Edinburgh travel: Severe disruption to train services hits fans heading to Scotland v Wales Six Nations match

Engineers have been on site this morning to assess the damage

There is ‘severe disruption’ to train services on Saturday (February 11) due to a defect on the Forth Rail Bridge – leading to a number of delays and cancellations.

It comes as thousands of rugby fans prepare to head to Edinburgh for today’s Scotland v Wales Six Nations match at Murrayfield Stadium.

Network Rail said a track defect is impacting services via the Forth Rail Bridge between Dalmeny and North Queensferry.

There is ‘severe disruption’ to train services on Saturday (February 11) due to a defect on the Forth Rail Bridge.

Several trains will not operate at all today – they include Edinburgh-Dundee, Edinburgh-Cowdenbeath and Edinburgh-Perth.

The bridge will be closed overnight after the last train has run.

But, Saturday’s scheduled timetable has already been hit with some services cancelled, and ScotRail has warned commuters of delays.

The defect on the Forth Rail Bridge is affect all services - LNER, ScotRail, Cross Country and the Caledonian Sleeper.

ScotRail has ticket arrangements in place with Stagecoach East buses for the Fife Circle, and between Inverkeithing and Dundee in both directions. Rail tickets will also be accepted on a number of buses in Fife.

On Twitter, Network Rail said: “We have received reports of a track defect impacting services via the Forth Bridge between Dalmeny and North Queensferry. Our staff have been on site this morning carrying out an initial assessment of the defect and assessing what repairs will be required for this.

“Engineers have advised that due to the location of the defect, a line closure will be required for this repair. This will be organised after the last train tonight with work scheduled to take place overnight tonight and into Sunday morning,

“Unfortunately this will mean services across the Forth Bridge will be severely disrupted today. Passengers travelling here should check contingency plans with their train operator directly.”

Rugby fans are being urged to plan ahead and allow additional time for travel, particularly on their journey home, due to limited access at Haymarket station caused by the ongoing redevelopment of an adjacent building.

The building work has restricted access to Haymarket and reduced the capacity within the station by half.

This means that ScotRail is unable to provide its normal queuing system after the game, and the station will not be accessible via the rear ramp. Any customers travelling from Haymarket will have to use the main entrance.

ScotRail said customers should expect longer waiting times for the train home, and some passengers will be redirected to Edinburgh Waverley to catch their train due to the limited space at Haymarket.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail head of customer operations, said: “ScotRail is looking forward to helping fans travel to BT Murrayfield to watch Scotland take on Wales this weekend, and we’ll be doing all we can to make their journey a seamless one.

“To support the event, we’re adding more seats to trains to and from Edinburgh throughout the day, as well as more services between Edinburgh and Glasgow until early evening. However, customers should plan ahead as services are expected to be busy.

“We’d also encourage customers to travel straight to Edinburgh Waverley to catch their train home after the game due to the limited access and capacity at Haymarket station.”