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Edinburgh to Penrith by train
How to travel from Edinburgh to the northern part of the Lake District by train
The train service between Edinburgh and Penrith is split between trains operated by Avanti West Coast and trains operated by TransPennine Express.
The usual timetable during the day is arranged so that in even hours a train operated by TransPennine Express departs; and in some of those hours, an Avanti West Coast service leaves around 40 mins later.
Meaning that there are no departures in odd hours (early Sunday mornings are an exception).
The Avanti West Coast services have the faster journey time.
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Routes
From Edinburgh Waverley to Penrith North Lakes
Journey Summary
1hr 30min - 1hr 41min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: London Euston or Birmingham New Street (Avanti West Coast); Manchester Airport (Trans Pennine Express)
All trains also call at: Carlisle
Mon-Fri = 10 x trains per day
Saturday = 11 x trains
Sunday = 9 x trains
Tickets
Choosing a departure
As there are two operators which provide the trains on the Edinburgh to Penrith 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 four key things worth knowing about booking and using 'Advance' tickets for travel by TPE services are:
(1) The ticket(s) will be valid for the specific departure you select when making a booking.
(2) The ticket(s) cannot either be refunded, if you subsequently change your plans or miss the train due to any circumstances not attributable to the train operator.
(3) They can be exchanged to another departure on this route prior to the departure you have booked - but the price difference with the new ticket will need to be paid (the price will likely have risen since your original booking will need to be paid.
(4) TPE doesn't take Advance tickets off sale until 15 mins prior to departure.
Reservations
When you book an Advance ticket for an Edinburgh to Penrith 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
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.
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
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| National Rail | * | |
| Avanti West Coast | * | |
| TPE | * | |
| Rail Europe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Departing from Edinburgh
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:
For the majority of this journey the train will travel through a majestic landscape; all of the videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction.
South of Carstairs the railway follows a route through the beautiful Southern Uplands.
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South of here and north of Lockerbie station, the views as the railway climbs and then descends over Beattock summit, are particularly special, particularly on the left when heading south.
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