How to travel by train from Edinburgh to Glasgow

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Edinburgh to Glasgow by train

Taking the train to Glasgow from Edinburgh is little different to taking a local train, as the journey takes less than 50 minutes.
So you can be spontaneous and turn up at the station, book a ticket(s) and then just hop on board.
Though the trains between the cities take one of three routes, and this option of the trains which terminate at Queen Street station and travel via Falkirk, is the one to target as it is fastest.
Connect in Queen Street station for trains to Fort William and Mallaig (depart Edinburgh at 07:15 on Mon-Sat and 11:15 and 1715 daily) and Oban (depart Edinburgh at 07:15 and 09:15 on Mon-Sat and 11:15; 15:15 and 17:15 daily)
On Sundays between the end of June and the end of August, there are direct trains between Edinburgh and Oban.

Routes you can take to go from Edinburgh to Glasgow

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 Journey guides for travel from Glasgow

Route Information

Station Guides

Edinburgh Waverley Rail Station Guide

Glasgow Queen Street Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

45 - 56 mins

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

Monday to Friday
2 to 4 x trains per hour
The more frequent service is typically available between 07:15 and 19:00

Saturday and Sunday
2 to 4 x trains per hour
The more frequent service is typically available between 09:00 and 18:00

Travel Information

Final Destination: Glasgow Queen Street

All trains also call at: Edinburgh 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.

Four good reasons for taking the train from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
(1) The stations at both ends of the route have fantastic city center locations.
(2) The ticketing is uncomplicated, so you won't lose out by booking at the station just before boarding.
(3) The trains are new and rather smart!
(4) No need to worry about departure and arrival times as there are two trains every hour between the two cities.
So the lack of seat reservations won't be a problem at all.
At exceptionally busy times, you can simply hang back and await the next departure thereby ensuring that you can take your pick of the seats on the next train.

This is a direct journey

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

A train awaits departure from Glasgow - note the cycle symbol

ScotRail eXpress (UK) Train Guide

Good to Know

What's worth being aware of is that that these 'express' services aren't the only trains available between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
So in order to make the journey in the fastest possible time, target these trains which travel via Falkirk and avoid trains which travel on slower routes via Bathgate, or Cumbernauld or Shotts.

Though it can be worth checking the location of your final destination in Glasgow as those other routes call at alternative stations in the city to Glasgow Queen Street.

The two trains per hour which take the route via Bathgate (and are heading to Helensburgh) call at High Street station (close by one of the University of Strathyclyde's main campuses) and at Charing Cross station, which is at the western end of Glasgow city centre.

There is also at least one train per hour from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central station.
It's best to avoid those trains if you'll be heading to the city centre, as they're 25 mins slower than these trains.
However, they're the best option if you'll be travelling on to a destination served by trains which depart from Glasgow Central and not from Glasgow Queen Street, such as Ayr, Dumfries, Greenock and Wemyss Bay.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are two of Scotland's seven cities, but despite that this route isn't part of ScotRail's Inter7City network.

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