There are many myths and misconceptions with rail travel & season ticketing. Here are a few ironed out, so that you can make use of your regular, season, and adhoc travel.
Whether you buy your tickets on a smart card, or buy a traditional ticket from a ticket office, online, or at a Ticket Vending Machine, asking for the ticket you think you want, might not be actually be the best value ticket - there is so much more not necessarily obvious to the untrained eye ... do read on for more .......
A flexipass is a block of 10 single journeys purchased ahead of time - strictly usable within a month. They are offered to/from Edinburgh and Glasgow from commutable stations. Aimed at peak travel, for those travelling for less than 4 return times per week (where you'd buy a season ticket) For example, If you have a Glasgow to Edinburgh flexipass, you cannot use it to break the journey in Falkirk for the day, then continue further that night. Just buy a single ticket, or day return, which then allows break of journey on any reasonable route – and for Glasgow to Edinburgh, you can travel via the Falkirk route, the Airdrie/Bathgate route, the Bellshill/Shotts route, or the Motherwell/Carstairs route. Only available on a smart card.
You can extract quite good value from a day or open return ticket, or season tickets if you need to visit stations along the way. Note things like: on a Glasgow to Edinburgh ticket, you can travel via the Falkirk route, the Airdrie/Bathgate route, the Shotts route, or the Motherwell/Carstairs route. On a Perth to Edinburgh ticket, you can travel via Stirling, or Kirkcaldy, or Dunfermline routes. A Glasgow to Dundee ticket is valid via Perth, or Edinburgh. An Edinburgh to Dundee ticket is valid for Stirling, Dunfermline, or Kirkcaldy routes. Edinburgh to Carlisle “any permitted” tickets are valid via Glasgow and also via Dumfries. A Glasgow to Carlisle “any permitted” ticket is NOT valid via Edinburgh.
You can buy a return ticket to Dunblane from Edinburgh, for the same price as just to Falkirk - then you can see the Kelpies at Falkirk, Visit Stirling castle, and visit the quaint village of Dunblane with it's beautiful river, cathedral, and non-generic shops.
If you buy an off peak day return that has afternoon time restrictions from Glasgow, Edinburgh or Haymarket, you usually have to pay an additional amount to raise the ticket up to the peak return fare if you travel between 1641 and 1815 up to 1815. This means about an additional £11 to do so ! There is a legal way around it ...... your off peak day return IS valid to board the train at any intermediate station, such as Edinburgh park, Uphall, Slateford, Linlithgow, Falkirk, , Croy, Motherwell, Bellshill, Charing Cross, Glasgow High Street, Partick, ..... so - just buy a new single ticket from Glasgow or Edinburgh to one of those stations for £2-£6, then use your current off peak ticket for the rest of the journey ! Make sure that the train you are travelling on stops at the relevant station. You do not have to get off at that station. ### So if you are departing off peak, but need the peak period for your return (peak period in the afternoon only applies from Glasgow Queen Street, Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley & Haymarket) then this is a very economical way to avoid the high peak period fare.
Why pay the full peak period surcharge at the ticket counter when you don’t actually have to ! You are unlikely to be offered this at the ticket counter or by the mobile ticket sellers near ticketing gates at these main stations. The idea is, if you hold a Glasgow or Edinburgh to Dunblane off peak ticket, and you miss the last off peak fast train then a surcharge of approx £6-£7 applies until 1809. However, your ticket allows break of journey, so, legally, you can buy a single ticket to Edinburgh Park station (if your train stops there, most do) for £3.00. or Glasgow to Croy
If you are returning home to Stirling, or Dunblane, the peak surcharge is £6. Just pay the £3.00 to Edinburgh Park, as all peak trains, except the 1724 departure from Waverley stop there.
The peak surcharge for North Berwick is £4.50 – but just ask for a single to Musselburgh for £2.90 – then use your off peak ticket from Musselburgh to North Berwick. All North Berwick peak trains stop at Musselburgh.
The peak surcharge for Markinch from Edinburgh is £8.50. Most Markinch trains stop at Edinburgh Gateway – so just buy a single there for £3.50, and use your offpeak day return ticket from Edinburgh Gateway onwards to Markinch. Similar arrangements for surcharging your off peak tickets to peak, for destination Perth or Dunkeld.
A peak surcharge from Edinburgh to Airdrie is £6.10. All Airdrie trains stop at Edinburgh Park – so just buy your single to there for £3.00, then use your offpeak day return to Airdrie from there legitimately.
A peak period surcharge for Glasgow to Perth is around £14 …. however, just buy a single ticket to the first stop the train makes outside of Glasgow – ie Larbert or Stirling, for £7.70 – £8.70, and avoid the heftier official surcharge. Even more creative ways – catch the slower trains to Stirling, that stop at Bishop Briggs or Croy, and pay only a few pound surcharge, with a change of train at Stirling – so a longer journey time overall – but a massive saving – and you are home earlier rather than waiting until after 1841
Although the surcharges are not as high from Glasgow to places like Helensburgh, you can still buy a one stop ticket to Glasgow Charing Cross for £1.50, then use your off peak ticket from there. Similarly – buy a single to Glasgow High Street for £1.30 – then use your off peak ticket to Airdrie, Bathgate etc, or even to Edinburgh the slower way – instead of paying the expensive £11 official surcharge.
The railway fares system in Scotland mostly only offers day returns for journeys of approximately one hour or less. Frustratingly, a return to come back another day forces you to buy 2 single fares, at almost double the day return rate. How unfair is that? There are numerous loopholes that get around that (If you have others not mentioned here - please contact me to let me know). Examples being - Glasgow to Edinburgh £13.40 single, £13.60 cheap day return. There is no open return (valid for a month) - however if you ask at the ticket desk, or the ticket machines for a ticket from Glasgow to Eskbank, just past Edinburgh, then you get yourself a month return for £18.80 - and there is no afternoon peak restriction - bonus. So, asking for a greater distance, helps you win. This works in reverse direction too - ask at Edinburgh for an Eskbank to Glasgow ticket.
Edinburgh to Stirling, ask for a Shawfair to Stirling, Dunblane or Falkirk - open off peak return is £13.50 instead of paying 2 single fares totalling £19.40. Other examples, to get an open return opposed to a day return from Edinburgh - ask for Shawfair to North Berwick, Shawfair to Dunbar, Eskbank to Markinch. If you wanted an open ticket Edinburgh to North Berwick - there is none - you get charged 2 singles - £14.20 - but if YOU ask for a Shawfair to North Berwick offpeak open return (valid for a month) then you pay just £8.60 instead.
There are lots of instances where buying multiple tickets for the journey you are making, are cheaper than buying one ticket - due to fare anomalies, changes to off peak times etc. Some examples below:
Buying tickets from the North Berwick line to Aberdeen or Glasgow on the day, it is much cheaper to buy a ticket to Edinburgh, then a separate ticket onto Aberdeen or Glsagow, especially if you are leaving East Lothian in the peak, and leaving Edinburgh in the Off-Peak.
For Glasgow to Dundee (and similar savings for stations just on from Dundee – Broughty Ferry, Carnoustie, Arbroath, Montrose etc) … an anytime return to Dundee, quoted for departures from Glasgow before 0915 – £48.30. If you ask for it to be split at Perth – £46.40 before 0810, or for a day trip – if leaving after 0800 (funny fare rule for Perth destined tickets !) – total fare to Dundee from Glasgow is £25.90. If you depart Glasgow after 0915 – the official fare quoted (open for a month, off peak) is £40.30 – but – by splitting it at Perth for a day return – only £25.90. HUGE savings due to ridiculous fare rulings that are not consistent, and certainly not fair. All trains from Glasgow to Dundee and further north, stop at Perth.
Popping to Dundee from Glasgow or Edinburgh for the day, after 0915, in the off peak hours? There are no cheap day returns on this city pair, just an open (expensive) return - but .. if you are coming from Glasgow, buy a cheap day return to Perth, then another to Dundee and you have saved several £. From Edinburgh, buy a cheap day return to Leuchars, then another to Dundee. Currently all trains stop at thee intermediate stations (except perhaps when engineering works apply on some weekends). This saves at least £5.
Like to go to the Highlands? For a day trip from Edinburgh or Glasgow? There are some odd fare rules on this line. Again, there are no official cheap day return fares - so buy a cheap day return to Perth, then another onto Kingussie, Aviemore or Inverness. Strangely, These cheap day returns to Perth are valid after 0800, instead of the usual 0915 - so more bonuses here especially if on the popular 0833 Edinburgh to Inverness train. leaving on the 0833 to Inverness open return £68.30, but by asking for the ticket to be split at Perth (remain on the SAME train) the day return is £46.80 - all for just asking !
Travelling from Central Scotland, via Glasgow to Fort William or Oban for the day ? Again, often cheaper to split your ticket at Glasgow, get a return fare, even if it is peak period to Glasgow from Stirling or Edinburgh, (for example) then you can get day returns from Glasgow up the West Highland line - and there is no peak surcharge time for tickets starting in Glasgow towards the West Highlands, whereas if your ticket starts before Glasgow, then there are peak times to consider, for the total ticket price. Leaving on the first connection to Fort William for a day trip you will be asked to pay an anytime return £96.40 - but if you ask for the fare to be split at Glasgow - the same train connections will cost you £57.60.
Coming from Milngavie, Helensburgh, Paisley etc to Edinburgh for the day – it nearly always works out better asking for 2 day returns, split at Glasgow, rather than a through fare on one ticket. When splitting tickets at Glasgow – you need to be careful of not only the morning peak period, ending at 0915, but also the afternoon peak between 1641 and 1809 (and the 1815 trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh).
Live in, or travel to East Lothian, and wanting a day ticket – the fares are even more crazy- and do not make sense! If you look up the fare for Musselburgh, Wallyford, Longniddry, or Drem to Glasgow – there is only a month return open ticket showing – approx £25.50 return. No dame day return for less. However, if you ask for a North Berwick to Glasgow ticket, further away – there is a day return fare for £20.20. You can use this ticket to board at any of the stations on the North Berwick line, after 0915. (and no travel out of Edinburgh to Glasgow or East Lothian after 1643 on weekdays). Another way around it is to split your ticket at Edinburgh – buy a Wallyford to Edinburgh fare, plus a separate day return to Glasgow – all for £17.80.
Nearby Brunstane and Newcraighall DO have day returns to the Glasgow area – so no need to split tickets. Also Dunbar, even though considerably further away from Glasgow then the other East Lothian stations, their day return is a mere £18.10. Yes, the railway pricing staff should be embarrassed at such fares, but with a little digging and planning, and asking the right questions, you can get a MUCH better fare than what online quotes, and what you initially see on the ticket vending machines. (You can however, on the newer ticket vending machines, buy these split tickets, as you can ask for tickets commencing at different stations .)
You can buy cheap advance fares on this route - but if you decide on the day, or when no advance/fixed tickets are available, then these loophole thoughts can help you save a lot.
The open return to Carlisle from Edinburgh is an outrageous £99.00 (a reduction if your ticket is valid only on Avanti Trains West Coast – once every 2 hours, for £53.10, or Trans Pennine only, every 2 hours, for £65.00) .. however, a legitimate loophole – ask for the ticket to be issued Croy/Carlisle, open for EITHER operator, one month validity, after 0900 weekdays, anytime at the weekends – and the fare is only £25.90, for EXACTLY the same trains. Leaving before 0900 the rate is £60.00. The Croy fare is modelled on the Glasgow to Carlisle fare, however if the ticket starts at Croy, it IS valid via Edinburgh/Haymarket for no extra. Another very unfair pricing – the journey times are almost identical, yet the fare is almost double out of Edinburgh, compared to Glasgow . The fare from Croy to Penrith and Oxenholme after 0900 is £35.00 – still a SUPER saving over the fare just originating at Edinburgh. Ironically, if you were just going a few minutes down the track, to Lancaster, this loophole does not apply – the fare suddenly jumps to £64 … but if your train stops at Oxenholme – then buy a Croy to Oxenholme ticket, and a separate ticket to Lancaster, and back to Oxenholme – a total of £42.80 – still over a £20 saving on what the ticket machines and counter staff, and online displays, are likely to offer you.
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If you know of more loopholes - please email them in to be added to this website
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This option is great for tourists, and business people. Let’s say you want to see some of the scenic places of Scotland – if you plan in advance using these tips, you can extract greater value for your money. If you start in Edinburgh, and buy an off peak return to Inverness for £56.20, or if you start in Glasgow, the return to Inverness is £60.10 – you could enjoy a stop on the way up on the SAME day – for example Stirling, or Perth, Or Pitlochry – then continue up that afternoon or evening. Then coming back , you can make as many stops as you wish in the same direction, as long as it is still within the one month validity – so overnight, or several night stops on the return portion of your ticket only.
You could visit Aviemore , Kingussie, Dalwhinnie, Blair Athol, Pitlochry, Stirling, Falkirk, or the Fife coastal stops such as Burnt Island and Aberdour, and the very scenic stops at Queensferry to see the 3 mighty bridges spanning the picturesque Firth of Forth. Great value for money – seeing a wide variety of Scottish scenery and history. For Edinburgh originating customers, by buying an off peak to Inverness that allows travel back via Aberdeen/Dundee, total fare would be £64.00 – and you could then stop on your way back at Elgin, Keith, Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Dundee, Leuchars (to visit St Andrews by bus extension). If you start your journey from Glasgow – the fare to Inverness, returning via Aberdeen/Dundee is £76.50. You can even pay a surcharge if you wish to travel early in the peak period, and that ticket also gives you 5 days to get to your destination (Inverness) and therefore break your journey on the way to, and, from Inverness !
If you are travelling from Glasgow to Perth for a day return – you can break your journey in Stirling, for example for no extra – in either direction on a day return.
If you are travelling to Kyle of Lochalsh (usually to get over to Skye, this is the last mainline rail station, which overlooks the Isle of Skye) from Edinburgh, Glasgow or Stirling – not only can you break your journey on the way back at interesting places like Plockton, Inverness, Pitlochry and Stirling, you are actually permitted to go out to Kyle via Inverness, and return by train from Mallaig and/or Fort William, and return via the West Highland line, again with stops along the way, including having some time at Glasgow (if you are returning to Edinburgh or Stirling), or walk between some of the stations on this line and get on further down the line. You can do this with the Off peak ticket, break journey on the way back only, or the “Anytime” higher priced fare – stop on the way out, and back, and use trains before 0915.
If you are travelling from the East of Scotland (Edinburgh, Dunbar, Fife, West Lothian to anywhere on the West Coast line in England (Carlisle, Windermere, Liverpool, Preston, Crewe, Wales, etc, on your return you can break the journey in Glasgow on the way back .. and also you can use the slower scenic line via Dumfries and Kilmarnock to Glasgow, then later to East Scotland.
If you are buying a ticket from the East of Scotland to somewhere in the west – such as Helensburgh, Dunoon, or Ardrossan – you can always break your journey in Glasgow on the way or way back, taking into account any off peak restrictions.
You might buy a £24 fare from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, then another £24 fare back to Edinburgh, a total of £48 fixing you in to that train company and time. No refunds. If the times are in the off peak hours, after 0915 – you could have bought a £53.50 return fare giving you trains all day, flexible, and valid for a month for not only a further £4. There is also a London North East Railway only fare for £47 return – flexible – on their 3 or 4 trains per day – so some flexibility, and certainly more flexibility than buying restrictive “advance” fares.
Many people buy an advance ticket from Glasgow or Edinburgh to London for £70 down, and £59 back – so £129 return … locking them into the trains booked, and any changes costing considerable amounts. By initially paying approximately £142 return – they have a semi-flexible return ticket in the off peak hours – providing good flexibility for minimal extra fare.
It’s common for people from Glasgow or Edinburgh to Perth – to buy £8 advance fares each way – £16 return in effect – but NO changes allowed as the fare is less than a tenner each way .. if they had paid about £17.50 for a DAY return- they they have flexibility – for hardly any extra. Advance fares can easily trip you up – especially if you arrive late and miss your booked train.
Monthly tickets - many assume that your monthly ticket is only valid for a month ! If the month ends on a Thursday, you can ask to have one more day added to the ticket for a prorated rate - better than buying a regular day return for the Friday, or starting your next season ticket earlier than needed. If you are renewing your season ticket in November, and are off work over the festive period, ask to have your season ticket calculated to your last December day of work, then re-start a new season ticket in January. Similar can apply as you approach your holidays. No need to waste days of your season ticket because you are not at work. Plan ahead and buy only what you need.
With Monthly or longer season tickets, you can renew upto 7 days ahead, if it is continuous, or after 12 noon the day prior a new start date. A weekly ticket can only be bought on the day the ticket starts, or at anytime on Sunday for Monday starts. There are no replacements possible for weekly tickets, but for monthly or longer season tickets, replacements for a fee are possible from the original place of purchase.
If you start your journey at an unstaffed station, you can buy weekly tickets from ticket vending machines, or from the conductor onboard (as long as you have a railway photocard). If you are buying a monthly or longer ticket, this can only be bought at a staffed station (and online retailers/corporate travel agents). You can buy a single ticket into Edinburgh or Glasgow (or wherever you are going) and as long as you do not surrender that ticket at the ticket barriers, you can have the one way ticket deducted off your monthly or longer season ticket – whether you buy that when you get there, or after work that day.
If you travel into Glasgow or Edinburgh for work, then are heading off by train after work to say England, you can buy a ticket from your home station to England, via your work city, stop in your work city for the day, then continue that afternoon to England (or wherever you are going). For shorter journeys, the fare from Edinburgh or Glasgow to England, may be the same, or only a few pound extra, to include your home station !
This applies to the advance/fixed fares, that are fixed on the longhaul sector to England, but are flexible on the non-reservable commuter sector.
For example: If you buy an advance fixed ticket for say Linlithgow to Newcastle – online it may show a local train into Edinburgh at 1640 then your booked/fixed train at 1731 to Newcastle. You MUST be on the 1731 booked train, however, you can use ANY train into Edinburgh that day – so come in at 0800 for work, then use the rest of your ticket after work to Newcastle.
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