A question about Edinburgh - Will I be able to make my train?
 

Hi,

Within the next few weeks planning to arrive in Edinburgh on the last BMI saturday flight from Heathrow. It is scheduled to get into EDI at 22.10. I also am hoping to get to Haymarket station (via the airlink bus) to catch the last train of the day heading north, which departs at 23.13. I'll be travelling with hold baggage so collecting this will add time.

I travel into Edinburgh regularly but never with such a tight margin to make a connection. In the opinion of those in the know, am I likely to make the train?

Cheers for any advice.

Provided you get away from LHR on schedule you should have no problems.
Having hold baggage is worrying though.
Saturday night surface traffic is very light into Edinburgh.
Airlink ... Express Shuttle to Edinburgh City Centre

Good luck...

You may wish to get a taxi to Haymarket

It will cost somewhere around £15-20 and take 10-15 mins, if the traffic is light

Depending on baggage collection the airport shuttle bus is pretty reliable and on a saturday night 15-20 mis is probably fair from EDI to Haymarket. If you find yourself tight for time a cab would be a safer bet although these can be a bit thin on the ground at the airport on a saturday during the festival!

If you are catching the 2313 it will be heading right past the airport ! It stops at South Gyle - and also at Dalmeny. A cab to south Gyle would take around 10 minutes from the airport.

National Rail Enquiries - Local Area Map for South Gyle

Is there not a problem to do with the trams?????????

'Is there not a problem to do with the trams?????????'

No is the short and factual answer. Would be different if you were aiming for Waverly Station at the east end of Princes Street, but Haymarket is at the 'correct' end of the city for your purposes.

Isn't amazing how the news of the Edinburgh Tram project spreads.

The travel time for the express bus to and from airport to Waverly bridge remains at 25 minutes regardless of the tram project, road closures etc. I have used in regularly as it is sometimes quicker and always cheaper than the cabs.

Even at peak hours it is pretty reliable at 25 mins with regular frequency - 10 mins is normal.

Getting to/from Haymarket should take no longer than 15-20minutes. Interestingly, this journey will get no quicker by tram when they start operating - but, will get much more expensive! Well, what do you expect for £525M?

Indeed, no quicker journey time to the city centre, but at least you won't be thrown about every time the bus driver hits a sunken road gulley every 20m. Plus, lets face it - I've never met a person on this planet who would prefer to take a bus instead of a tram.

Nor, have I met anyone who would prefer to take a tram than a car!

Thanks for all the replies. I'll probably end up getting a taxi to south gyle station. That'll buy me a bit of extra time and save me going back on myself when I'm actually on the train.

Cheers.

Moneyspinner - you're absolutely correct about cars.

Can you pick me up outside the arrivals hall on Monday morning and drop me at my office then? ;)