The Forth Road Bridge has been closed since Thursday, December 3, after a defect in the steelwork of the tower was found during an inspection, the BBC reported.
Extra trains and buses were put on ahead of rush hour on Monday, December 7, to try to minimise travel disruption. This included an additional 33 buses which will operate an enhanced Park & Ride service, using the Ferrytoll and Halbeath sites. The vehicles operating from both Park & Ride sites are provided by Stagecoach.
The bridge is expected to will remain closed until the mid-January. A dedicated webpage has been set up to keep track of the disruption, which can be found at https://trafficscotland.org/news/story.aspx?id=13232.
The announcement of additional trains and buses was made following a meeting of the Scottish government’s resilience committee, chaired by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Scotland’s Transport Minister Derek Mackay, said: “Commuters will be able to access a dedicated website offering detailed information on these updated travel options.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and adapt our travel plan as required. While we are doing everything we can to ease the impact on travellers, we would urge people to do their bit by considering their travel plans in advance and making any possible contingencies.
“We also have made contact with the main business organisations in Scotland, local authorities and enterprise areas and are working together to examine the economic and business impact and identify any practical steps that can be taken to mitigate that as much as possible.”
The Forth Road Bridge is scheduled to be replaced by a new crossing in about 12 months’ time. Once the new Queensferry Crossing opens, the old bridge will remain open to carry public transport, pedestrians and cyclists.
