As in previous years, visitors to Edinburgh’s famous festivals in August will be able to make use of extra late-night services and thousands of additional seats provided by ScotRail.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival start on Friday 7 August. From then until Sunday 30 August, additional late-night trains will run on key routes from Edinburgh Waverley. Trains with more carriages will provide more seats for customers travelling into and out of Edinburgh.

Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick, which runs from Friday 31 July until Sunday 9 August, will also benefit from extra services and longer trains.

ScotRail’s timetable during the festival period includes:

• Additional late-night trains between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street every night
• Additional late-night services from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, Dundee, and Leven
• A special late-night service from North Berwick to Edinburgh each evening during Fringe by the Sea
• Longer trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Borders, Fife, Perth, Dundee, Leven, Stirling, Dunblane, Bathgate, and North Berwick.

ScotRail expects that its stations and trains will be particularly busy during the festivals, especially after evening events, and it may introduce queuing systems to help passengers board safely and efficiently. The operator is encouraging passengers to check train times before travelling using its app or website, to allow additional time for their journey, and to buy their ticket before they board where ticket-buying facilities are available.

Passengers may find their journey complicated by the ongoing closure of part of Princes Street due to a recent fire. ScotRail is advising passengers who would normally travel to Edinburgh Waverley before continuing by foot or tram to venues outside the city centre to consider travelling through Haymarket instead.

“The Edinburgh festivals are among the highlights of Scotland’s cultural calendar, attracting visitors from across the world, and we’re ready to help customers make the most of everything the capital has to offer.

“We’re providing extra late-night services and longer trains on key routes, making it easier for people to travel home after evening performances and providing thousands of additional seats throughout the festival period.

“We’re reminding customers to check their journey before travelling, buy their ticket before boarding, and allow some extra time, as stations and trains will be much busier than normal.”

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director