meFIRST

Hi ,

I'm wondering if its worth it (for the sake of doing something different) and perhaps to soak in some scenery, to take the train from London to Glasgow.

I've flown this route before, of course all I saw was clouds. The view taking off from LCY was probably the highlight of that trip.

Care to comment?

Also, I'm a little puzzled as to why the train is a little slow. 600 km/ 375 miles (approx), this should take no more than 4 hours, on European fast trains.

National rail is quoting me a 5 hour 40 minute journey time? (with no stops)

dgwright99

If you want to take in the scenary, there is plenty of that along the way. But it will likely cost significantly more than flying, and the service is unlikely to be any better than Amtrak.

It is a common mistike to think of all EU rail as bing TGV-like; it isn't. Much of it doesn't give a significantly better experience than Amtrak (indeed, it can be significantly worse than most of my Amtrak experineces), and in the UK be prepared for high prices and patchy performance.

kaceyellis

No kidding! Today the London Euston train cancelled and then the London/Glasgow was running late (actually several were running late) - and that seems to be the 'norm' lately.

tom911

Actually, if you buy your ticket on line in advance and travel off peak, it might be cheaper than flying BA. I took the train from Edinburgh to London last month and paid about $50, while an airline ticket on BA, with over half the cost being taxes, was $111. The service I was on had power ports and free wi-fi. I was originally going to fly, but with rail being half the price I decided to go that way. Worked out fine.

Wingnut

I would strongly suggest taking the National Express East Coast service to Glasgow from Kings Cross (this is the one via Edinburgh). It will be scheduled to take maybe an hour longer than the more direct Virgin West Coast service, but it is far more reliable and the scenery is far better. Sit on the right hand side from London to Glasgow (if facing direction of travel). It's the East Coast service that has free wifi (throughout the train). You can buy advance purchase first class seats from £47.50 (standard class from £12.00). Schedule the journey over lunchtime and have lunch in the dining car. http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/

bounty

A recent enhancement means that there is only a dining car on the following services:

Northbound, Anglo Scottish route
16.30, 17.00, 17.30, 18.00, 18.20, 18.30, 19.00

All other services offer at seat dining, but the choice is not as good as it was.

David-A

I can assure you that the train will stop enroute!

Although different services will stop in different places and numbers of places, it is virtually unheard of for there to be services with NO stops at all - other than to set records.

Are you possibly confusing 0 changes?
- A change would be where you get off and change train. Unless you lookup the details of the full service, national rail doesn't tell you how many stops it makes as that is just one of the factors affecting journey time (routing being another), as such for A-B journeys it is of little interest.

However, for proof there are quicker services look at the 1630 northbound M-F.
http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/img/ti..._Trains_EF.pdf
Journey time 4h10m with 1 stop listed. And there are other services in the area of 4h30min mark.

Remember too that this is city-centre to city-centre times and the UK rail network is old and most of the track routes predate super fast rail, coupled with the routes into the cities not predating the already well developed towns and cities results in few track routes being as direct as they could be as-the-crow-flies.

alanR

1) All long distance trains stop - expect at least 5 stops between London & Glasgow
2) Normal travel time is between 4h30m & 4h50m using the West Coast line from Euston and 5h20m using the East Coast line from Kings Cross, therefore you probably want to travel on a Sunday when they want to dig up and maintain the tracks thus the slower travel time
3) Most UK train lines were built in the mid 19th century therefore you are limited by the physics of the underlying ground as regards things like bends, slopes etc - most high speed lines run on tracks that are purpose built and which are substantially straight and level

You could BTW get the sleeper train from Euston to Glasgow and do the travelling overnight thus saving several hours of daytime travel as well as hotel bills

Alsacienne

The West Coast line is still suffering delays owing to a fatal air crash between a light airplane and overhead electricity wires in the West Midlands.

One of the regular English subjects for jokes refers to its train service - especially in the days before deregulation - British Rail.

You will at least be able to travel from City Centre to City Centre directly by rail, which makes it a lot less of a hassle than by air, and there's no luggage weight restrictions. Just allow yourself a good time margin and enjoy the changing view. Travelling by train is one of the easiest ways to experience a country rather than a point of origin and a point of destination. I'd recommend it.

JanePond

This thread has intrigued me since I will have 2 weeks in London in March. I would like to do it in one day and did check the above-mentioned websites. Now, is there a spot in or near the Glasgow Central station for a bit of late lunch and or perhaps a place to buy some take-along dinner if there is no dining car?
I love train travel and am somewhat immobile so the train trip should be a nice adventure. I have been to Edinburgh, so unless someone can make a great case for stopping there, Glasgow is my choice. There are several 'no change' departures.
Thanks~

RichardInSF

At the risk of being verbally attacked by locals-- skip Glasgow and just go to Edinburgh again. In any event, if the attackers really are Glasgow locals, I won't be able to understand the attack anyway.

Stockycub1973

Glasgow Central is right in the heart of Glasgow. There are plenty of restaurants nearby to choose from. It all depends on what cuisine you would like.

How long do you plan to be in Glasgow? What is your mobility issue? If you are able to manage stairs take a quick jaunt on the Glasgow Subway from Buchanan Street to Hillhead and check out one of the West End venues.

Stockycub1973

I shall just peer over the top of my spectacles and give you a haughty look for that comment.

Swanhunter

Disagree. I thought Glasgow well worth a couple of days - architecture, museums, a couple of lovely hotels - as well as the hospitable locals. I say that as someone who is normally highly critical of the UK outside London.

JanePond

I am doing this trip in one day. So, just have time for lunch. It's really for the scenery. Will look for something outside the station. I am a pub grub kind of gal (using that term loosely) so bangers and mash are fine. I can negotiate steps but not long walks. I just want to sit on the train and look out the window, and perhaps visit with some other passengers.

It's a long day, but at the hotel prices I am paying, plan to sleep in my London bed.

Thanks!