Getting There By Rail
While long distance services are fairly reliable (especially the award winning GNER service to London, Aberdeen and Inverness), domestic First Scotrail routes are often dogged by delays and cancellations, especially on the ‘flagship’ Edinburgh-Glasgow route. The major rail service provider for routes to and from England is Great North East Railway – GNER (tel: (0845) 722 5225; website: www.gner.co.uk), while First Scotrail (tel: (0845) 755 0033; website: www.firstscotrail.com) operates all services within Scotland, as well as a London-Edinburgh overnight sleeper link. National Rail Enquiries (tel: (0845) 748 4950) provides 24-hour timetable and fare information for all train companies.
Edinburgh has two main train stations – Waverley station (located right in the heart of the city, at the East End of Princes Street) and Haymarket station (at the junction of Dalry Road and Haymarket, in the West End). Facilities at Waverley include a food mall, a newsagent and a pub. There are also small stations at Newcraighall, South Gyle and at the new Edinburgh Park.
Rail services: First Scotrail (see above) operates a train service from Glasgow to Edinburgh every 15 minutes (journey time – 50 minutes). First Scotrail’s handy but underused Caledonian Sleeper, between London (Euston) and Edinburgh, runs every night except Saturday (journey time – 6 hours and 45 minutes). Virgin Trains (tel: (0845) 722 2333; website: www.virgintrains.co.uk) operates a direct service between Manchester and Edinburgh, three times a day (journey time – 3 hours). GNER operates a direct half-hourly service between London (Kings Cross) and Edinburgh (journey time – 4 hours and 30 minutes) with award winning on-board catering in the restaurants it provides with its premium services.
Transport to the city: Both Waverley station and Haymarket station are within walking distance of the Old Town and the New Town. The stations are also served by numerous bus routes and taxis.
|
