Getting There By Rail
Rail service in Edinburgh is as bad as it is in the rest of Britain. While long distance services are fairly reliable (especially the GNER service to London), other trains can be cancelled at the last minute, with no explanation. The major rail service provider for routes to and from the south is Great North East Railway – GNER (tel: (0845) 722 5225; website: www.gner.co.uk ), while Scotrail (tel: (0845) 755 0033; website: www.scotrail.co.uk ) operates all services within Scotland, as well as a London-Edinburgh link. National Rail Enquiries (tel: (0845) 748 4950) provides 24-hour timetable and fare information for all train companies.
Edinburgh has two train stations – Waverley station (located right in the heart of the city, at the East End of Princes Street) and Haymarket station (at the junction of Dalry Road and Haymarket, in the West End). Facilities at Waverley include a food mall, a newsagent and a pub.
Rail services: Scotrail (see above) operates a train service from Glasgow to Edinburgh every 15 minutes (journey time – 50 minutes). Scotrail’s Caledonian Sleeper, between London (Euston) and Edinburgh, runs every night except Saturday (journey time – 6 hours and 45 minutes). Virgin Trains (tel: (0845) 722 2333; website: www.virgintrains.co.uk ) operates a direct service between Manchester and Edinburgh, three times a day (journey time – 3 hours). GNER operates a direct half-hourly service between London (Kings Cross) and Edinburgh (journey time – 4 hours and 30 minutes).
Transport to the city: Both Waverley station and Haymarket station are within walking distance of the Old Town and the New Town. The stations are also served by numerous bus routes and taxis.
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Getting There By Rail