Journey Search
By Train from Edinburgh (United Kingdom) to Newcastle (United Kingdom)
Journey Summary
Depart Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
Edinburgh Waverley
Arrive Newcastle (United Kingdom)
Newcastle
Journey information
Train
The four departures consist of:
2 x trains operated by LNER, most of which will be the Azuma trains, but other trains are also still used on some departures.
1 x train per hour operated by TransPennine Express
1* x train per hour operated by CrossCountry and it uses both 125 trains and Voyager trains on this route.
Which company and train is used on each departure won't particularly impact on ticket prices, travel at quieter times and you'll be more likely to find cheaper Advance tickets, irrespective of which train is being used for a departure.
The train you will be travelling by also doesn't particularly impact on the journey times, as they all follow the same route.
What affects the journey times is how many stations between Edinburgh and Newcastle that each specific departure is scheduled to call at.
Though LNER operates most of the faster non-stop trains.
Though if the prices are similar across the departures when looking up the journey, ShowMeTheJourney's preference is to avoid the trains operated by Cross Country.
The other trains on this route are more modern and have more comfortable ambience than the Voyager trains which CrossCountry uses on some departures.
............................................................
Final Destination:
London King's Cross (and Leeds) - the LNER trains
Liverpool Lime Street - the TransPennine Express trains
Penzance or Plymouth or Bristol or Birmingham - the CrossCountry trains.
Some trains also call at: Berwick upon Tweed and/or Alnmouth
Type of Scenery: Coast
Senic Rating: ***
Aside from environmental considerations there are three very good reasons for opting to take the train from Edinburgh to Newcastle
(1) Edinburgh Waverley station has a fabulous location in the heart of the Scottish capital, and Newcastle station also offers easy access to the city centre
(2) Now that TransPennine Exress has also begun to operate trains on this route, they are now more departures than ever before to choose from, when travelling by train between these cities.
(3) Very few routes taken by trains between cities are as fabulous as this journey!
Because for the majority of the train ride between Edinburgh and Newcastle the railway lives up to its name of the 'The East Coast Mainline'.
The trains take a route on which the coast can be seen before the train has even left Edinburgh behind - and the sea views intially continue until south of Dunbar.
To the north of Berwick-upon-Tweed the train will travel across the clifftops as it crosses the border into England - these are the most dramatic coastal views on the journey (though they are tricky to photograph).
Minutes after the train has passed through Berwick-upon-Tweed, the next highlight is the view from the majestic Royal Border Bridge.
Between there and Alnmouth there are views on the left over the dramatic Northumberland coast.
............................................................
If when you board you discover that your assigned seat(s) on the left-hand side see if you can find available seats on the left hand side of the train.
If you move to a different seat(s) it won't affect the validity of your ticket.
The sea views on this journey are on the left.
If your ticket(s) don't include reserved seats, then try to choose seats on the left - when facing the direction of travel.
--------------------------------------------------------
More general information about travelling by train in England, Scotland and Wales is available on this guide to British train travel.
Sadly there is no guarantee of rainbows as the train leaves Edinburgh behind
Look out on the left for the view of the Bass Rock
By the coast to the south of Dunbar
An attempt to capture the ride across the clifftops north of Berwick
Looking east from the Royal Border Bridge on a greyer day
Heading south from the town of Berwick Upon Tweed
Look out for the view of Lindisfarne as the train travels through Northumberland
Passing by the town of Alnmouth
The view of the Tyne Bridge as the train arrives in Newcastle
Ticket information
Choosing a departure
As there are three operators which provide the trains on the Edinburgh to Newcastle route, the recommendation is to use the National Rail booking service when looking up this journey.
By doing so you'll have an overview of the ticket times and prices of all departures, no matter which company is operating each departure, and you will also avoid any booking fees.
One company doesn't always offer the cheapest fares on this route, so it's worth making an easy comparison across all departures.
............................................................
Booking Advance Tickets
If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance tickets', though the three key things worth knowing about booking and using 'Advance' tickets are:
(1) Your ticket(s) will only be valid on the departure you selected when making a booking
(2) A fee will be payable if you want to transfer your ticket(s) to a different departure ahead of your travel date - and you will only be able to choose alternative departures operated by the same company that's providing the service you were originally booked on to.
(3) This type of ticket can't be refunded if you subsequently change your travel plans, or miss the train in circumstances not to do with a connecting train.
(4) If the train you are booked on is delayed, you cannot then just hop on an alternative train operated by a different company.
............................................................
Reservations
When you book an Advance ticket for an Edinburgh train journey, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s), but if you book the other types of ticket ahead, you can request a complimentary reservation - more info on this
Tickets can now be booked online up to a couple of hours prior to departure
However, if you buy Off Peak or Anytime tickets just prior to boarding at the station, a seat reservation WON'T be automatically included with your booking.
That's because reservations at stations need to be booked by the end of the previous day for morning departures and around two hours ahead for afternoon/evening departures - so also keep that in mind if you will be using a rail pass, including a Britrail or Eurail pass.
............................................................
Travelling on Monday - Friday
Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date.
However, when you look up a journey you may see dates further ahead on the calendar, but you'll be informed that tickets aren't yet available for those dates.
............................................................
Travelling on Saturday-Sunday
Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date, but maintenance work on the route is periodically undertaken at weekends and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.
If you're looking up a journey less than 12 weeks ahead and tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date.
It can be worth checking this on the National Rail website
............................................................
Finding a late deal
If you will be looking for tickets when the cheapest Advance tickets have sold out on most departures, you may be able to save money by using split-ticketing - read more about this.
Look up the departure you want to take on RailEurope (formerly known as Loco 2) - to see if it has a 'price-hack' available and also check your journey on Splitticketing.com.
............................................................
More general information is available on this guide to buying train tickets for train journeys in Great Britain.
