Festive engineering works threaten to dampen Hogmanay celebrations
HOGMANAY revellers face rail chaos amid a huge programme of festive engineering works.
All New Year's Day trains have been axed on the East Coast main line north of Edinburgh to stations including Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen.
ScotRail has no services on January 1.
But Virgin Trains East Coast and CrossCountry, which operate on the East Coast route north from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, have now scrapped services on the route.
Engineering works will take place near Edinburgh Haymarket station. Services heading south to England will operate from Edinburgh. But Virgin Trains' West Coast main line services heading south from Glasgow Central will be delayed, with diversions on the line from Glasgow to Motherwell.
Christmas week shoppers and commuters also face evening delays with the Glasgow-Edinburgh line seeing buses replacing trains from December 19-23 after 8.30pm from Glasgow Central to West Calder, on the line which runs via Shotts, hitting ScotRail.
The works have been revealed by the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators. It will be formally announced tomorrow.
Across the UK some 20 million journeys are expected to be made between December 19 and January 2.
There's no doubt disrupted services will cause annoyance and inconvenience
Network Rail has 27 daytime engineering projects and 15 night-time projects scheduled as part one of the "biggest ever" Christmas improvement programmes.
It insists it is the best time for works as passengers numbers are low as commuters are off work. But bosses were urged to ensure there is no repeat of the chaos at Christmas 2014 when 115,000 travellers were affected as work over-ran and Paddington and King's Cross remained shut well into the New Year.
Ian Baldry of IBPTS travel consultants said: "Passengers will be pulling their hair out over these works, with frayed tempers ahead. "Network Rail has been over-ambitious and ramped up the quantity of works as commuters are off work - but Christmas leisure travellers will take the hit instead."
Bruce Williamson, a spokesman for campaign group Railfuture, said: "There's definitely more work this Christmas compared to a decade ago.
"There's no doubt disrupted services will cause annoyance and inconvenience.
"Network Rail must put a plan B in place to ensure works finish on time - unlike at Christmas 2014."
Scots heading south of the Border over Christmas and New Year also face delays.
Five London stations will be fully or partially shut, hitting travel to all parts of the country, and Manchester will see some journey times double.
London stations affected will be Liverpool Street, Charing Cross, Waterloo, Paddington and Cannon Street.
Heathrow and Stansted will have train links closed on certain days while Manchester and Cardiff are among other cities hit.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: "As the festive season approaches, we're advising passengers to check journeys before they travel."