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Glasgow to Aberdeen by train
How to travel by train from Glasgow to Aberdeen
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Routes
From Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen
Journey Summary
2hr 41min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Aberdeen
All trains also call at: Dundee; Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven
On Sundays the first train doesn't depart until after 09:30 and after 17:45 daily there is only a departure every other hour.
All of these trains are operated by ScotRail and it now mainly uses its dedicated Inter7City trains on this route.
Mon - Sat = 1 x train per hour
Sunday = 11 x trains
Tickets
Book Early and Save: Yes
Online Bookings Usually Open: from 12 weeks ahead of the travel date (usually)
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) You can only travel on the specific departure you select when making a booking.
(2) The ticket(s) cannot either be refunded, if you subsequently change your plans, or be exchanged to another departure, so they won't be valid if you miss the train due to any circumstances not attributable to the train operator.
(3) These tickets have seats specified on them, so in effect they come with seat reservations, though you won't have to sit in the seats you have been assigned for the ticket to be valid.
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 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 National Rail website - enter ScotRail as the operator.
Choosing a departure
There can be significant differences in prices of Advance tickets between departures, so it can be possible to save money by looking through the departures and selecting an earlier or later train.
Booking at the station
If you will be booking at the station less than a couple of hours prior to departure, you will have to purchase non-discounted Off-Peak or Anytime tickets - with Anytime tickets being the most expensive of all.
On this route you will have to pay the Anytime rate on departures between 16:30 and 19:00 when Mondays to Fridays are working days
Because if you do depart Glasgow at those times only the more expensive type of Anytime tickets will be available.
Offers and deals
ScotRail offers ticketing deals when Adults travel with children or in groups, so when booking online it's worth checking to confirm whether the total price being charged is inclusive of these deals
Or you can book these deals at a station ticket office, if Advance tickets are available the booking clerk will ask if that's your preference - though be aware that Advance deals can't be refunded or exchanged if one or more members of a party subsequently can't make the trip.
If you do opt to book these deals at the station you won't ever be charged more than the online price and the booking clerk may be able to point out a money saving option.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| ScotRail | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Connecting the ferries on to Orkney and Shetland
The ferries to Kirkwall on Orkney and Lerwick on Shetland usually depart Aberdeen at either 17:00 or 19:00.
To allow for:
- contingency in the event of a train delay
- making the transfer from the station to the ferry terminal
- the check-in time for the ferry.
For the 17:00 ferry ShowMeTheJourney recommends taking the 12:39 departure on Mondays to Saturdays and the 12:43 departure on Sundays.
For the 19:00 ferry the recommendation is to take the 14:39 departure on Mondays to Saturdays and the 14:50 departure on Sundays.
The lovely journey by train from Glasgow to Aberdeen has four distinct phases.
(1) Once the train has escaped from Glasgow, over to the left the landscape is dominated by the hills which straddle the horizon; a preview of what's to come.
(2) Between Stirling and Perth the railway passes through those hills.
(3) Then the railway line is on the north bank of the River Tay between Perth and Dundee; so the views of the river are over to the right.
(4) Much of the final part of the journey north of Dundee also offers lovely sea views over on the right, particularly as the train leaves the city behind.
The harbour in Montrose, which is by the station is also rather charming and north of Stonehaven, the railway line runs across the cliff-tops.
Though when Show MeTheJourney travelled most recently on the part of the route north of Dundee, the weather wasn't compatible with taking photographs, so you'll have to trust that this part of the journey can be fabulous!
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