Looking to move jobs in the very near future and most of the good opportunities for me are central Glasgow. Does anyone regularly get the train from Edinburgh to Glasgow? How do you find it? Hideously overcrowded and always late or nice to be able not to drive and sit and read a book? Cheers.

I used to commute glasgow to edinburgh on the train. I got the 7AM from glasgow and the 4PM train back, almost always got a seat and only ever late by a few minutes.

If there are problems with the trains, doesn’t happen that much, and trains end up being cancelled then you will be lucky to get a seat and can be an hour late

It is quite expensive

Did it the other way for a while, 1.5 hours travel, 35 minute drive to Croy, 35 on train then a wee walk. Found the train was pretty reliable, on time virtually all the time. If you close to Waverly and dont have much travel to get there, and work would be close to Qn St. then its not too bad. Only downside is the price of the train, probably about £100 p/w (maybe more).

I used to do it too.

As stevie mentioned, it’s fine if you catch early (or late trains), but can get a busy 7.30-8.30 and 4.30-5.30 (as you would expect).

It’s about £330 a month, so not too bad.

I did about 4 years from the Paisley side of Glasgow to Edinburgh city centre. I had a two hour each way commute. It does take its toll eventually. I always took the train. It generally ran to time and wasn’t too busy particulalry if you board either at Glasgow or Edinburgh. You always got a seat but at rush hour they are pretty busy by the time you get to the other end. They don’t cope well with snow and ice but the disruption isn’t too many days a year, just a monumental ball ache when it does happen.

my last job required me to drive from Glasgow to sites in Edinburgh a few times a week.
Thats the main reason I left. It’s a shite commute.

Train? it’s only a 2hr ride

Ok, cheers folks, will mainly be getting the train I think, though will be the odd day driving (I used to commute round Birmingham every day though so the traffic up here is like a dream in comparison!).

i commuted for 9 months between glasgow and edinburgh a few years back

7am train through – 6pm train back.

totally did my brain in – never again

Train? it’s only a 2hr ride

quite, and towpath as well so not hard work

it’s only a 2hr ride

To be fair, I think we’ll be looking to buy a house Balerno way, so maybe a possibility for the odd day during the summer!

If the work is in Glasgow, why would you live in Edinburgh?

Bike? It’s only a 15 hour walk.

I live in Edinburgh and am doing my masters in Glasgow, commuting 4 days a week by train. Don’t mind it at all, I usually get a train between 7 and half 7 in the morning, trains aren’t busy from Waverley and quiet enough to work / read.

However, I live in Marchmont and am at Strathclyde uni so I haven’t got a v long journey either end so the total time is fine for me, much further away and I probably wouldn’t be as keen

Been doing it for 4 years. It’s fine. Trains can get crowded at peak times though as you’d expect. Never had a problem getting the bike on the train – not even once. Bus is around 1/3rd of the price.

If you’re buying a house in Balerno, you’d have the option of getting the cowboy train which although it takes a bit longer is again significantly cheaper than the express. Not sure about the Bathgate line which I think you could pick up at Edinburgh Park.

If the work is in Glasgow, why would you live in Edinburgh?

Currently living with the in-laws…. I’m only one half of the argument as to where we live as well…

I did it for about 9 months driving from Glasgow (Clarkston). It’s a horrible drive just about managed the 9 months as we were moving east anyway.

Motorcycle option ?

This will be becoming a reality for me in a few weeks. I’m in Longstone, Edinburgh and the nearest train station is Slateford. Need to get to Bath St, Glasgow.
So, could get the slow train straight through from Slateford, cheaper but slower, or change at Haymarket for the fast train.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

Motorcycle option ?

Not with the weather we get, over last winter you’d have not/barely really ridden Nov-May.

Down the canal?

Where does this 2 hour bike route go, the union canal?

you’d have the option of getting the cowboy train

Cowboy train?

I did it for 4 years. It’s not a bad commute as they go.

The thing I liked about it was that you have a couple of options to ride part of the way back. Canal passes close to Croy and Falkirk High.

You would also have the option of taking the route that goes via Bathgate – that has a nice cycle path which runs along side it for long sections.

Cowboy train?

Yip – slow, rickety and goes through bandit country.

The bus is pretty cheap and if you start early enough you dont get stuck in traffic. 1hr10 ish from Haymarket to Buchanan street. Bus is fairly quiet and you can just put he seat back and go to sleep.