Edinburgh commuters forced to split journey home on certain bus routes as Lothian release diversion details for New Year

Diversions will be in place on 30 and 31 December (Photo: Lothian)

Commuters and travellers will be faced with major disruption to bus services today and on New Year's Eve due to events taking place in the centre of the Capital.

Many bus users will be forced to split their journey due to the diversions with some being forced to walk nearly a mile in the middle of their normal journey.

Lothian buses released details of the diversions which will be in place from 4pm today until 6.30pm on New Year's Eve, followed by diversions due to start at 5pm tomorrow, finishing at 10am on New Year's Day.

Torchlight Procession diversions tonight

From 4pm this afternoon five bus routes will operate on a split service between Surgeons' Hall and Broughton Street, Elm Row and Leopold Place.

The numbers 5, 7, 8, 14, and 49 will all be operating split routes until 10pm, while numbers 3, 29, 30. 31, 33, 35, 37, and 45 will be diverted away from the Royal Mile and South Bridge until 10pm.

In the New Town, 19 different services will be diverted via George Street to allow for the procession down Princes Street.

Services 1, 4, 10, 11, 12, 16, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26, 34, 41, 44, 104, 113, 124, X5 and X7 will be diverted until New Year's Eve, as will the 100 Airlink to St Andrew Square while the X15, X17, X18, X27, X28, and X38 will be diverted down George Street to Regent Road until 10pm.

Several services will then be diverted after 10pm down George Street and Elm Row until 6.30pm on New Year's Eve.

Hogmanay Diversions

Diversions will also be in place on New Year's Eve through until the end of service.

Numbers 23, 41, and 42 will operate as split routes with the 41 and 42 running from Bristo Square and the West End/Queen Street Gardens West, while the 24 will be split at Tollcross and Abercromby Place.

Services 6, 27, 67, and X15 will also be diverted.from 5pm.

All services operating through Princes Street will be diverted or split from 6.30pm.

Numbers 4, 12, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 36, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 47, X17, X18, X27, X28, X38, 104, 113, 124, X5 and X7 will all operate on split routes.

The Airlink 100 will start from Usher Hall rather than outside Waverley, while the 1, 3, 10, 11, 16, 22, 27, 30, 33, 34 and X15 will be diverted via Lauriston Place.

For full details of all the diversions, visit Lothian buses' website here.