Waverley just not up to standard as principal station in leading tourism capital

I note the recent letter from Gordon Dewar of Edinburgh Airport after comments about the arrival experience there.

I, too, have experienced such irritating delays too often to mention, but it is always the fault of somebody else. It is “not our fault” there are no taxis. It is “not our fault” we are short of buses to get you to the terminal. It is “not our fault” that baggage reclaim can take longer than the flight! The list is endless.

However, let me share the experience of arrival at Edinburgh Waverley at a busy time on a Sunday evening as we “welcome” more and more tourists to Edinburgh. This past Sunday, 22 July, arriving from York around 5.30pm, one could not help notice the huge number of tourists, old and young, struggling to exit the station with suitcases and bags, either having to walk up to Waverley Bridge (trying to get past the smokers on the pavement) or use the inadequate stairs and escalators to Princes Street and endeavouring to find a taxi somewhere near the Balmoral Hotel.

If you are lucky enough to get a taxi on Waverley Bridge you may wait for some time to get through the lights on to Princes Street, bearing in mind you will wait for the tram and behind the tourist buses that have “sensibly” been based at stops just before the traffic lights before turning onto Princes Street. Ten to 15 minutes is not unusual, and should you not have a large amount of travel bags, you will be quicker walking to George Street and trying for a taxi there.

The whole place is a shambles, and must be one of the worst arrival experiences into a capital city anywhere in the UK. Taxis are no longer allowed to enter Waverley due to supposed safety and security reasons, but of course any individual intent on doing harm can enter the station carrying anything they like concealed in a bag.

Then let’s skip back to Edinburgh Airport, which now charges a taxi on exit – little wonder the taxi supply seems very scarce at times.

If we have any ambition to remain as a leading capital city of the world, attracting many thousands of visitors, then the time has now come for a root and branch review of the entering and exiting of Waverley Station.

RICHARD ALLISON Braehead Loan, Edinburgh

Am I reading correctly regarding recent criticism of Edinburgh Airport? This is not the Edinburgh Airport I know.

My wife and I have been using this airport for many years since our son and family moved to Germany. We have experienced other airports, eg Heathrow, Manchester, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Moscow, St Petersburg, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, and have found better and more pleasant service in Edinburgh, with always someone to help us unravel modern technology when trying to check in and print off our boarding passes.

In recent years I have needed special assistance, as I can no longer walk long distances around airports, and Edinburgh has come up trumps every time, even helping me on to the airport bus to Edinburgh City.

DOUGLAS CURRIE Minto Street, Edinburgh