How to travel by train from Edinburgh to Dundee

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Edinburgh to Dundee by train

The fabulous V&A Dundee museum is steps away from the city's station and it is just one reason to head to Dundee from Edinburgh by train.
Even if you have no interest in experiencing Dundee, if you happen to be in Edinburgh when the sun is shining and have an interest in engineering or landscapes, then jumping on a train is a fabulous means of spending a couple of hours.
That's because the trains from the Scottish capital to Dundee travel over the iconic Forth and Tay Bridges.

Routes you can take to go from Edinburgh to Dundee

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections?

Journey guides for travel to Edinburgh

Route Information

Station Guides

Edinburgh Waverley Rail Station Guide

A hotel surrounds the new entrance to Dundee station

Dundee Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

from 1hr 16min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

Mon-Sat = 29 x trains per day
Sunday = 16 x trains
The Monday to Saturday schedules have been slightly reduced on the new timetable, so what had been a minimum of hourly service on these days of the week is now longer available, there can be gaps of up to two hours between trains.
Though in many hours there are two departures

Travel Information

Final Destination: Aberdeen or Arbroath or Dundee

All trains also call at: Kirkcaldy and Leuchars (for St Andrews)

In some hours on Mondays to Saturdays there are two departures per hour:
(1) a slightly faster train, by around 10 minutes, which will be heading to Aberdeen; the Inter7City services are used on most of those departures.
(2) a slower train which will be heading to Arbroath or Dundee; the Turbostar trains are used for these departures and on these trains on this route, first class is not available.

There are far fewer departures on this route on Sundays, so if you will be travelling on that day of the week and plan to purchase tickets at the station just before boarding, it can be worth looking up the departure times before heading off to Edinburgh Waverley.

However, in some hours, the trains which depart Edinburgh for Dundee have travelled from destinations further south.
These include Azuma trains operated by LNER which originate in both Leeds and London; and a daily train operated by CrossCountry.

These non ScotRail trains are usually scheduled to depart Edinburgh at:

10:27 on Mon-Sat (LNER)
14:28 on Mon-Sat (LNER)
14:33 on Sunday (LNER)
18:12/18:13 daily (Cross Country)
18:35/18:37 daily (LNER)
20:34 on Mon-Fri (LNER)

Which can be worth be keeping in mind, as because these trains don't commence their journeys in Edinburgh, they are more likely to have a delayed departure.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

A ScotRail Turbostar train has arrived in Dundee

ScotRail Turbostar (UK) Train Guide

The iconic 125 trains are used for the Inter7City services

ScotRail Inter7City (UK) Train Guide

Journey Features

Scenic - YesCoastal views

Good to Know

All trains also depart from: Haymarket

If the starting point of your journey is at the western end of the city centre, you can save time by heading to Haymarket station rather than Edinburgh Waverley, in order to board these trains.

Journey description:

There are very few journeys between two European cities, taken by express trains, that are as consistently fabulous as this route between Edinburgh and Dundee.
Though the sea views on this journey can only be seen on the right-hand side of the train when facing north; all of the videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction.

For much of the journey between Edinburgh and Dundee the railway line is beside the coastline of East Fife.
Virtually any time a UK coastal train journey is shown on film and television, what will be seen is a train travelling by the sea in South Devon, but from inside the trains, the views are just as spectacular on this journey – and they’re sustained for longer.

Though the views from the train as it travels by the shore are superseded by those from two of the most stunning train journey experiences which can be found anywhere in Europe!
Namely the views from the Forth Bridge, which occur around 12 -15 mins after the train has departed from Edinburgh...

....and the views from The Tay Bridge just before the train arrives in Dundee.

The view looking to the right when approaching the Forth Bridge

Looking down on the Firth of Forth from the other side of the bridge

The train will spend around 15 mins travelling by the East Fife shore

The dramatic sea views are on the right when heading north

Passing through Kinghorn south of Kirkcaldy

Travelling through the rolling landscape north of Kirlkcaldy

The view on the left approaching the Tay Bridge

Looking to the right as the train begins to travel over the Tay Bridge

The view down the River Tay looking west

Looking back at the bridge as the train arrives in Dundee

How To Explore Scotland By Train Tips and insights for Scottish train travel, cheaper Off-Peak tickets are available all day until June 28th!

How To Explore Scotland By Train Tips and insights for Scottish train travel, cheaper Off-Peak tickets are available all day until Ju...

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