Fringe Festival organisers urge ScotRail to extend small hours timetable

• ScotRail will not extend timetabled trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow beyond 12.30am for August festival

• Fringe aims to encourage more festival visitors from Glasgow

• Only a small fraction of Fringe tickets are sold in Glasgow

• Last train to Glasgow to leave Edinburgh every day at 12.30am between 4-26 August

Festival revellers will have to rush for the same last train out of the city that has been laid at weekends for more than a decade.

ScotRail has faced repeated demands to explore the running of services through the night, when engineering works are often carrried out.

However, as part of an expansion of its special festivals timetable this summer, the last train to Glasgow will now leave Waverley at 12.30am every day from 4-26 August.

And a host of additional services are to be added as part of what ScotRail has described as its biggest ever festivals timetable.

However Fringe promoters say they are disappointed no progress has been made on securing any later departures from Waverley, pointing out that many shows do not actually get underway until midnight.

Business leaders, festival organisers and council chiefs have lobbied for an extension of the rail service to Glasgow and elsewhere, where only a tiny fraction of Fringe tickets are sold.

Tommy Sheppard, director of the Stand Comedy Club, said: “This is a small step in the right direction, but there is a lot further to go.

“There is no good reason why there should not be rail services during the night when the Fringe is on, not just for audiences, but for performers and festival staff.

“You can’t get the full festival experience if you have to be on train by just after midnight.”

Charlie Wood, director of promoters Underbelly, said: “It’s a real shame there hasn’t been progress made over the last trains. We have got some brilliant shows that don’t start until after midnight.”

ScotRail faced a barrage of criticism over the quality of its serices in and out of Edinburgh during last year’s Fringe, with many fesival-goers taking to social media site Twitter to complain.

The rail operator has pledged to provide several extra services throughout August as well as boost the number of carriages on existing services.

The 12.30am service to Glasgow will call at Linlithgow, Polmont, Falkirk High, Croy, Lenzie and Bishopbriggs, while three extra Sunday morning services are being provided from Queen St to Waverley.

Other services in the run-up to 12.30am are being laid on to serve the likes of East Lothian, Lanarkshire and Dundee.

The Fringe was awarded £80,000 by government agency Creative Scotland for a marketing drive in Glasgow which will see a dedicated box office set up inside Queen St Station at the end of July.

Transport minister Keith Brown, who had been urged to intervent on the issue last year, said: “These additional services provided by ScotRail will make it easier than ever for people to enjoy the festivals without having to worry about getting there and getting home.

“Alongside the event ticket booth at Glasgow Queen Street station, more and more is being done to ensure the whole of Scotland can take part in the August festivities.”