Related Content
Content
Glasgow to Aberdeen by train
How to travel by train from Glasgow to Aberdeen
Share
Routes
From Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen
Journey Summary
2hr 41min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Aberdeen (or Inverness or Inverurie))
All trains also call at: Dundee; Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven
All of these trains are operated by ScotRail and all but a few departures will be handled by the Inter7City trains; which departures will be by the Inter7City trains can be looked up on the ScotRail timetable.
Monday to Saturday: 14 x trains per day (there is a departure in most hours)
Sunday = 11 x trains
Tickets
Book Early and Save: Yes
Online Bookings Usually Open: from 12 weeks ahead of the travel date (usually)
If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance tickets.
Though something out of the ordinary for British train tickets, which is very much worth being aware of, is that ScotRail doesn't release Advance tickets for sale until 8 weeks ahead of the travel date.
However, the more expensive Anytime tickets will be placed on sale up to 3 months ahead.
So of if you look up a long-distance journey ticket on the ScotRail website more than 8 weeks ahead, you will only see the Anytime tickets, so you can save money by hanging back and waiting until the Advance tickets have been placed on sale.
ScotRail takes Advance tickets off sale at 18:00 (6pm) on the day prior to a travel date.
Choosing a departure
There can be significant differences in prices of Advance tickets between departures, the cheapest ticket prices inevitably sell out faster on the most popular trains.
So it can be possible to save money by looking through the departures and selecting an earlier or later train.
Also be aware that Advance tickets can sell out completely more than a couple of days ahead on the most popular trains.
Booking at the station
If you will be booking at the station on the travel date, you will have to purchase non-discounted Off-Peak or Anytime tickets; with Anytime tickets being the most expensive of all.
On this route you will have to pay the Anytime rate on departures between 16:30 and 19:00 when Mondays to Fridays are working days
Because if you do depart Glasgow at those times only the more expensive type of Anytime tickets will be available.
Seat Reservations
When booking Advance tickets specific seats will automatically be assigned, but when booking Off-Peak or Anytime tickets, you will be given an easy option to add a reservation when booking online.
Or if when booking Anytime or Off-Peak tickets, you don't yet know which specific train you will want to travel by, you can arrange a seat reservation free of charge later, either at a station, or by calling ScotRail’s Customer Relations team on 0344 811 0141, selecting Option 3.
However, reservations at stations need to be arranged a couple of hours prior to departure.
These methods of booking reservations also apply if you will be using a rail pass, you can drop in at a ticket office and arrange seat reservations, at no extra charge, or call that number.
Bike Reservations
You can also a complimentary bike reservation when booking tickets on the ScotRail website.
Offers and deals
ScotRail offers ticketing deals when Adults travel with children or in groups, so when booking online it's worth checking to confirm whether the total price being charged is inclusive of these deals
Or you can book these deals at a station ticket office, if Advance tickets are available the booking clerk will ask if that's your preference - though be aware that Advance deals can't be refunded if one or more members of a party subsequently can't make the trip.
If you do opt to book these deals at the station you won't ever be charged more than the online price and the booking clerk may be able to point out a money saving option.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| ScotRail | * |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
Connecting the ferries on to Orkney and Shetland
The ferries to Kirkwall on Orkney and Lerwick on Shetland usually depart Aberdeen at either 17:00 or 19:00.
To allow for:
- contingency in the event of a train delay
- making the transfer from the station to the ferry terminal
- the check-in time for the ferry.
For the 17:00 ferry ShowMeTheJourney recommends taking the 12:39 departure on Mondays to Saturdays and the 12:43 departure on Sundays.
For the 19:00 ferry the recommendation is to take the 14:39 departure on Mondays to Saturdays and the 14:50 departure on Sundays.
The lovely journey by train from Glasgow to Aberdeen has four distinct phases.
(1) Once the train has escaped from Glasgow, over to the left the landscape is dominated by the hills which straddle the horizon; a preview of what's to come.
(2) Between Stirling and Perth the railway passes through those hills.
(3) Then the railway line is on the north bank of the River Tay between Perth and Dundee; so the views of the river are over to the right.
(4) Much of the final part of the journey north of Dundee also offers lovely sea views over on the right, particularly as the train leaves the city behind.
The harbour in Montrose, which is by the station is also rather charming and north of Stonehaven, the railway line runs across the cliff-tops.
Though when Show MeTheJourney travelled most recently on the part of the route north of Dundee, the weather wasn't compatible with taking photographs, so you'll have to trust that this part of the journey can be fabulous!
..
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
