Advantages: Routes, Cost, Times Disadvantages: See full review
The chances are you have been on one of these trains or at least seen one.
Now I know that Ciao call the trains Scot rail but they have since changed names and are now known as First Scot Rail.
**About First Scot Rail**
As I have said that they are previously known as Scot rail until the 17th of October 2004 when they became First Scot Rail. Since they merged back on the 17th of October First Scot Rail have promised that they will improve services, ... ...spend on the services that will hopefully see more people using the services. First Rail aim to be the best low cost service in Scotland within the next 5yrs. **The trains**
This varies so much depending on where you get the train really depends on the condition of the train. As I live in Edinburgh I often use the service to and from Motherwell and any time I have been on that particular service the trains have been very clean and tidy. I feel that ...
marcellep 03.10.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: Good rolling stock, helpful staff on the train, prices Disadvantages: Grumpy staff at ticket offices
I have to travel quite a lot in my job all over Scotland, North of England, Ireland & sometimes the south of England. Just like any other company I have a strict budget to keep to for traveling & for accommodation & I have to find the most cost effective methods.
Around 80% of my traveling is by car with the remaining 20% by train, plane or ferry.
Travelling in modern day Britain is no fun, by car it isn't long before your stuck in a traffic jam, ... ...I can't even remember that last time I completed a journey of more than 50 miles without seeing road works & if that's not bad enough I have to dodge the maniacs on the road, the speed cameras, the bus lane cameras, box junction cameras, the speed humps & the pot holes.
By air isn't much better, after the airline companies screw me for the ticket, plus the cost of booking a seat, plus the cost of using a credit card, plus the cost of taking luggage ...
ScottishWestie 30.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: Helpful staff, good reliability Disadvantages: Bad catering and lack of facilities.
...around using the trains. First Scotrail in particular.
We stayed at a lovely hotel in Inverness where we stayed for a week. Our journey there was quite uneventful, we used the National Express East Coast service, which was direct from London Kings Cross to Inverness. But- enough about that, I'm reviewing First Scotrail here.
Our plan was to stay in Inverness and then go out for the day using the local train services. We ended up travelling to Kyle ... ...a bit more about this later on......
== HOW EASY WAS IT TO BUY A TICKET? ==
Most of the principle FSR stations have either a Travel Center or Ticket Office where there is a full range of tickets, railcards and rover tickets available to purchase. Where there is an unmanned station or the office is simply closed, there is more often than not a Ticket Vending Machine available for use. This is where you can buy a limited range of tickets for travel ...
smcclt3006 11.01.2008 (07.02.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: Breathtaking scenery, clean trains Disadvantages: Very slow and useless North of Inverness
...Inverness. I guess Scotrail are not off to a good start. Before we have even boarded the train we know that they are slow and that the service is no good if you want to go anywhere other than a main station. Did I forget to say that the only reason that we get the train is that my girlfriend gets sick on the bus? So Scotrail are going to have to pull something good out of the bag to win me over and we have not even got on the train yet. Then I see ... ...have been booked if the Scotrail staff had bothered to put the reserved tickets out. This led to us walking along looking at seat numbers and then finding a family of fat Americans in our seats. Now being as Scotrail have not bothered to put out the reserved tickets it is not the Gargantuan Americans faults that they are in our seats so I did not take issue with them. (That plus the fact that I was terrified that one of them might eat me.) Scotrail ...
bigkenny 08.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: Scenery, Price, Great Days Out Disadvantages: Train Stock used is quite old on these lines.
...lines and feel they show Scotrail at its best - supporting remote local communities in some pretty remote terrain.
The first line - Glasgow to Oban, departs from Glasgow Queen Street. Passing through stations such as Dumbarton, Helensburgh (where the line officially starts), Gareloch head and the first stop at Ardlui. This stop allows the train coming in the opposite direction to pass, so you get a nice leg stretching there. The views are stunning ... ...details are avaliable on the scotrail website. Trains run at a frequency of about 3 / 4 times a day, except on a Sunday. But of you want a day trip to Mallaig there is only one or two possible combination to ensure you get back on the same day! There is a bit more choice for Oban, but if you want a decent length of day trip, its always best to get the earliest train and the latest back.
Of course those who are entitled to a Highland Railcard (see ...
MikeLB 22.04.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: none that I found Disadvantages: times, fares and availability inaccurate (availability is non-existent)
...a ticket online through the Scotrail web site, which apparently lets you book online. I was booking two weeks in advance (ample time normally) for an apex return Aberdeen to Edinburgh. At the moment they are £19. The booking procedure itself is very straightforward, giving you details of outward and inward journey times, you simply choose which times suits you best and the dates, and then it will give you options of whether you want Apex or full ... ...details and thought it would just be a case of sitting back and waiting for the tickets to arrive through the post.
Several hours later I receive an email informing me that no apex tickets for those times and dates were available, the fare would therefore be £29 and to simply reply to the email to confirm this. I was sceptical of this so decided to phone the telesales section instead.
I subsequently found out that the fare quoted in the email was ...
corman 04.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: The main rail service for the Scottish North Eastern line. Disadvantages: Increasingly erratic service.
...a return to form for Scotrail, then I may be forced to look into alternative methods of travel. My advice to anyone who is going to be travelling via a Scotrail service is to be careful, and make sure you have plenty of time to meet any connections wherever possible. ...
DJWally 28.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: arrive refreshed in city centre Disadvantages: sometimes delayed & expensive
...to travel overnight on the Scotrail sleeper train.For tourists this can be a much more convenient option to journeying by plane as 1 nights accomodation is already paid for, there is a chance to see scenery & you will not be arriving at an airport 1 hour from the city centre.
If booked in advance this can also be a cheaper ticket than travelling on the other 2 train options, Virgin & GNER. Be warned to check with Scotrail before booking a ticket ... ...work taking place overnight and this can cause horrendous delays to the Sleeper services if the work is not completed ontime. The Fort William service especially can crawl in hours late due to there only being single track between Glasgow and Fort William and the late running Sleeper is held for other sheduled services to run ontime.
If you are not in a rush, though, you will probably enjoy the view and will have seen areas of Scotland that are ...
howaysali 30.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: Punctual, organised, frequent trains Disadvantages: not many
...before starting uni but First Scotrail made it so easy to get back into the process. Because the trains are always on time, there is no confusion about whether i'm getting on the right train or not. Im always sure when i need to get off at my stop and things like reserved seats are always clearly marked to avoid confusion. A great service which i will continue to use for the next few years. ...
tracy112 01.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: local frequent services in Scotland Disadvantages: services disrupted in 2002
...great patience with both the ScotRail management and staff during their dispute.
My local service has been cut from 2 trains per hour to 2 trains per day. As a result, I now need to make alternative arrangements, as my journey is no longer possible.
Now that the strike is over I was looking forward to a return of at least a basic service, possibly by June.
However, I have been advised it may not be reinstated until September as they cannot guarantee ... ...the flagship Glasgow-Edingurgh, via Falkirk, service remains half-hourly until ScotRail can guarantee it will operate as intended.
Furthermore a new cross-Edinburgh service has been launched between Newcraighall and Bathgate.
Although new timetable started on 02/06/02, the website and OnLine booking is still showing the previous timetable so beware... ...
MJKerr 22.05.2002 (04.06.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: none Disadvantages: FirstScotRail people steal your money, advertise deceitfully, are always rude and lie to you
...phone all the time. First ScotRail has no rule against noisy cell phone users, which renders the journey unpleasant. I went to the First ScotRail office in the train station in Aberdeen on November 24th, knowing I would not use my return ticket on the 30th. They were rude and refused to either change the return date or to refund it. They said I should just call the company. They wouldn't help because it was bought online. I called them on November ... ...refund, I will sue. This case will go to court. Avoid this company. The travel experience is bad, their advertisement is deceitful and they certainly lie about any refunds. Whatever rights you have for what you pay, First ScotRail will trample them. Avoid the trains of this company. ...
AsherYosef 17.12.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ScotRail
Frequency of trains
Reliability of trains
Comfort of trains
On-board facilities
Quick review of ScotRail
Superb way to get from London to Edinburgh. Have a few beers, board the train @ Euston for 2345 departure, have one or two more in the lounge bar on the train with seats, tables and table service, then wake up in Edinburgh. Works just as well in reverse, recommend the Hebridean pub opposite the back entrance to Waverley Station in Edinburgh, particularly Sunday night, have a pint and listen to Gaelic jamming. Recommend booking £172 leisure first if you're on your own, get whole cabin to yourself. Have a shower in Virgin lounge in Euston, basic but functional. ...
DoogieB 13.09.2007 (12.09.2007)
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: comfortable and safe Disadvantages: none
ScotRail provide a good service around the UK. I was on this train when going to Glasgow and admit that the seats were comfy and the carriages are very posh inside. They have smaller trains for local routes. Scotrail have a service called the sleeper train with beds on them which is nice. It is quite an expensive company though. So far there has never been any complaints about the railway and thejourney si always fine. I have never heard of any crashes ...
sandie7 25.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: close to uni, easy to get to the cities Disadvantages: delays
...follow, but i dislike the scotrail trains when im travelling because i usually have at least a suitcase with me to find a space for but i have only ever found one luggage rack on a train from stirling, which annoys not just me but other passengers when my bag's in their way. Although in general the service is good and i dont really worry about the journey in to the city as the trains do run roughly every half hour (just not the times they say), and ... ...need to so i can relax alittle before my next train.
A return ticket costs about £5 which when you compare it with a return bus ticket is slightly expensive (the train ticket is only valid on the day of purchase whereas the bus tickets are valid for several days after purchase).
I have recently noticed an improvement in the timetables ie the trains are running to them, and there are more of the more modern trains running, these all have ample luggage ...
scuba_angel 31.12.2004 (09.08.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of ScotRail
Advantages: comfy seats,best train ever,the noise off the track,scenery,views,staff Disadvantages: nothing
the west highland line is the best line i have done all of there lines oban/fort/mallaig.mallaig=well in winter its rear 2 coaches and summer its rear 4 or there is an 08.51 in the summer gets u there 5 hours 10 mins later.the train used is the class 156/4 brilliant train comfortable lots of seats and just refurbished better than the air coned ones if your hot on this open a window that easy,u see gareloch, glendouglas,horse shoe curve ,rannoch moor,the ...
gner125 12.01.2008 (11.01.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of ScotRail
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