THE train may take the strain, but getting to the station has been a daunting struggle for generations of Edinburgh passengers. The Waverley Steps, the notorious principal entrance to the capital’s railway hub, provided a 72-step nightmare – especially in the wind and rain.

However, weary travellers will heave a sigh of relief on Monday when they are able to glide up to Princes Street on escalators under a glass roof for the first time in 145 years. The year-long construction is being completed on time, albeit five years after it should have originally been finished because of delays caused by objections to the scheme.