FRINGE by the Sea continues this week with a line-up of top acts, despite a "deeply distressing incident" on Saturday evening and the festival site's closure on Monday due to Storm Floris.
Train passengers travelling home on the North Berwick to Edinburgh line late on Saturday evening, many after seeing French band Air at the festival, found it difficult to get home after an incident on the tracks.
Sadly, a person was pronounced dead on the line near Craigentinny, Edinburgh. This led to all trains being cancelled in both directions on the Edinburgh to North Berwick service.
The 10.20pm ScotRail service from North Berwick to Edinburgh stopped at Prestonpans - and all passengers had to disembark - while the later midnight service from North Berwick to Edinburgh was cancelled, leaving hundreds of people stranded.
The rail company attempted to source replacement bus services, but due to the late hour and number of people travelling, were not able to do so, and customers were asked to make their own arrangements, despite few taxis available.
Hundreds of people remained on or near the platforms at both North Berwick and Prestonpans, finding it difficult to source a way to get home.
The Courier was told of desperate stranded travellers offering locals more than £100 to drive them westwards to Edinburgh.
Organisers alerted the emergency services, who gave direction and attended to help where they could.
The festival works with ScotRail and bus companies to plan additional public transport services, including additional carriages and an extra midnight train to Edinburgh, but the services on Saturday evening were not able to accommodate all displaced passengers.
In an email to festival-goers, Fringe by the Sea said: "We're sorry the evening ended in such a difficult way. With transport partners and agencies, we will consider further contingency planning for emergency incidents."
ScotRail has advised that for the remainder of the festival, which comes to a close on Sunday, the six-carriage train services will run as normal, including the additional midnight service from North Berwick to Edinburgh.
Rory Steel, director of Fringe by the Sea, said: “Saturday’s cancelled midnight train service from North Berwick to Edinburgh was a deeply distressing incident, and no more so for the family and friends of the deceased – our thoughts are very much with them at what must be a truly awful time.”
The festival was also impacted on Monday, when Storm Floris led to its cancellation, with ticket-holders receiving automatic refunds to their bank accounts.
Fortunately, the venue was able to open again on Tuesday.
Some of the young cast members who were disappointed not to be able to perform their show The Wizard of Oz on Monday instead joined the Tuesday cast in the ensemble.
Meanwhile, one of Monday's cancelled events, a talk by Hamza Yassin titled Hamza’s Wild World, has been rescheduled for Thursday at 2.30pm.
Ticket holders for Monday’s event have been notified and there are still spaces available; go to https://www.fringebythesea.com/hamzas-wild-world/ to book.
Despite the pause to the festivities on Monday, there is still plenty to look forward for the rest of the week, with a great line-up of musicians, entertainers and speakers, as well as stalls and activities to keep everyone happy.
See the full list of what’s still to come at https://www.fringebythesea.com/line-up/.
Big names still to take to the stage include The Boomtown Rats (Wednesday, 7pm) TV's Graeme Hall, who will be on hand to share dog training tips (Thursday, 11.30am); Alan Davies, performing as part of a comedy line-up (Thursday, 8.45pm); Judy Murray (Friday, 11.30am); Sir Chris Hoy (Saturday, 11.30am) and Fred Macaulay (Saturday, 9.15pm).
