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To Prestonpans We Go

Lothian Bus services 15 and 47 will see some changes come 1 June as a new timetable comes into force to accommodate the start of the Edinburgh Tram services.

Transport for Edinburgh revealed today the forthcoming changes to their Penicuik bus services. Routes 15, 47 and 67 (serving only to Bush) are to be altered from June 1 whereas Lothian 37 will see only minor timetabling changes.

The most significant of alterations will see service 15 run two miles further to terminate in Prestonpans instead of Levenhall. This alteration will be used from Monday through Saturday. Service 15’s route through the city centre will also change so that it no longer runs down Leith Street (past the St James Centre) onto Leith Walk and then onwards to London Road but instead it will run from Princes St onto Waterloo Place and Regent Road. This change is said to help passengers connect onto the East Lothian bus network.

Other notable alterations are to be made to service 47. On a Sunday, the route is to be extended, now terminating Granton Harbour instead of Lothian Road. It will also depart from Granton for the return leg of the journey.

Service 67 will also see some city centre route changes, likely to accommodate the start of Edinburgh Tram’s public services from 31 May. The popular Lothian services 37 and X37 will receive only minor timetable changes.

Ian Craig, Chief Executive of Lothian Buses said:

Regular service changes are an essential part of providing a high quality public transport system that fulfils the needs of our customers.  We’re confident that these changes will benefit our passengers and create new links around the city for residents and visitors to Edinburgh and the Lothian’s.

Edinburgh Trams go into operation very soon and integration with bus is a big priority for us and for the city. This services update makes vital changes that will coordinate bus and tram services to ensure that they fully complement each other to the benefit of passengers.

We make changes to services at regular intervals and although this update is bigger than usual, as always, it’s based on detailed analysis of our routes and on customer demand.

First Bus recently rebranded their sole remaining Penicuik bus service as the X62 with their timetable receiving an update to match, which should see the bus pass through the town every twenty minutes.

A feasibility study is still ongoing to ascertain whether Penicuik would benefit from a train or tram line. It is expected to conclude soon but in the meantime, could this be the future of Penicuik’s public transport? Tell us below.

[Image © Hec Tate, Flickr]