Scotrail Railways

I rode the Scotrail railways a few times while out in the Glasgow area, even rode it out to Edinburgh and back.
The trains ran on time and were very clean, the conductors were friendly and helpful as well. There are signs on the train saying free WiFi, but I never tried it, but thought that was pretty cool.
What surprised me was the cost of traveling, It was cheaper than I expected, I was willing to pay way more than what was needed.
Scotrail railways was a great way to get around, when traveling always opt to check out the local public transit. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

I used ScotRail for a day trip to Glasgow and have used it several times before.
Getting tickets is easy to do, I just purchase mine online or through their mobile app. My last experience on ScotRail was great, making that four trips in a row that were awesome. The train set up is nice and clean, the station employees on the Glasgow side are also friendly, and the time to get to Edinburgh isn’t bad at all.
I can clearly hear the next calling from the ScotRail staff over the speaker while on the train and there always seem to be some good seats left (at least when I ride). So, all in all, I have to say that for a regional service, I think ScotRail does a pretty good job and getting people to and fro with little interruption or problem. I think we can all appreciate that.
4-​stars for ScotRail in Glasgow!

The voice speaker on your trains that have them, need to be turned down on the trains that pass through queen street.
They are going to damage someone’s hearing. You can’t read a book, as the noise is so load, and every time you try to speak, the sound drowns your voice out.
Please turn it down as I’m not the only one.

Scotrail. Should this not say Scot-​fail?
Scotrail excel at what they do. Sadly that ain’t delivering an effective train service. They excel at cancelling trains, delaying trains, charging to much and generally letting their customers down.
If you go to Germany, Denmark or any other modern, well run, progressive country you will see what I’m talking about. Trains run on time, they come regularly, they are clean and you don’t have to pay Dick Turpin to get on them.
Yes Scotrail let me down today, but it ain’t the first time. It’s a regular occurrence, your better off moon walking backwards to your destination. You will probably get there faster than Scot fail will take you.

Quite clean cars. Bathrooms are gross just like any typical train. £12.60 will buy you a return ticket. Make sure you keep your ticket handy since the conductor will ask to see it minutes after the train leaves the station. Hold on to the ticket still because you’ll need it to exit the station.
Free wifi on the train is not always reliable but works off and on.

A vacationer in Scotland last week, I took ScotRail trains on three separate occasions – one from Aberdeen to Glasgow, and the other from Glasgow to Edinburgh (and back). I only wish I could travel so easily (and relatively cheaply) on a regular basis, so I may be suffering from a fairly high degree of bias, but my trips were OK.
Just my luck that they were working on the rail between Aberdeen and Dundee the day I left. After being directed to follow «the lady in front of you» at the ticket counter, I found my way to where the coaches were taking off. Of course all of us were going to Dundee, the train being out and all, but it took the people wranglers a while to figure out how they should separate those of us going to just Dundee, or on to Edinburgh or Glasgow. Nobody in queue seemed to know what was going on, either, so I didn’t feel terribly left out. The ride was lovely, however.
At Dundee, I had a hell of time figuring out where my seat was. I’d bought my ticket a week in advance back in Canada, and I was supposed to have a reservation. I had to ask five fellow passengers and even a ticket inspector (WTF?) before a kind soul finally told me she’d had a specific seat as well, but this train – for whatever reason – wasn’t honouring reservations. Good thing I’d already just hopped on a random car so I wouldn’t miss the train entirely?
I’m not used to people being allowed to drink in public, so I was sure the rowdy bunch with bottles in hand, standing in front of the exit, would get kicked off. As it turned out, they were all freakin’ hilarious and I was grateful for the entertainment. They weren’t bothering anyone, anyway. And I was just a teensy bit jealous I hadn’t thought to stop to buy a few beers for myself. I used the internet briefly near the end of my trip, just to alert my friends who were meeting me at Queen Street that I was on the right train. It was a nice touch considering I couldn’t use my cell phone to contact them.
My trip to and from Edinburgh was uneventful and pleasant enough. The trains were decently clean in the seating areas, though they were short trips and I made no use of the facilities. I do wish the coffee trolley had come by more than once on the train to Edinburgh, but a minor complaint, I suppose.

One thing I LOVE to do is sit on trains. I love going on cheesy wee adventures with my pals to the metropolis that is Millport, or to head off to see my family further up north.
Many, many fond memories on trains. But what does that say about Scotrail, you might ask? My views are mixed. Some well-​used service lines (I’m looking at you, Glasgow — Edinburgh shuttle) are maintained to impeccable standards, snack trolley and all. A lot has been done to visibly improve the train service on the Central west coast line, too — from swanky new Siemans carriages to speedier services. But I do happen to feel like some areas are largely neglected, disconnected by location. I know people who can only get trains once an hour from their area, and that’s within the Glasgow city boundaries.
Travelling by train isn’t cheap, and on-​peak prices are eye poppingly expensive! That doesn’t bode well for people who have to commute. I have also been told before that I wasn’t allowed to use my Young Persons Rail Card to buy a ticket on the train, since there are (very busy) kiosks inside the station where I should’ve bought my ticket, apparently. What kind of difference does that make? Surely a display of such a card hints at you being a regular train user?! So the odd narky member of staff can be a bit disconcerting, despite the fact that the customer service gig is, admittedly, relentless.
My final gripe would have to be directed at Glasgow public transport in general. There are, as far as I can see, no obvious collaborations between bus, subway and rail corporations, meaning that you will be clocking up at least a tenner if you have to use all three in one day. When London has the connectivity of the Oyster card, you wonder why other big UK cities don’t follow suit and get themselves a scheme like that. In these days where it’s hard to afford transportations costs, it’d lend a big hand into saving some money, and perhaps encourage people to take pride in their transport services! God, I sound like I’m a grumpy old man, I just have done a lot of flitting in my time and this stuff bugs me. All aboard the Moaning Express!

When Scotrail are good, they are very good. I can get from my mum’s home in Falkirk to Glasgow in under 20 minutes in spacious, air-​conditioned comfort, perhaps grabbing a (not as overpriced as is often made out) tea or coffee on the way. Around 70−80% of the time, this is what Scotrail delivers.
When they’re bad, they’re infuriating. Late trains, cancellations, doing engineering work on the line at inconvenient times, providing trains too small to give everyone a seat etc etc etc
The ticket conducters are worst of all. At best, you’ll get loathsome but grudgingly polite, at worst, a seething jobsworth embittered to breaking point by his menial existence. If the ticket machine is broken at your station and you can’t «buy before you board», expect little sympathy, and to be charged full fare.
Despite this, and the utter hell that is any train after 10:30pm at the weekend, it’s roughly a million times better than joining the toothless yokels on the bus, so four stars.

As far as the public transport industry goes, Scotrail is pretty magnificent. Yes, there’s the odd delay, but they seem to be upping their standards of late. I’ve seldom had bad experiences with the staff, although they could be a little more trusting of younger folk — seems like as soon as I turned 16 and bought a full fare they stopped bothering me!
The railcard deals are absolutely smashing. I currently have an 18 – 26 Young Person’s Railcard, which cost £26 and saves me ¹⁄₃ on off-​peak rail fare for a year. Try as I might, I can’t seem to batter it into my friends’ heads, but it’s a brilliant deal. It’s also great for long-​distance travel, which has gone up considerably in the past year or two.
Generally, the popular commuter routes and low-​level trains seem to operate more consistently than some others, but if you live near a city and are commuting in and out, you cant beat it.

Oh Scotrail. I am gritting my teeth as I write that name. As a regular commuter with a mind filled of memories of the frustration surrounding delayed trains, broken down trains and completely absent trains, I really want to have a rant and a rave about Scotrail. However, it is true that I would be lost without it.
Scotrail serves pretty much every area in Scotland on one of their routes and gets thousands of people to work and home safely every day.
But (prepare for the moan) they are, I think, over-​priced (buses are usually quite a bit cheaper) and, in my experience, fairly unreliable. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve cursed over a Scotrail service. Having experienced the über fast and reliable train services in Japan, Scotrail still have a long way to go.

Being a BritRail pass holder, I’m oblivious to the prices for rail tickets. So, comparing ScotRail to other train companies I find the cars to be a little dirtier with less amenities (such as a power outlet at the tables). On a good note I find the attendants to be more polite than others…
At the end of the day it gets me from point A to point B, so I’m not complaining.