Travel chaos as trains cancelled after power cut at Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket stations

Commuters at one of Scotland’s busiest train stations are facing major disruption due to an electrical failure causing a power cut.

Services to and from Edinburgh Waverley have been at a standstill since shortly before 4.30pm on Thursday. Trains are currently unable to operate into and out of the station.

Network Rail engineers are responding to the loss of electricity supply in Edinburgh which has delayed thousands of people’s journeys.

Trains at Haymarket are also delayed or cancelled due to the incident.

Network Rail has advised the disruption is expected to last for the rest of the evening.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “We expect disruption to continue for the rest of the evening. Engineers are working to find and fix the fault as quickly as possible, but it’s a complex issue. Additional staff and resources in place and assisting in fault finding. Sorry again for the disruption tonight.”

Passengers have been urged to check with their rail providers for updates while tickets can be used on trams between Haymarket and Edinburgh Gateway, and also Haymarket and Edinburgh Park.

It comes after direct services between Edinburgh and Glasgow to Aberdeen were cancelled from Friday morning until mid-afternoon, with passengers required to change trains at Dundee.

NEW: Due to a failure of the electricity supply at Edinburgh, our services will be subject to delay and alteration at this time. Investigations are underway and we will provide another update ASAP.

Live journey info ⬇️https://t.co/gv0MwedF0k https://t.co/2OBerzaqzZ
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) November 2, 2023

A ScotRail spokesperson said: “Due to a failure of the electricity supply at Edinburgh, our services will be subject to delay and alteration at this time. Investigations are underway and we will provide another update ASAP.”

On social media on Thursday evening, Network Rail said: “We’re responding to a loss of power to the electricity supply in the Edinburgh area.

“Investigations are underway and we will provide a further update as soon as possible.

“Please check with your service provider for journey updates.”

It added that it was suspected to be caused by a “telecomms fault” and a specialist engineer had been dispatched.

Rail disruption to continue until Saturday in wake of Storm Ciaran

Train passengers in parts of Scotland and on some cross-border services will face delays until Saturday morning due to weather warnings in place as a result of Storm Ciaran, rail operators announced.

A yellow warning for rain is in place for the east coast, from the Moray coast stretching down to Hull, until 6am on Friday.

In the south of England and Channel Islands on Thursday, the storm brought gusts of more than 100mph in some parts, leaving thousands of homes without power, forcing school closures and causing travel chaos.

Rail operator LNER said no services will run between Edinburgh and Aberdeen until Saturday in both directions.

Its service between Newcastle and Edinburgh will run hourly from 3pm on Thursday until the end of service on Friday.

Speed restrictions will be in place on the route, which may see services subject to delays of up to 40 minutes.

Network Rail is imposing speed restrictions across parts of Scotland and while most ScotRail services will be unaffected, some areas will see delays.

Speed restrictions will be in place on routes between Aberdeen and Inverness; Dundee and Aberdeen; Inverness and Wick; and Perth and Inverness.

ScotRail said the first of these speed restrictions will be in place from 3pm on Thursday and last until 8am on Saturday.

Direct services between Edinburgh and Glasgow to Aberdeen have been cancelled from Friday morning until mid-afternoon, with passengers required to change trains at Dundee.

Services on the Far North Line between Inverness and Wick/Thurso are also disrupted while Network Rail repairs a damaged sea wall impacting the track between Brora and Helmsdale, with work expect to last until early next week.

ScotRail trains are running between Inverness and Lairg, and between Forsinard and Wick, with replacement bus services connecting journeys between Lairg and Forsinard.

David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Storm Ciaran, which is expected to bring heavy rain across the east coast of Scotland.

“Our first priority is always to ensure the safety of our staff and customers, so as a precautionary measure, speed restrictions will be in place across the Highlands and east coast. This will result in extended journey times along the affected routes.

“We’re asking customers to check their journey before travel, and to keep an eye on our website, app, or social media feeds for live updates.”