Edinburgh festivals: ScotRail announces thousands more seats and later trains for Edinburgh festivals

Extra trains serving Edinburgh in August

ScotRail has announced its plans for next month’s Edinburgh Festivals, with more services, late-night trains, and tens of thousands more seats at times when they’re needed most.

During the festivals, which run from Friday, August 4 until Monday, August 28, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on Edinburgh. To support travel to and from the shows, ScotRail has confirmed it will operate extra late-night trains on routes out of the capital city throughout the event.

Late-night services will operate every night from August 4-27, from Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High. On Fridays, from August 4-25, the train operator will run late-night trains from Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street Low Level via Bathgate & Airdrie, Dundee, Glenrothes with Thornton, and North Berwick. Saturdays, between August 5-26, will see late-night trains back to Dundee, and to Glasgow Queen Street Low Level via Bathgate and Airdrie.

ScotRail has announced thousands more seats and later trains for Edinburgh Festivals this August. Photo by Lisa Ferguson.

In addition, a late-night service will run from North Berwick to Edinburgh from August 4-13, to support return travel from ‘Fringe by the Sea’. On Sundays between August 6-27, an extra late-night service will run from Edinburgh to North Berwick.

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. Festival-goers can plan their journey and buy tickets using the ScotRail app or on ScotRail's dedicated festival webpage.

David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “ScotRail is excited to play its part in making the Edinburgh Festivals a success, and we look forward to welcoming all visitors to the capital city aboard our trains.

“To support the event, we’ve made significant enhancements to our services. We’ll be providing more trains, including late-night services, to accommodate the increased demand during this vibrant period and we’ve added tens of thousands of extra seats at the times when they are needed the most.

Stock photo of Waverley Train Station, by Ian Georgeson.

“Our service will be busy throughout the festivals, so customers should plan their journeys in advance. To make your travel experience as smooth as possible, I’d encourage everyone to purchase their 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.”

Shona McCarthy, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society chief executive, said: "ScotRail's service is a key transport offering for the thousands of audiences coming to Edinburgh this August to experience the summer festivals. The addition of extra carriages and later night trains across the central belt, will allow audiences greater flexibility in watching a range of work at the Fringe.

“Helping audiences navigate their Fringe experience is one of our key areas of work, and our thanks to the ScotRail team for their support through these extra services."