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Manchester to Edinburgh by train
How to travel by train on the glorious journey from Manchester to Edinburgh
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Routes
From Manchester to Edinburgh by train
Journey Summary
3hr - 3hr 13min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination Edinburgh
These trains commence their journeys in the station at Manchester Airport and after departure from Piccadilly station they also call at Manchester Oxford Road station
If you can book ahead of travel, so will have reserved seats, and Oxford Road has convenient access from the starting point of your journey, boarding the train there can be a a good option.
At Manchester Piccadilly the access to these trains is more convoluted, as they depart from the platform/track which is furthest from the entrance to the station.
These trains also call at: Carlisle
Connect in Carlisle for Dumfries, Hexham and Kilmarnock
These trains also call at: Haymarket a few minutes before they arrive at Edinburgh Waverley, so if your final destination is at the western side of Edinburgh city centre, you may have an easier and quicker journey if you leave the train at that station.
Connect at Haymarket for Dunfermline Kirkcaldy, Lecuchars, Dundee, Aberdeen, Perth, Aviemore and Inverness.
Monday to Friday: = 8 x trains per day
Saturday: = 7 x trains
Sunday = 4 x trains
Tickets
Book Early and Save: Yes
Online Bookings Usually Open: from up to 24 weeks ahead of the travel date (usually); TransPennnine Express (TPE) places its ticket on sale sooner than other UK train operating companies.
Saving money:
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:
All types of ticket booked at least 15 minutes ahead of travel for TPE trains have complimentary seat reservation.
If you book and Advance ticket(s) you have to travel on the train shown on the reservation, which will be the specific departure you selected when making a booking.
Though on boarding, you won't have to occupy the seat(s) you have been assigned for your ticket to be valid.
If you book Anytime or Off-Peak tickets you will be provided with a reservation(s) on the departure you selected when making a booking, but are able to transfer the reservation to any other valid departure on your travel date.
You can do this by contacting the TPE social media team, or at a station ticket desk.
What is unusual about travelling with TPE is that these reservations can be arranged up to around 15 minutes prior to departure - which is a much shorter time limit than the norm.
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 Advance 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 - enter TransPennine Express as the operator.
Booking at the station
As TPE doesn't take Advance tickets off sale until 15 mins prior to departure, if you will be booking walk-up tickets at the station try to avoid booking at the last minute.
Offers and deals:
TPE offers a group deal for when groups of 3 - 9 adults are travelling together and Advance tickets are booked online - make sure you see the 'G' symbol which indicates that the discount has been applied.
You can save 33% of the total costs of the tickets and no Railcard is required.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| TPE | * | |
| National Rail | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
In the hours when no direct trains are available, take a train from Manchester heading to Glasgow and connect in Carlisle.
Journey description:
North of Lancaster the railway passes through a glorious landscape, pretty much until it reaches the outskirts of Edinburgh.
Around five minutes north of Lancaster, the West Coast Main Line, briefly lives up to its name with a fleeting glimpse of Morecambe Bay, the only sea view on the journey.
Between Lancaster and Carlisle the railway takes a route between The Lake District to the west and the Pennines to the east;so there are great views to be enjoyed from both sides of the train towards distant mountains.
Approximately 10 minutes north of Oxenholme comes one of the highlights of the journey when the railway travels through the Lune Gorge - though here the best views are from the right (when facing the direction of travel).
A beautiful landmark to look out for on the right, just before the train enters the gorge, is the spectacular sight of Low Gill Viaduct, on a now abandoned railway.
Then as the train travels on towards Penrith, the best of the views are over to the left when heading north, on a clear day the hills of The Lake District can be seen in the distance.
The final highlight of the English section of the journey are the views to the south of Penrith.
North of Carlisle once the train has crossed the border into Scotland, it will travel through the beautiful Southern Uplands.
After the train has passed through Lockerbie station, the views as the railway climbs and then descends over Beattock summit, are particularly special.
The highlight of the Scottish section of the journey comes a little later when the railway winds a path through the hills south of Carstairs station.
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