THREE weekends of engineering works will see buses replacing trains in East Lothian, starting tomorrow (Saturday) and continuing until the end of September. 

The news comes as Network Rail has announced £9.2 million worth of engineering works to be carried out until September 30 between Edinburgh and Newcastle, closing parts of the East Coast Main Line until that point.

This will see the line closed between Edinburgh and Berwick on each Saturday and Sunday until Monday, September 30, impacting all the stations along the line. 

In East Lothian, that means passengers will be impacted at Musselburgh, Wallyford, Prestonpans, Longniddry, Drem, North Berwick and Dunbar train stations. 

Direct bus services between Edinburgh and North Berwick will be provided, along with an all-stations service this weekend and next Saturday and Sunday (September 21 and 22)  

For Dunbar passengers, a limited train service will divert around the closure, with rail replacement coaches in operation between Edinburgh and Newcastle during the weekend work.

Engineers will install just over five miles of new railway track at several locations between Edinburgh and Berwick.

At the same time, engineers will improve over a mile of drainage at Drem.

On social media, ScotRail alerted passengers to the arrangements, saying: "Engineering works are taking place this weekend.

"Saturday and Sunday: Edinburgh-North Berwick services are cancelled. Buses replace trains between Edinburgh and North Berwick serving all stations.

"A direct bus service will operate between Edinburgh and North Berwick, along with an all-stations service."

A spokesperson on behalf of LNER, ScotRail, Lumo, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express said: “Our teams will be working hard to make sure customers reach their destination as quickly as possible while these important upgrades are carried out.

“The latest travel information can be found on our websites and our social media channels. We would encourage all customers to check their journey before they travel.”

Ross Moran, route director, Network Rail Scotland, said: “Renewing the track on the East Coast Main Line will improve reliability and performance on this busy cross-Border route, delivering smoother journeys for passengers.

“We know there’s never a good time to close a railway and we’re grateful to passengers and our neighbours for their patience.

“Our engineers will work around the clock over these three weekends to complete these projects quickly, with as little disruption as possible."

More information on the works can be found here.