How to take a journey by train from Edinburgh to Birmingham

Edinburgh to Birmingham by train

How to travel by train from Edinburgh to Birmingham

There are two options for taking a rail journey from Edinburgh to Birmingham:

1: The faster, but less frequent trains, are operated by Avanti West Coast; and the scenic route lives up to the name of the rail operator as it takes a westerly course through Carlisle and Preston with more than an hour of stunning landscapes to be enjoyed from the train.

  1. The trains operated by CrossCountry spend the first half of their journeys traveling along the East Coast route, which lives up to its name with some wonderful sea views.

Neither route is automatically cheaper than the other, it is the demand per departure which impacts on the prices, so the best means of saving money is to travel at less busy times.

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Routes

Option 1: travelling with Avanti West Coast

Travel Information

The train service between Edinburgh and Birmingham is split between:
(1) These trains, operated by Avanti West Coast, which take a faster route, but they only depart every other hour (in even hours)
(2) Alternative trains operated which take an entirely different slower route, but they depart at least hourly.

Final Destination: London Euston

All trains also call at: Crewe (connect for Chester and Shrewsbury) and Wolverhampton

Pendolino trains are used on most of those services operated by Avanti West Coast.

1 x train every other hour

Tickets

Book Early and Save: Yes

Tickets Available From: 24* weeks ahead for travel on Mon-Fri; up to 12 weeks ahead for weekend travel.

*This booking ahead period available on the Avanti West Coast trians is longer than that offered by the majority of British train operators.
If you book less than 12 weeks ahead you can compare the prices with the trains operated by CrossCountry.

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance' tickets; though be aware that this type of ticket can't be refunded if you subsequently change your travel plans.

Though something to be aware of when booking tickets, particularly for journeys by Avanti West Coast with its extended booking periods, is that the more expensive Off Peak and Anytime type of tickets can be placed on sale before the Advance tickets will be available.
If that is the case, it won't mean that the 'Advance' tickets have sold out, instead you won't see them, because they haven't have been placed on sale yet.

Though you won't typically have to book months in advance to obtain the cheapest possible price for a Edinburgh to Birmingham rail

Travelling on Saturday-Sunday (also applies to the alternative route operated by CrossCountry

Maintenance work on the railway is periodically undertaken, particularly at weekends, and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.

If you're looking up a journey less than around 10 - 12 weeks ahead and the cheaper 'Advance' tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date.
It can be worth checking this on the Avanti West Coast website.

Making an end-to-end journey will still be possible, though you MAY ultimately have to take a substitution bus service for part of the trip.
It's the confirmation of these alternative travel arrangements which can hold up the release of the tickets for sale.

Choosing a Departure:

There are likely to be significant differences in prices between departures on your travel date, it's often possible to save more than £20 by taking an earlier or later train.

If you can be flexible with your travel times and dates, it's a good idea to use the Best Fare Finder service on the Avanti West Coast website

Finding a late deal:

If you will be looking for tickets when the cheapest Advance tickets have sold out on most departures, you may be able to save money by using split-ticketing - read  more about this.

Seat reservations:

When you book an Advance ticket for an Edinburgh to Birmingham journey by Avanti West Coast trains journey online, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s), because you will have to travel by that specific departure.

Because Off-Peak and Anytime tickets (usually) allow the freedom to choose between departures, you can request complimentary reservations when booking these tickets - find out more about this.

However, if you buy Off Peak or Anytime tickets just prior to boarding at the station, seat reservations won't be available

That's because reservations at stations need to be booked at least a couple of hours ahead of departure - so also keep that in mind if you will be using a rail pass, including a Britrail or Eurail pass.

Receiving Your Ticket(s)

If you book with Avanti West Coast, you will have up to four options for receiving and using your ticket(s) are:

(1) Using e-tickets: 
Book a ticket online and you will receive an e-ticket attached to your confirmation email.
Avanti West Coast allows multiple options for using these e-tickets, you can print them off OR download them to your mobile device, so when boarding you can access your ticket(s) on your phone and use it to open the ticket gates.

(2) Using m-tickets: 
If you book using the Avanti West Coast trains app, you can activate your ticket within the app and use your mobile device to open the ticket gates.

(3) Collecting from the 'Fast-Track' ticket machines at the station.
You will receive a booking reference number on your order confirmation email and you can use this reference number to collect ticket(s) from a 'Fast-Track' ticket machine.
You will need to enter your reference number into the machine, so make sure you'll have easy access to it when you are using the machine.
You will also need to insert the specific credit or debit card you used when making the booking, so have that with you too.

Showing the email you have received to staff at the ticket gates won't get you on to the train, nor will this be valid if you can only show the email to the conductor when you are on the train.

If you forget to bring your ticket(s) with you to the station, but do have the card with you that you used when booking, you can use the machines to collect your ticket(s).
Take your time and take care that you have picked up all your ticket(s) and seat reservations.

(4) Opt to pay an additional charge to have your tickets posted to you.

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More general information is available on this guide to buying train tickets for train journeys in Great Britain.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Avanti West Coast *

Avanti West Coast Guide

National Rail *

National Rail Guide

In Great Britain each Train Operating Company provides its own booking service for journeys by its trains, but many of their websites also sell tickets for nationwide journeys, regardless of which company operates the trains on the routes you wish to travel by.

The National Rail website is plugged into all of the train operator's booking services, so when more than one of these companies offers tickets for a route, it in effect offers a price comparison service.
It isn't a ticket agent, so you will be connected to the website of your choice in order to make a booking.

RailEurope *

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesMountain views

Good to Know

If the starting point of your journey is at the western end of the Edinburgh city centre, you can save time by heading to Haymarket station rather than Edinburgh Waverley, in order to board these trains.

The trains on the alternative route only depart from Edinburgh Waverley station.

Heading south from Carstairs Heading south from Carstairs
Approaching the Scottish Uplands Approaching the Scottish Uplands
Passing through the Scottish Uplands Passing through the Scottish Uplands
Between Lockerbie and Carlisle Between Lockerbie and Carlisle
Travelling towards Penrith from Carlisle Travelling towards Penrith from Carlisle
Through the Lune Gorge between Penrith and Oxenholme Through the Lune Gorge between Penrith and Oxenholme
Approaching Oxenholme station on the left look out for Low Gill viaduct Approaching Oxenholme station on the left look out for Low Gill viaduct
South of Oxenholme heading towards Carnforth South of Oxenholme heading towards Carnforth
Look out on the left for the glimpse of Morecambe Bay Look out on the left for the glimpse of Morecambe Bay

For most of the first half of this journey the train will travel through a majestic landscape.
South of Carstairs the railway follows a route through the beautiful Southern Uplands.
After the train has passed through Lockerbie station, the views as the railway climbs and then descends over Beattock summit, are particularly special.

Between Carlisle and Lancaster the railway takes a route between The Lake District to the east and the Pennines to the west; so there are great views to be enjoyed from both sides of the train towards distant mountains.

Approximately 10 minutes north of Oxenholme comes one of the highlights of the journey when the railway travels through the Lune Gorge - though here the best views are from the left (when facing the direction of travel).

(The video was filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction).

A beautiful landmark to look out for on the left, just after the train enters the gorge, is the spectacular sight of Low Gill Viaduct, on a now abandoned railway.

Around five minutes north of Lancaster, the West Coast Main Line, briefly lives up to its name with a fleeting glimpse of Morecambe Bay, the only sea view on the journey.

Option 2: travelling with CrossCountry

Travel Information

The train service between Edinburgh and Birmingham is split between:

(1) [**Alternative trains, which take a faster route, but they only depart every other hour (in even hours).

(2) These trains operated by CrossCountry, which take an entirely different longer route, but they depart at least hourly.
A mix of 125 and Voyager trains are used on this route, but there is no means of working out which of these trains will be used on the departure you will be travelling by.

Final Destination: Penzance or Plymouth or Bristol or Birmingham

All trains also call at: Sheffield and Derby

10 x trains per day
The usual timetable pre-pandemic was 1 or 2 x trains per hour, but between 09:30 and 15:30 the departures every other hour.

Tickets

Book Early and Save: Yes

Online Bookings Usually Open: From 12 weeks ahead of travel on the trains on this route, which are operated by CrossCountry, but trains on the alternative route are operated by Avanti West Coast and it places its ticket on sale up to 24 weeks ahead.

So if you book more than 12 weeks ahead you may only see the tickets for those other services provided by Avanti West Coast

Choosing a departure

As there are multiple operators which provide the trains from Edinburgh, the recommendation is to use the National Rail booking service when looking up this journey.
By doing so you'll have an overview of the ticket times and prices of all departures, no matter which company is operating each departure, and you will also avoid any booking fees.
One company doesn't always offer the cheapest fares on this route, so it's worth making an easy comparison across all departures.

Booking Advance Tickets

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance tickets', though the three key things worth knowing about booking and using 'Advance' tickets are:
(1) Your ticket(s) will only be valid on the departure you selected when making a booking
(2) A fee will be payable if you want to transfer your ticket(s) to a different departure ahead of your travel date - and you will only be able to choose alternative departures operated by the same company that's providing the service you were originally booked on to.
(3) This type of ticket can't be refunded if you subsequently change your travel plans, or miss the train in circumstances not to do with a connecting train.
(4) If the train you are booked on is delayed, you cannot then just hop on an alternative train operated by a different company.

Seat Reservations

When you book an Advance ticket for an Edinburgh to Birmingham train journey, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s), but if you book the other types of ticket ahead, you can request a complimentary reservation
However, if you buy Off Peak or Anytime tickets just prior to boarding at the station, a seat reservation WON'T be automatically included with your booking.

However, CrossCountry now offers a service buy which holders of Anytime and Off-Peak tickets can book reservations up to 10 minutes prior to departure time.

Travelling on Monday - Friday

Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date.
However, when you look up a journey you may see dates further ahead on the calendar, but you'll be informed that tickets aren't yet available for those dates.

Travelling on Saturday-Sunday

Tickets are usually available 12 weeks ahead of the travel date, but maintenance work on the route is periodically undertaken at weekends and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.

If you're looking up a journey less than 12 weeks ahead and tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date.
It can be worth checking this on the National Rail website

Finding a late deal

CrossCountry atypically offers the ability to book Advance tickets until up to 15 minutes before departure.

However, if you will be looking for tickets when the cheapest Advance tickets have sold out on most departures, you may be able to save money by using split-ticketing - read more about this.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
CrossCountry *

CrossCountry Guide

If you will be buying tickets last minute for CrossCountry trains so won't have received a reservation, you can arrange reservations up to 10 mins before departure by using the 10 minute reservation service.

Another aspect of how CrossCountry offers tickets for sale outside of the norm is that if you book any type of ticket ahead, you will automatically receive a seat reservation.
If you book Off-Peak or Anytime tickets you can transfer them to a different departure.

NationalRail *

NationalRail Guide

In Great Britain each Train Operating Company provides its own booking service for journeys by its trains, but many of their websites also sell tickets for nationwide journeys, regardless of which company operates the trains on the routes you wish to travel by.

The National Rail website is plugged into all of the train operator's booking services, so when more than one of these companies offers tickets for a route, it in effect offers a price comparison service.
It isn't a ticket agent, so you will be connected to the website of your choice in order to make a booking.

RailEurope *

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesCoastal views

Good to Know

If when you board, you discover that your assigned seat(s) are on the right-hand side of the train, when facing the direction of travel, see if you can find available seats on the left of the train.
If you move to a different seat(s) it won't affect the validity of your ticket.

The sea views on this journey are on the left.
If your ticket(s) don't include reserved seats, then try to choose seats on the left, when facing the direction of travel.

Sadly there is  no guarantee of rainbows as the train leaves Edinburgh behind Sadly there is no guarantee of rainbows as the train leaves Edinburgh behind
Look out on the left for the view of the Bass Rock Look out on the left for the view of the Bass Rock
By the coast to the south of Dunbar By the coast to the south of Dunbar
Looking east from the Royal Border Bridge on a greyer day Looking east from the Royal Border Bridge on a greyer day
Heading south from Berwick Heading south from Berwick
Passing by the town of Alnmouth Passing by the town of Alnmouth
Arriving in Newcastle Arriving in Newcastle
Looking down on the River Tyne as the train departs Newcastle Looking down on the River Tyne as the train departs Newcastle
The stunning view over the city of Durham The stunning view over the city of Durham
To the north of Derby To the north of Derby

The scenic highlights of this journey all occur within the first two hours, but it's a route with four distinct phases.

(1) Most of the journey between Edinburgh and Alnmouth is beside the coast
The sea views kick in before the train has even left Edinburgh behind; and they initially continue until south of Dunbar.

To the north of Berwick-upon-Tweed the train will travel across the clifftops as it crosses the border into England; these are the most dramatic coastal views on the journey (though they are tricky to photograph).

Minutes after the train has passed through Berwick-upon-Tweed, the next highlight is the view from the majestic Royal Border Bridge.
Between there and Alnmouth there are views on the left over the dramatic Northumberland coast.

(2) Between Alnmouth and Darlington the railway snakes its way through the towns and cities of north-east England, and just before Newcastle station on the left there are views of the city's iconic Tyne Bridge
The next highlight of the journey is the passage over the River Tyne, as the train departs from Newcastle Central station and heads over the King Edward VII Bridge.
Looking to the left, five other bridges that span the river can be seen.

Around 15 mins after leaving Newcastle comes the final highlight of the journey, the stunning views over the city of Durham.
Over on the left before and after the station, the town's stunning castle and cathedral can be clearly seen in all their glory.

(3) The train will attain the highest speeds of the journey as it races across the flat landscape between Darlington and York.

(4) From York to Birmingham the train will pass through a series of cities and large towns, which are separated  by farm land; though north of Derby the railway travels through the foothills of the Peak District.

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