Edinburgh Waverley

There are three main pedestrian exits from Edinburgh station, which lead up to the Waverley Bridge and Market Street and Princess Street.
So having an idea of which exit will suit you best can be a plus.
The Waverley Bridge exits are on the main concourse, which has an unconventional location in the middle of the station, sloping roadways with pavements (sidewalks) lead up to the road bridge which spans the the station.

Because of the station's unusual layout, it's a good idea to take a look at the Edinburgh Waverley station plan before stepping off your train.
The Market Street and Princess Street exits are at opposite ends of the footbridge which spans the width of the station.
So you need to ascend up to this bridge, using the escalators, lifts (elevators) or stairs, in order to access these exits.

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Using the Waverley Bridge exit at Edinburgh's central railway station:

The two parallel sloping roadways, which used to allow taxis to enter and leave the station, lead up from either side of the main concourse on to Waverley Bridge – a road which spans the station.

Use these Waverley Bridge exits if you want to:
- take the express bus to Edinburgh airport
- board a sightseeing bus
- walk directly to the Castle - turn left at the top of the slope
- don’t need to take the escalators/elevators up to Princess Street -  when you're at the top of the slope on the Waverley Bridge, turn to the right and walk ahead.

If your train arrives at platforms (tracks) 2 – 7 these sloping roadways up to the Waverley Bridge exits will be ahead of you when you reach the concourse.
If your train arrives at platforms (tracks) 11 -19, these roadways will be behind you when you step on to the main concourse.

However, if your train arrives at platforms (tracks) 1, 8, 9 or 10 or 20, the better option is to use the Market Street or Princess Street exits

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Using the exit on to Princess Street at Edinburgh Waverley station

At the north end of the footbridge which spans the station, a series of escalators beside a flight of stairs, named The Waverley Steps, lead up to the exit on Princess Street.
Lifts (elevators) are also available.

Use this exit if you are heading to the ‘new’ town, the main shopping district in the city, The Scottish Gallery or want to continue your journey by bus or tram.

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Using the exit on to Market Street at Edinburgh Waverley station

The south end of this footbridge is connected to a staircase and a lift (elevator) which lead up to Market Street - this exit is close by the middle of the Royal Mile, which runs through the Old Town.

The Market Street exit also leads to the TAXI rank, when you exit on to Market Street, the rank is a little way down the street to the right – but there is no shelter from the weather, if you need to queue for a taxi.

Note that from this footbridge which spans the station, you can access both the Princess Street and Market Street exits.
The series of lifts (elevators) between the platforms (tracks) and these respective streets – means that all the exits from the station are step-free.

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How you can access the footbridge, which leads to the Market Street and Princess Street exits, will depend on which platform (track) your train has arrived at:

From platforms (tracks) 1 and 20:

Walk ahead to towards the front of the train and you will come to a staircase and a lift (elevator) – this part of the footbridge is adjacent to the exit on to Princess Street - so use the bridge to walk across the station if you want to use the exit to Market Street.

From platform (track) 2:

Walk to the front of the train, the station buildings, including the left luggage office, will be on your left and you will pass by some retail outlets on the right.

Then ahead of you, on the other side of these buildings, by one of the roadways which come down into the station, is an escalator and lift (elevator).
They are marked ‘use this lift and escalator to access Platform 1, 20 and Princess Street’ – but the bridge it connects to, also gives access to the Market Street exit.

From platforms (tracks) 3 -7:

The LNER and CrossCountry trains from England USUALLY arrive at these platforms.
Walk ahead to the front of the trains, keeping the buildings in the centre of the station on your right.
Before you reach the main concourse, over to the left you will see a lift (elevator) and over to the right there is a staircase up to the footbridge which you will see above you.

To access the escalator which also leads up to the bridge, walk under this bridge and then turn to the right on to the main concourse - the escalator is by the entrance to the ticket office.
The signs on the escalator will point out that it leads up to Market Street and the taxi rank, but you can ALSO use it to access the Princess Street exit.

From platforms (tracks) 8 –9:

The Trans Pennine Express and Avanti West Coast trains USUALLY arrive at these platforms - which are located outside the main station building

In the middle of the platform is a staircase and a lift (elevator) which lead up to the footbridge which spans the station.
This part of the foot bridge is right by the exit on to Market Street, turn right on Market Street to access the taxi rank and beyond them, over to the right will be the buses to Edinburgh Airport

OR you can also use the bridge to walk across the station, if you want to use the exit on to Princess Street.

From platform (track) 10:

By the front of the train, you will find the stairways and elevator up to the footbridge.

From platforms (tracks) 11-13:

The only exit from these platforms leads to the main concourse – when you reach it, ahead of you will you see the lifts and escalators marked ‘use this lift escalator to access Platforms 8, 9 and 10 and Market Street and Taxis’.

Over to the left and out of sight, on the other side of the concourse, you will find the escalator marked ‘use this lift and escalator to access Platform 1, 20 and Princess Street’.

From platforms (tracks) 14-17:

The Scotrail Inter7City trains from Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth USUALLY arrive at these platforms.
The exits from these platforms go to the main concourse – over to the right you will you see the lifts and escalators marked ‘use this lift escalator to access Platforms 8, 9 and 10 and Market Street and Taxis’.

Over to the left you will find the escalator marked ‘use this lift and escalator to access Platform 1, 20 and Princess Street’.

From platforms (tracks) 18 and 19:

By the exit from these platforms you will see the escalator marked ‘use this lift and escalator to access Platform 1, 20 and Princess Street’, but you can also use them to access the Market Street exit - turn to the right when you reach the foot of the Waverley Steps and follow the footbridge across the station.

Edinburgh’s central area is served by two stations, Edinburgh is the main station, while Haymarket station, is located at the far west end of the city centre.To distinguish it from Haymarket station, Edinburgh’s main station can be referred to as Edinburgh Waverley, but the name ‘Edinburgh’ is now typically used, particularly on timetables and the departure screens at other stations.

If your final destination in in the western end of the city centre and if your train will be calling at Haymarket, it's worth looking up your final destination in the city, to check whether Haymarket will be more convenient.

All trains between Edinburgh station and destinations to the north call at Haymarket, as do the Trans Pennine Express and Avanti West Coast trains between Edinburgh and north-west England.

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Some trains between Edinburgh and destinations to the north also call at Edinburgh Gateway or Edinburgh Park stations.
Both these stations offer a connection with the trams to both Edinburgh Airport and Murrayfield Stadium, so if these are your final destinations, you can avoid travelling via the city centre.
This map shows the local rail routes in the Edinburgh area.