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Glasgow to Inverness by train
How to travel from Glasgow to Inverness on the beautiful train journey
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Routes
From Glasgow Queen Street to Inverness
Journey Summary
3hr 7min - 3hr 21min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Inverness or Elgin
All trains also call at: Perth, Pitlochry, Kingussie and Aviemore
Inter7City trains are now used on the trains which depart Glasgow at 10:07 and 15:07 on Monday to Saturday; and at 11:11 and 14:38 on Sunday, but the Turbostar trains are used for all other departures.
Connecting to the Far North Line:
If you will be continuing a journey north from Inverness, the connections on towards Kyle of Lochalsh, Thurso and Wick are much better timed when travelling from Glasgow, compared to journeys from Edinburgh.
On Mondays to Saturdays the first two trains of the day from Glasgow have the most convenient connections into trains on to both Kyle of Lochalsh (for Skye) and Wick via Thurso
You can also depart Glasgow in the afternoon and head for Kyle of Lochalsh, though the journey involves taking the 13:40 train, which will be heading to Aberdeen, and making connections in both Stirling and Inverness.
The 15:07 departure from Glasgow typically has a five minute connection in Inverness into the final train of the day on to Thurso and Wick.
On Sundays there is only one end-to-end journey option available which typically involves departing Glasgow at 13:05 on a train heading to Aberdeen and then connecting in Stirling (see below) or Perth and in Inverness.
Monday to Saturday = 5 x trains per day
Sunday =3 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
Additional connections are available by taking other trains from Glasgow Queen Street, which typically depart at these times
- 08:41 on Monday to Saturday
- 09:33 on Sunday
- 10:41 on Monday to Saturday
- 13:40 on Monday to Saturday
- 13:45 on Sunday
- 15:45 on Sunday
- 16:38 on Monday to Saturday
- 16:45 on Sunday
- 17:41 on Monday to Saturday
- 19:37 on Monday to Saturday
The station and on train announcements will suggest that the connection can be made at Perth.
However, at Perth the transfer between the trains involves crossing the station from one side to the other, so if you have luggage etc, it's easier to make the connection at Stirling instead.
Because at that station the trains from Glasgow to Aberdeen and Dundee and the trains from Edinburgh to Inverness, which you will be connecting into, typically use the same platform; which therefore saves the bother of having to use the footbridges within Perth station.
The connecting time between trains at Perth or Stirling will typically be 10 - 20 mins, but as SMTJ discovered recently the connection is not guaranteed!
The Edinburgh to Inverness won't be held back if the train from Glasgow is delayed by more than a couple of mins.
Journey description:
This is a journey which becomes ever more dramatic the further the train travels from Glasgow.
It offers a preview of what's to come once you have travelled through Stirling, because between there and Perth, the railway passes through a rolling landscape.
Then after Perth the remainder of the journey will be on the Highland main line, which lives up to its name, because the highest elevation on the British rail network is attained on this line.
For the final two hours epic views of the rugged highland landscape can be appreciated from both sides of the train!
The videos were taken from a train heading south.
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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 go here to say thank you.
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.
