Routes through Edinburgh

[QueensCurve]

Haymarket is a major interchange station for passengers travelling:
from the west (eg Glasgow and intermediate stations by any of the various routes) to stations to stations in Fife and beyond
from the south (WCML) to stations towards Bathgate, Falkirk, Stirling etc as well as Fife etc.
In the direction I have listed it is (normally) cross platform.
The stops in long distance trains - XC ECML WCML- cater for these flows rather than trailing into Edinburgh and finding the correct platform out of the 20 available for the train back out, so it is both convenient and time saving.
Also to a lesser extent on these long distance trains it caters for those whose destination is in that area of the city, perhaps more so for travel to / from the Carlisle route than trains towards Newcastle.
It is also an interchange for the tram or bus to Edinburgh Airport.

I am sure it also helps with pathing trains into/out of Waverley.

Whilst perhaps difficult to find a parallel in the UK (other than TPE trains calling at Man Picc, Oxford Road and Victoria) but in Europe Brussels is an excellent example serving different areas of the city as well as permitting interchange at the eg Nord rather than Midi.

I remember, from about 1984, a mist connection at Haymarket on a journey from Leuchars to Hartford Cheshire.

The Dundee to Edinburgh was running late. I would normally have travelled to Waverley for the connection but knew I had the option of gaining 6-8 min by changing at Haymarket.

It was one of those journeys where the lateness increased as the train proceeded. Approaching Haymarket I was still confident of making the connection into the 17:10 Waverley to Birmingham. Then another delay on the approach to Haymarket.

As we came into the station I observed the Birmingham standing in P4. I expected it to be held because, 1, it was the last train to WCML destinations South of Wigan on the day and, 2, it was invariably into Carstairs with time to spare. The ex-Glasgow portion was more often the late running party.

Nevertheless I wasted no time running up the stairs, seeing the train still in the platform fro the Bridge I continued onto P4. The view of the train was transiently obscured by the roof on the staircase but I arrived on to the platform to see the tail-lamp disappearing round the corner at Haymarket W Junction.

Dejected I got the all-system passenger timetable out of my rucksack. In those days I always travelled with it.

I looked up the 18:10 Waverley to Liverpool Lime Juice. It transpired that the train arrived in Liverpool with 7 minutes to spare for the last stopper to Crewe which called at Hartford. Not a published connection, but now my only chance of completing the journey that day.

As luck would have it we arrived into Liverpool 12 mins ahead of the published time. Not only did I complete the journey that day but I had time for a Pint of Guinness at Lime Juice too.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Lime Juice: - a nice predictive text error or a well known version of Lime Street? Asking as someone not from the North-West.

 

[algytaylor]

I generally change trains at Haymarket rather than Waverley - you get the extra 8 mins leeway that you don't get at Waverley, so sometimes get an earlier train, plus it's usually an easier interchange.

 

[30907]

There used to Holbeck high and low level I don't know what trains stopped there though - maybe only locals?

Some Kings Cross trains stopped at HL (1955 checked), presumably for connections, otherwise only locals - and LL had only a fewa local trains.

 

[Mag_seven]

Just a gentle reminder that this thread is for the discussion of routes through Edinburgh.

thanks