Edinburgh ScotRail trains to Glasgow to run every 15 minutes on Saturdays

Increased Saturday service between Scotland’s two main cities begins this month

ScotRail will increase train services between Edinburgh and Glasgow on Saturdays later this month, as part of timetable changes to cope with increased demand on Scotland’s railway network.

Services between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh via Falkirk High will be increased to a 15-minute frequency on Saturdays as part of the latest ScotRail timetable change, from Sunday, May 21. This reflects growing numbers of customers now using the service outwith peak times than before the pandemic. Saturday is now the busiest day on the route, and a service every 15 minutes in each direction from 8.45am to 5.15pm is sure to be a welcome boost for customers.

The number of passengers using ScotRail services increased by 36 per cent in 2022/23, to 63.7 million from 46.8 million the previous year. As of March 2023, the numbers travelling off-peak is comparable with the pre-pandemic levels, but peak time commuting journeys are just under 65 per cent of what they used to be, with many office workers continuing to work from home since the pandemic ended.

The Edinburgh to Glasgow service boost is part of timetable change across Scotland by Scotrail. Stock photo of a Scotrail train at Queen Street Station, Glasgow.

Due to issues created with driver training by Covid, ScotRail can’t operate as many trains as they’d like. The operator is continuing to recruit as many trainee drivers as the programme can accommodate but it can’t increase more services until the training backlog is cleared.

David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said:  “This is another step forward for Scotland’s railway, as we continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic. The way people travel has dramatically changed in the past two years, and we are doing everything we can to provide the best possible service. The increased frequency between Edinburgh and Glasgow is a major milestone on the road to recovery. There is a lot of investment in Scotland’s Railway, with decarbonisation continuing and improvements across the network, and this new timetable is an important part of that.”

With the new timetable coming into place, customers are encouraged to check their journey on the ScotRail website, mobile app, and through social media channels as train times may have changed. Timetables can also be downloaded from the ScotRail website.