Edinburgh rail closure in run up to New Year

Engineering work between Haymarket and Waverley between Christmas& New Year will affect all rail services into Edinburgh from 2200 on December 27th to 0430 on December 30th, and again on New Years Day (cross border routes). Services will be replaced by buses from Linlithgow, Falkirk, Dalgety Bay, Bathgate & West Calder. Some Virgin trains will use the Edinburgh suburban route as a diversion.

Lothian bus battle - the new X38

Lothian Buses next move into First's West Lothian heartland, will start next month, when they launch their own X38 between Linlithgow and Edinburgh- in direct competition to the long standing First route with the same service number. This will be in addition to the EX2 Coach service launched in the summer.

West Stirlingshire buses revised

First Midland Bluebird buses in the West Stirlingshire area are changing from October 21st. The basic change is that services from Stirling to Balfron via Kippen (X10) and Aberfoyle (X10A) will now extend into Glasgow. Both services will operate 2 hourly between Stirling & Balfron, combining to make an hourly service from Balfron to Glasgow. Check out the new timetable here.
At the same time there are reductions on the X36 Stirling-Cumbernauld-Glasgow service, which will revert to half hourly, and the 29 Falkirk - Bathgate service, which will now terminate at Avonbridge (with the exception of council funded early morning, evening & Sunday Services.
There will be changes to a number of other services from the same date. Check out the details on the First website.

Stagecoach extend services in Forth Valley

Stagecoach are revising services across the East Scotland area from Monday July 29th.
Amongst the changes is Service 8 journeys extending from Valleyfield to Falkirk, providing an hourly daytime service from Dunfermline, quicker, and more regular than the previous Service 28.
Journeys on service 8A between Dunfermline- Alloa will continue hourly during daytime, offering a half hourly service between Dunfermline, Valleyfield & Kincardine.  Service 8A will also divert around Clackmannan, and also serve Morrisons in Alloa, replacing First's Service 60 which was withdrawn last year.
There are changes to express services, with X24/X26 & X27 all now serving Forth Valley hospital, offering 4 coaches an hour to Glasgow.
In the Stirling area, Service 15A from Perth, via Crieff, now serves the University.

Stirling tourist bus returns.

Stirling's tourist bus service , the 1314, returns to service from July 8th-September 14th, linking the town's bus & rail stations with Stirling Castle & The Wallace Monument every 40 minutes.
Despite it's Route number, the service isn't serving the Battle of Bannockburn  this year.

Airth loses Sunday services

The council subsided F16 Service between Stirling & Falkirk has been withdrawn on Sundays. Stirling Council have replaced it with a Dial A Journey service operated by Order Of Malta, for Fallin & Throsk residents wishing to travel to Stirling between 0900-1700. F16 Journeys continue between Falkirk & Westquarter, but it leaves Airth & Letham without any Sunday Servivce.
Monday-Saturday journeys are unaffected.

Lothian's Green Arrow arrives in West Lothian

Lothian Buses coach operation, Green Arrow, have started two new express routes , from Linlithgow & Bathgate to Edinburgh.  The half hourly services run in direct competition to First Bus and Scotrail train services.
At the same time, First have launched Bright Bus tours, aimed at the capital's tourist market, currently dominated by Lothian.
The competition between First & Lothian has been building since Lothian began services in West Lothian last year.