Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley. While signalling issues are often caused by power cuts or blown fuses, it is unclear what exactly has happened at Haymarket.
According to the ScotRail’s website, the disruption is expected to last until around 9pm.
The feature photograph was taken by Geoff Ward Film and Photography, and is used here for illustration purposes only.
