Question about train from London to Edinburgh

[FSU Girl]

I'm wondering if anyone has bought a train ticket from London to Edinburgh. What website did you use? There are two I've looked at, lner.co.uk and thetrainline.com. When I look at the later it shows me dates available that say are unavailable yet to book on the first site, but isn't that the main train site? I'm wondering if the second site is reliable to book with? We would be booking round trip tickets and are debating doing the train or flying. The train seems more direct with nicer scenery though. I would love to hear people's opinions. 

[Globaliser]

41 minutes ago, FSU Girl said:

We would be booking round trip tickets and are debating doing the train or flying.

 

I've not yet taken the train from London to Edinburgh because I've always flown. It helps that I can easily get to London City Airport where the absolute minimum check-in time is typically 20 minutes; and if I'm not checking a bag and I have my boarding pass, I know I can arrive at the airport 20 minutes before scheduled departure time and usually still have near-zero stress in getting to the gate and aircraft on time. Getting to many places in central Edinburgh is a lot easier than it used to be because the tram is now operating. And although I don't get the scenery, I do get many hours back from not sitting on the train.

 

Having said that, when I do buy train tickets I usually buy from the train operator in question or another train operator, because they don't impose the booking fee that Trainline charges.

[Morgans]

We always use Lner - the tickets are marginally cheaper as you are not paying a little commission to the Trainline. Tickets with Lner are usually available from approx 3 months out. That said, Trainline are perfectly legitimate and many people use them. I wouldn't have thought there would be any rush, however, as tickets won't be sold out with 3 months to go.

[FSU Girl]

1 hour ago, Globaliser said:

 

I've not yet taken the train from London to Edinburgh because I've always flown. It helps that I can easily get to London City Airport where the absolute minimum check-in time is typically 20 minutes; and if I'm not checking a bag and I have my boarding pass, I know I can arrive at the airport 20 minutes before scheduled departure time and usually still have near-zero stress in getting to the gate and aircraft on time. Getting to many places in central Edinburgh is a lot easier than it used to be because the tram is now operating. And although I don't get the scenery, I do get many hours back from not sitting on the train.

 

Having said that, when I do buy train tickets I usually buy from the train operator in question or another train operator, because they don't impose the booking fee that Trainline charges.

We will have big bags that will need to be checked if we fly. When I figure the time it'll take us to get from the city center of London to the airport and fly and then get to the city center of Edinburgh the time between flying and train will be about the same time. 

 

When you say another train operator what do you mean? When I googled it, it looked like there's just the one train from Kings Cross to Edinburgh. 

[FSU Girl]

1 hour ago, Morgans said:

We always use Lner - the tickets are marginally cheaper as you are not paying a little commission to the Trainline. Tickets with Lner are usually available from approx 3 months out. That said, Trainline are perfectly legitimate and many people use them. I wouldn't have thought there would be any rush, however, as tickets won't be sold out with 3 months to go.

Our trip is in May so the dates aren't out yet. I was checking for March to get an idea of cost. Is it normal that Lner has a lot of weekend dates that can't be booked for February, but if I go to Trainline I could book those dates just fine?

[Globaliser]

29 minutes ago, FSU Girl said:

We will have big bags that will need to be checked if we fly. When I figure the time it'll take us to get from the city center of London to the airport and fly and then get to the city center of Edinburgh the time between flying and train will be about the same time. 

 

That's why I specifically mentioned London City Airport. You could leave many central London locations 90 minutes before the flight, arrive at the airport to drop your checked bags, clear security and still (a) be at the gate in good time and (b) normally still have plenty of margin. If I leave my office (near St Paul's) at that sort of time, I can usually expect enough margin to have a beer and some lunch before boarding starts.

 

30 minutes ago, FSU Girl said:

When you say another train operator what do you mean? When I googled it, it looked like there's just the one train from Kings Cross to Edinburgh.

 

Most train operators in the UK will sell tickets for most other operators' trains. So you can for example buy a ticket for a London-Edinburgh operated by LNER from South Western Railway.

[lamchops]

I used Scotrail in September for my trip from Edinburgh waverley to London Kings Cross. I booked on their website with ease and chose to pick up at the station wicket. I could of used a kiosk but there was no line up. There was options for London to waverley as well.

 I booked Glasgow to Dundee, Dundee to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to London as I was planning each stop and it allowed me to pick up all my tickets at the first departure.

[fabnfortysomething]

LNER are the actual train operator between London ans Scotland on the East coast rail line

best prices usually bookable 12 weeks out if you buy advance fares ie for a particular train with free seat reservations

travel time about 5 hours from London Kings cross to Edinburgh Waverley

scenery varies along route-some countryside and other times long stretches of travelling between cut out areas with nothing to see but high hedges

however the coastal route around Berwick is well worth seeing

sometimes the first class fares are very little more than standard class depending on your travel time and that includes wider seats and free drinks and meals

luggage storage at each end of train compartment can be limited but you can arrange online to have your luggage stored on guards compartment -useful if you have large cases  

[FSU Girl]

7 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said:

LNER are the actual train operator between London ans Scotland on the East coast rail line

best prices usually bookable 12 weeks out if you buy advance fares ie for a particular train with free seat reservations

travel time about 5 hours from London Kings cross to Edinburgh Waverley

scenery varies along route-some countryside and other times long stretches of travelling between cut out areas with nothing to see but high hedges

however the coastal route around Berwick is well worth seeing

sometimes the first class fares are very little more than standard class depending on your travel time and that includes wider seats and free drinks and meals

luggage storage at each end of train compartment can be limited but you can arrange online to have your luggage stored on guards compartment -useful if you have large cases  

Can you keep your suitcase with you instead of putting it in a different location?

[fabnfortysomething]

5 minutes ago, FSU Girl said:

Can you keep your suitcase with you instead of putting it in a different location?

depends what you mean about keeping your suitcase with you

the overhead luggage racks are only big enough for cabin size bggage

larger cases to be stored on racks at either end of compartment and you may not be able to keep an eye on them from your seat if you can even find room

that's why I suggested using guards compartment as they have responsibility for them

[FSU Girl]

38 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said:

depends what you mean about keeping your suitcase with you

the overhead luggage racks are only big enough for cabin size bggage

larger cases to be stored on racks at either end of compartment and you may not be able to keep an eye on them from your seat if you can even find room

that's why I suggested using guards compartment as they have responsibility for them

If the train isn't full so there isn't anyone near us could we keep the full sized luggage next to us? Or they make you put them in the luggage areas?What exactly is the guards compartment? Is that something you pay extra and they make sure only you come back to take your bag?

[Morgans]

When you book with Lner on line you will be allocated seats with your booking - you can change your allocated ones to ones of your own choice which are next to/near the larger luggage racks at the end of the carriages where you will be able to keep an eye on your bags. Do this on line immediately with your booking - rather similar to checking your seats with an airline.

If you book 1st class ( and has been said if you book 3 mths out the fares are comparable with 2nd class) you can check the layout of seats and some have spaces next to them where you can keep your luggage near you - usually the centre of the carriage. Also with 1st class you get food/drink/snacks included which aren't too bad at all.

[Cotswold Eagle]

On the specific original question, it seems that there are Sundays in February and March in the booking window, but for which LNER are not selling tickets.  Looking at the National Rail planner it seems there are engineering works on the lines into Kings Cross those days, so LNER may not yet be sure their services will run or the timings. Trainline may be selling just off the published timetable. 

[tartanexile81]

If the tickets aren't available on the LNER website, it is because the timetable hasn't been released. If trains are late these days, passengers get automatic refunds so train companies are much more cagey, often delaying the release of weekend  tickets  when so much engineering work is being done.  All you can do is keep an eye on the website and buy when they are released. I wouldn't buy from Trainline as their tickets will be full price and in my experience you can great great deals on weekend tickets on the Edinburgh to London line. 

 

We always keep our luggage close to us, but choosing seats next to the luggage racks. We also take a cycle lock and link them together so nobody could pick them up. We never use the guard's van. 

 

It is also possible to take a different route north, up the West coast but it's a bit longer and IMO the East coast route on LNER is more picturesque.  

[Bob++]

Note that an "Advance Ticket" is the cheapest, but comes with restrictions. Mainly that tickets are non-refundable so if you miss your train you'll need to buy a new ticket.  https://www.lner.co.uk/rail-travel/your-ticket/train-ticket-options/advance-tickets/

 

With a First Class ticket, you also get to use the First Class lounge at Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverly. https://www.lner.co.uk/the-east-coast-experience/first-class/first-class-lounges/

[PhilbeachTraveller]

There are two train companies that go London to Edinburgh - LNER from Kings Cross and Virgin from Euston (stations are very near to each other). You can book quite far in advance on Virgin Trains if you look on their website. Virgin travel on the west side of the UK and LNER on the east. We used LNER in September to go to Scotland and enjoyed the trip. Have used Virgin before and they were ok as well. First class on both gives you free food. If you travel at weekends (I think on both lines) there is a very cheap upgrade to 1st available on the day.

[FSU Girl]

Thanks everyone! That sounds shady that the other website would sell tickets when potentially the train won't even be running that day. Is train maintenance common, or is it being done in February because its an off season? 

 

For the luggage I guess our only option is to put them in the luggage area, I'll pick seats that are close to it so I can keep an eye on my stuff. Now I need to find luggage that meets the size requirements, I think the ones I have now are too large.

[PhilbeachTraveller]

Train maintenance is usually at weekends (Sundays are usually the most painful!). The National Rail website posts what engineering works are happening (as do the train websites) so keep an eye on them. Other delays/cancellations can be down to weather, accidents or whatever!

[tring]

On 12/14/2018 at 8:46 PM, FSU Girl said:

Can you keep your suitcase with you instead of putting it in a different location?

 

Highly unlikely, as mentioned by someone else you need a seat near to a luggage rack.  The seats are tight and the aisle narrow (like on a plane) so unless the train is fairly empty and you could find an empty seat next to the one you sit on for your bag to 'sit' there is no room at all.  You do not have to occupy the seat you have booked (which will likely have other nearby seats booked).  If you can find a seat that is not labelled as booked for some stage of the journey and you may find an cabin that is more sparsely occupied.  That would still be a big gamble though as if the train became busier and you need to take your bag off the seat it is sitting on then there will not be any space left on the luggage racks.  At times like that it is normal to see people in the spaces at the end of the carriages sitting on their cases. 

 

To ensure space on the luggage racks, (which are not really big enough), you will have to be waiting by the boards in the London station (so you can see as soon as the platform is listed for your train and then make a very speedy walk to the platform, especially if travelling at a busy time of day/season.  Long distance trains are rarely not busy, but travelling first class will make the journey a whole lot better regards both luggage and the journey - I would recommend that if the prices are not ridiculously high, as first class carriages are not normally fully occupied if you travel off peak and the seating much better, often with snacks/drinks included and possible use of a first class lounge in London station.  Snacks not always included at weekends.  

 

Air travel does have it's advantages.

Edited December 18, 2018 by tring

[tring]

5 minutes ago, tring said:

Mistakenly repeated post.

 

Edited December 18, 2018 by tring

[FSU Girl]

5 hours ago, PhilbeachTraveller said:

Train maintenance is usually at weekends (Sundays are usually the most painful!). The National Rail website posts what engineering works are happening (as do the train websites) so keep an eye on them. Other delays/cancellations can be down to weather, accidents or whatever!

Hmm, we would be going up to Edinburgh on a Monday, but back down on a Sunday because my birthday is the following Monday and I didn't want to spend my birthday travelling. How far out would they say the train isn't running on a day due to maintenance?

[FSU Girl]

1 hour ago, tring said:

 

Highly unlikely, as mentioned by someone else you need a seat near to a luggage rack.  The seats are tight and the aisle narrow (like on a plane) so unless the train is fairly empty and you could find an empty seat next to the one you sit on for your bag to 'sit' there is no room at all.  You do not have to occupy the seat you have booked (which will likely have other nearby seats booked).  If you can find a seat that is not labelled as booked for some stage of the journey and you may find an cabin that is more sparsely occupied.  That would still be a big gamble though as if the train became busier and you need to take your bag off the seat it is sitting on then there will not be any space left on the luggage racks.  At times like that it is normal to see people in the spaces at the end of the carriages sitting on their cases. 

 

To ensure space on the luggage racks, (which are not really big enough), you will have to be waiting by the boards in the London station (so you can see as soon as the platform is listed for your train and then make a very speedy walk to the platform, especially if travelling at a busy time of day/season.  Long distance trains are rarely not busy, but travelling first class will make the journey a whole lot better regards both luggage and the journey - I would recommend that if the prices are not ridiculously high, as first class carriages are not normally fully occupied if you travel off peak and the seating much better, often with snacks/drinks included and possible use of a first class lounge in London station.  Snacks not always included at weekends.  

 

Air travel does have it's advantages.

I'm afraid of flying so would love to avoid getting on a plane four times in two weeks lol. We would be travelling to Edinburgh on a Monday, but back to London on a Sunday because the following Monday is my birthday and I don't want to travel on that day. The whole luggage process sounds confusing. Are the bags safe in the luggage room or are there issues of people having their bags stolen? I'll look into doing first class if it isn't crazy expensive. Maybe we should do the train up and a flight back, although that sounds a little complicated. 

[Bob++]

You are over-thinking this. Thousands of people take their luggage on these trains without problems so there is no real reason to worry. (so long as you can handle it yourself).  

 

Here is a link to the website for future engineering work, and you should check nearer the date. There is a box under the heading "Engineering work for" and you enter the date. In the next box, click on "London North Eastern Rail". At the moment it only goes as far as March 2019.

 

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/currentAndFuture.aspx

Edited December 18, 2018 by Bob++

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, FSU Girl said:

Maybe we should do the train up and a flight back, although that sounds a little complicated. 

 

There's nothing complicated about this. You can easily buy a one-way train ticket and you can easily buy a one-way air ticket.

 

FWIW, the disruptive engineering work is usually on the tracks rather than the trains.

[tring]

I was only commenting on your wish to keep your luggage near to you and giving the practicalities of train travel.  I have never heard of asking for luggage to be put in the guards van so cannot comment on that.  I have also never heard of luggage going missing from the normal luggage racks which are commonly used, but I would not leave any valuables in them.

 

Sunday can be a quieter day on the trains as there is no commuters, though we have travelled out of another big city to London on the 1pm train last summer and shared it with a fair number of people, including a couple of stag party groups (and a large number of cans of beer).  Dawned on us that many weekenders will have checked out of their hotels at midday, so it was a popular train.  If you go for one of the cheaper trains (ticket prices vary) it is also likely to be one of the less busy trains as the prices go up according to number of bookings.  No worry if you are not fed in first class on a Sunday as there will still be a buffet carriage where you can buy food/drinks.  Weekend likley to be cheaper for first class.

 

Often the effect of engineering works is that the trains take a lot longer to complete the journey rather than be cancelled and cancellation of part of a journey will probably be replaced by a bus between two stations.  Train is quite doable - just that flights take a lot less time, though as you say go out/into the city centres, rather than an out of town airport.

Edited December 18, 2018 by tring