Lothian Buses

For The Next Two Weeks Glasgow will be focus of world attention as it hosts COP26.

But the impact of The Event won't be limited to Scotland's largest city and people in Edinburgh are being warned to prepare for disruption too.

Of the 25,000 delegates invited to attend the UN climate conference, about a fifth will stay in the capital and travel through to the Clydeside venue.

That means added pressure on The City 's transport system.

With The Threat of strike action now averted, ScotRail has reverted to its original plan, which includes bolstering The Service between Edinburgh and Glasgow that will take so much of The Strain .

Trains travelling via Falkirk High will operate with the maximum eight carriages for the duration of The Conference .

The timetable - which comes into effect on Monday and runs until Friday 12 November - also includes more late-night trains with some running After Midnight .

Those travelling, however, can expect it to be busy, with ScotRail urging passengers to and check their journeys before travelling.

Commuters are also being warned to expect disruption on Edinburgh's roads.

The opening days of the two-week conference will feature The Spectacle of dignitaries being whisked through The City in motorcades En Route to Glasgow.

More Than 50 world leaders are staying in the capital and their entourages, not to mention thousands more COP26 delegates, are helping to boost hotel occupancy to levels typically seen during the busy Summer Festivals .

And while the VIPs are on The Move , drivers will have to stop and wait.

Sarah Boyd , operations director for Lothian Buses , is part of team monitoring the likely impact on a bank of screens in their City Centre Control Room .

She Said : " If we're able to say how long its likely to last for then we will give that information out. That allows drivers to communicate with people on the bus if there's perhaps going to be a period of sitting and waiting. We'll do our best to keep people informed.

" I think we expect there will be disruption and we're going to do our best to cope with that. Our primary function is to take people on their journeys as safely as possible so we will do our very best to keep that service running to time but We Are advising people to plan ahead, leave Extra Time for their journey and to be considerate of fellow passengers and our drivers. "

COP26 also means longer hours for Naomi Cornwall and her colleagues running The Council 's from the same Control Room .

" The cameras here obviously come in very handy So There 's access to over 500 cameras that I can use and zoom in if there's problems, " She Said . " If there are any issues then we hear via The Drivers radioing in but also we hear a lot from people on Social Media . If something has happened we'll get The Message out quickly. "

Planned protests, such as this Sunday's Extinction Rebellion march from The Meadows to the Scottish Parliament , will also contribute to restricted movement around Edinburgh. So too, potentially, the unannounced " non-violent direct action" promised by activists during the climate conference.

Factor in too major sporting events such as Scotland's sold out Rugby International against Australia next Sunday and it's clear a busy fortnight is in prospect.

Cammy Day, deputy leader of Edinburgh Council, said: " We're working with Police Scotland and with all our transport providers to make sure that we keep The City going as much as we can but I won't pretend. With thousands more people coming to The City there will be some disruption. "

" The City will be really busy with people toing and froing on trains and buses.

" There will be some potential closures so read what we're doing online, keep aware and do your bit to take part in COP26 whether that's reducing your carbon footprint or taking in the many events either here in Edinburgh or in Glasgow. "

The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if Climate Change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday Lives .

Source of news: bbc.com