Rail track defect alert sparks delays

Thousands of rail passengers were plunged into misery during yesterday’s evening rush hour when services in and out of Edinburgh were left badly disrupted.

A train driver contacted Scotrail control to report a potential problem with a rail track near Edinburgh Park station around 3:45pm after detecting unusual movement.

Rail bosses immediately halted trains to allow inspectors on site, with passengers forced to take to buses and cabs or seek other alternative routes. It was not known if any fault was found.

It was claimed some were even forced back to earlier stations having almost made it to Edinburgh Waverley.

Social media was awash with commuters venting their fury over the delays.

Scotrail insisted customer safety had taken priority with some services resuming again shortly after 4pm.

Services were forced to go at reduced speed, while crews and carriages were left in the wrong places, causing widespread disruption.

A Scotrail spokesman said: “We apologise to customers who have been affected by a safety inspection of the track near Edinburgh Park. Our engineers worked as quickly as possible to reopen the line.”