An unexpected emergency plunged hundreds of festival-goers into disarray late last night, as a critical incident on the train line led to widespread cancellations, leaving many stranded in East Lothian.

The vibrant atmosphere of Fringe by the Sea, which drew throngs of attendees to North Berwick, swiftly turned to frustration when the 10:20 pm ScotRail service bound for Edinburgh was abruptly halted at Prestonpans around 10:40 pm.

Passengers received startling news via the tannoy, with reports indicating a fatality on the line near Longniddry, necessitating the immediate cessation of all train movement in the affected area.

ScotRail promptly took to X (formerly Twitter) shortly before 11 pm to inform the public of the ongoing emergency services operation between Edinburgh and Prestonpans, concurrently advising customers that no replacement bus services could be secured for the North Berwick and Tweedbank lines.

Simultaneously, hundreds more prospective travellers congregated at North Berwick railway station, anticipating the special midnight service designed to ferry them home after the festival’s headline act, French music duo Air. Their hopes were dashed as this service, along with all others, was cancelled.

With train services suspended in both directions, revellers faced the daunting task of arranging their own transport well past midnight, encountering immense difficulty in securing taxis, with fares to Edinburgh escalating to £80-£100 and availability almost non-existent.

The predicament sparked a torrent of desperate appeals on X, where individuals stranded at both Prestonpans and North Berwick voiced their despair, highlighting the plight of elderly individuals and families caught in the transport nightmare.

The disruption extended beyond festival attendees, with East Lothian residents who had spent their evening in the capital also finding themselves unable to return home by rail, underscoring the broad impact of the unexpected cancellations.

This unforeseen transit crisis underscored significant challenges in providing alternative arrangements during emergencies, leaving a lasting impression on those impacted by the late-night rail network shutdown.