Haymarket Station is Edinburgh's second mainline railway station, the other being Edinburgh Waverley. As well as a stopping point for London-bound trains, Haymarket station is also on lines running to the West of Scotland and North of Edinburgh to the neighbouring region of Fife, making it Scotland's forth busiest railway station.

Haymarket is a little further beyond Edinburgh's West End, close to Murrayfield rugby Stadium. Travellers coming to Edinburgh for the first time from London sometimes make the mistake of getting off at Haymarket as it is the first of the two Edinburgh stops.

The distance between the Haymarket and Waverley stations is under 1 and a half miles, or about 5 minutes by rail.

History

The original terminus for trains coming from Glasgow, the railway station was built in 1840-1842. The platforms were redesigned in 1894 and the whole station renovated in the 1980s. Today, the station building retains much of its old character.

Expansion

Construction will start around 2012 of a major expansion of Edinburgh Haymarket once the new tramline is completed. Haymarket will be a key interchange and under new plans will become a major gateway to the city.

Proposals include:

• Expanding the station concourse and public realm area from the existing 3,000 square metres to 8,700sqm;
• Clear links between trains, trams, buses, taxis and bicycles with safe and convenient pedestrian links between each facility;
• A glazed roof structure with retail services beneath;
• Retaining and refurbishing the existing station building and Ryrie's public house, both of which are listed;
•Apublic space dedicated to the War memorial;
• Large scale commercial/retail development opportunities;
• A significantly improved waiting experience.