AN EMERGENCY incident on the train line late last night saw "hundreds" of festival-goers "stranded" in North Berwick and Prestonpans.
All passengers on the packed 10.20pm [[North Berwick]] to Edinburgh Scotrail service, many of whom had been at the Fringe by the Sea festival, had to get off the train at about 10.40pm at [[Prestonpans]].
[[Edinburgh]]-bound passenger Gordon Craig told the East Lothian Courier: "We were close to Longniddry when there was an announcement over the tannoy that, due to a fatality on the line, the train would be stopping at [[Prestonpans]] and going no further.
"The train was full of people and families and there were so many people standing about at Prestonpans, trying to get taxis, and it was all getting very heated.
"Myself and my young son managed to get a relative to pick us up in his car - and we gave others a lift, including a guy with his dog! - but there were so many others who didn't know how they'd get home."
At 10.58pm last night, ScotRail posted on X, formerly Twitter, that they were "working closely" with the emergency services who were "dealing with an incident" between [[Edinburgh]] and [[Prestonpans]].
"This means the [train] lines are currently closed between Edinburgh and North Berwick and Edinburgh and Tweedbank," they said.
ScotRail confirmed that replacement buses "had been requested".
However, at 11.26pm, ScotRail had bad news for the passengers.
They posted: "We've been unable to secure replacement buses for the North Berwick/Tweedbank lines so customers are advised to make their own travel arrangements. Retain your train tickets and travel receipts for any claims."
Meanwhile, at North Berwick railway station, the platform was packed with people wanting to travel on the midnight train to Edinburgh - a special extra service for the hundreds who had attended the Fringe by the Sea festival, which featured a headline slot last night by celebrated French music duo Air.
But due to the emergency incident, the train - like all trains on the line in both directions - was cancelled and revellers had to try to make their own arrangements to get home, despite it being after midnight, and with £80-£100 taxis to Edinburgh almost impossible to secure.
Some even retreated to the nearby Nether Abbey Hotel to enquire about rooms.
On the social media platform X, desperate pleas were being made to ScotRail by people stuck at both Prestonpans and North Berwick and unable to get home.
Lynne Rendall posted at 11.52pm: "Literally hundreds of us stranded at North Berwick. Please can you sort replacement buses?"
Due to the "late hour", ScotRail said they could not.
And she added: "[It's] impossible to make alternative arrangements as no taxi from West Lothian will come out for us and all accommodation is fully booked."
And another poster, Wanderluster, told ScotRail: "There are hundreds of people stranded! This is totally unacceptable! Sort something out!"
Wanderluster added: "There are elderly people and families. There are no taxis in North Berwick. What are hundreds of people supposed to do?"
While Kate Bremner wrote: "There are hundreds of people stuck! You have a duty of care!"
East Lothian residents who had spent an evening in the Capital were also unable to get home to the county by train late last night.
They could, however, use their train ticket on the Lothian 26 bus service between [[Edinburgh]], Musselburgh and [[Prestonpans]].
The British Transport Police has been asked to confirm the nature of the incident on the line.
Rail services on the route returned to normal this morning.
