Bus disruption in Edinburgh to continue indefinitely after Princes Street fire

Updated 1 hour ago

Disruption to public transport in Edinburgh city centre is expected to continue while a probe into a fire at a former department store is carried out.

Bus services have been re-routed away from Princes Street to George Street while the city's trams are operating on a reduced network as a result of the blaze at the old Debenhams site last week.

Lothian Buses said the situation was "fluid" and there was no date for a full reopening of the network.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said an investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing.

City of Edinburgh Council leader, Jane Meagher, warned disruption to services was "inevitable".

Officers from the fire investigation unit have now been granted access to the building.

The probe was previously unable to get under way due to concerns over its structural safety.

Images from the scene show the roof of the building was completely destroyed, while other parts have been severely damaged.

Tram services are only operating between the west end and the airport.

A large section of Rose Street and Rose Street South Lane remain closed.

It comes ahead of a busy period for the city, with road closures due to come into force ahead of the festival season at the end of July.

George Street is usually closed to traffic during August, when bars and venues are permitted to extend across the road.

Willie Hamilton, Lothian Buses chief operating officer, said the current closures posed a "significant challenge" to operators and commuters.

He said: "Princes Street is right at the heart of Edinburgh's public transport network, so any closure has a huge impact.

"We are involved in discussions on a daily basis and I would urge anybody, when they are travelling to check in advance.

"It is a fluid situation and it will be changing, sometimes hour to hour."

He added: "Once we've got a date for length of time for this, that will determine whether the upcoming closures, for example of George Street for the festival, has to be a consideration or not."

At its height, 50 firefighters were battling the flames at the B-listed building after being called to the scene in the early hours of Thursday.

The building previously housed part of the Debenhams department store, which closed in May 2021 following another fire the previous month.

River Island and Levi's had shops on the ground floor of the building but both units have closed.

It was in the process of being transformed into Scotland's first Zedwell hotel after the site was bought by real estate firm Criterion Capital, owned by billionaire Asif Aziz.

A planning application, lodged in March, would have seen the building clad in a false façade including an advertising screen to hide building work prior to the fire.

Council leader Jane Meagher warned commuters who use public transport to plan for their journeys to be disrupted.

She added: "We will reopen Princes Street as soon as it's safe to do so but, with investigations ongoing at the site, it's too early to say when that will be.

"This is one of our main thoroughfares, so I'm afraid it's inevitable that its ongoing closure will lead to travel and other disruption in the city centre.

"We're doing everything we can to keep the city moving and are working closely with our bus and tram colleagues to keep delays to a minimum.

"We also recognise the effect this is having on city centre businesses and have been in touch with them to offer our support."