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I've got to head from Aberdeen to London for a meeting next month.
The meeting time will mean travel the day before.
I quite fancy trying the train for a change...sense being that whilst it will take longer, the journey will be more scenic and likely a tad more relaxing.
Any recent experiences of such rail journeys?
Thanks.
Check prices - trains can be outrageously expensive.
you can sometimes get decent train deals if you book well in advance, but check you are not limited to getting on a particular train at a particualr time...flexible tickets can bump the price up quite a bit.
Bonkers really.
Depending how close you live to the airport / train stations you might find the times are not that much apart
for me to get to my pals in london its quicker by train once you add in the time to get from airports and stations each end and the check in time for the plane
Quickest train london / aberdeen is 7 hours. direct flights are available so even with the check in time its likely to be quicker by plane unless you live and are going to close to the station
I suspect a much better carbon footprint with the train compared to flying. Didn’t France ban any internal flights which can be made on a train? Seems like a very sensible policy.
I recently spotted a Manchester to London flight, completely unnecessary. Personally I’d even look at a sleeper train if they’re still running. Trains can be unbelievably expensive though.
Yes, I reasonably regularly do Stirling to Winchester.
It's a long way, and I'm finding the new Azuma's less comfortable than Pendalino's were. I find I can do some work. Take food with you, the ontrain food is poor.
West coast (Avanti) is chaos. East coast is much more reliable.
I do on occasion fly - train is 8.5-11hours, or flying is 4hrs.
Price, the train is regularly £250-600 even booking a few weeks in advance. Flight is usually £150-350.
I'm really keen not to fly internally again.
I find the train way less stressful and it lands you in the centre of the city you want to get to, not another wait for another bus.
Did Teesside to Brussels and back for work in June. A bit longer than the plane but less waiting about and stress for me. You can go to the bog when you want, you can go to the buffet for a drink when you want not just when the trolley passes etc. and if going to central London you won't need to sit on the tube for an hour.
Train to Aberdeen is great. Approach to Dundee over the bridge has been compared to the view on entering Naples, the view of Durham from the railway viaduct is possibly the best view of the town, same with Newcastle, and I think you might get to see Ely cathedral if you don't blink at over 100 mph plus all the other randomness of window staring. And internet works all the way on the train so you can browse Singletrackworld whilst pretending to work 😉
Previously done Teesside to Antwerp for work. My boss did Teesside to Stockholm on the train last month for work but flew home (he was making a point that you can).
Add in an automobile and you've got a great movie 😁
have you thought about the sleeper?
not sure what time it leaves Aberdeen but it gets into London (maybe kings cross?)about 7am
don't get a seat , you wont sleep. the beds are Ok
but as already said
Check prices – trains can be outrageously expensive.
We are having similar discussions on how to get a family of 4 Inc new born to Essex for a close family wedding.
Aberdeen to London there really isn't much in it between the train and the plane.
If you book as soon as tickets come out - train is massively cheaper ....ie by a factor of 4 cheaper we found.
But being deposited right in the transport hub for the next train out to essex with a tiny walk and no security/baggage hassle.....that won us over.
@tuboflard I thought they’d banned all flights where the train journey is <2.5h, which when they’ve got a decent city to city high speed rail network…
The sleeper is a good shout if only as an experience - remember being taken on the Glasgow Central to London sleeper when I was a child.
Fly. You'll have more time to spend relaxing and taking in the sights of the city, or to finalize preparations for your meeting and therefore be more relaxed.
Unless you are on Oriental Express just take the plane.
I mean the price itself does not make sense travelling by train.
There are quite long sections on the train that are very scenic, basically the stretches north of Newcastle. The downside is that the return journey will feel a blinking long way.
Also... where's the meeting? I used to go to a few by Gatwick, so then the plane was a lot more convenient
If you have the time, train is by far a nicer way to travel than flying IMO, and that's before you get to the environmental side of it. Even better if your destination is actually in the city. The big caveat is that unless you are booking a long way in advance you're likely to have to be prepared to pay a (possibly pretty significant) premium to avoid flying.
It's winter so if you travel by train there is nothing to see really other than darkness. You will feel miserable just by being on the train.
Both are being trapped in a metal tube for ages, so for me it would come down to juggling...
Cost
Carbon
Convenience
All things being equal I'd go train if I could.
Sleeper train the night before? Otherwise fly. It’s a long way from Aberdeen to London. My best friend lives there and commutes down occasionally. He’s done the train and plane, now he’s exclusively plane.
Train more comfortable and relaxing for sure, but possibly a lot more time too, depending on the details, and the price could go either way. Look up the actual numbers for your specific trip, door to door.
One other plus with the train is that there is usually one(ish) train an hour even on long routes so you can choose the optimal departure/ arrival time given the constraints of the long journey. With planes there is usually a less good choice of times*.
Aberdeen to London may be an exception due to route popularity.
I did the sleeper to Edinburgh and back with my bike. Quite enjoyed it and got a half decent sleep in a cabin, apparently the seated bit is crap and I tried it out when collecting my bike and they hardly recline at all. Do recommended using the supplied ear plugs due to the creaky suspension though!
Without a bike, I think I'd do one way on the day train for the view and also I think it's a couple of hours quicker.
Aberdeen to London may be an exception due to route popularity.
There is alot of trains how ever there's only about 4 a day you actually want to get.....
It's a long enough journey without stopping at every stop on the way.......
Last time we went down to brands hatch for a wedding we took the train it felt like a long way even once we had got to Peterborough
have you thought about the sleeper?
If you do this make sure you get a cabin and ear plugs as sleep is minimal on the seats.
Also make sure work are prepared to pay they may be expecting air fair + transfers type cost and the train will considerably extra. Even more so for the the sleeper at it is expensive.
I booked a train with Omio.co.uk using Quidco, and as I was a first time customer on Omio there was big cash back.
Posted four days ago...
£37.50 each way
Dates might not suit OP's upcoming trip, maybe future ones.
and remember to check that it's not a rail strike day
I dread to think how stressful a train journey from Aberdeen to London would be.
I'm down in Manchester every couple of weeks for work. The train from Glasgow to Manchester is routinely an absolute disaster. Regardless if I book Avanti or Transpennine, it's guaranteed at least one of the trains will be cancelled. When it is, you're given zero information about what to do. It's only through a series of stressful journeys that I've worked out by myself what to do. The customer support is zero. It's an absolute joy having to stand for 3.5 hours because they've crammed 3 trains into one. Not to mention the trams in Manchester being a shambles as well.
It's got so bad I've started driving down. At least then I know I'll get there and get home with no issues and in a much shorter time. The train down is 3-4 trains depending on the carrier, any of which will definitely be cancelled, and even if they're not, it would be a 6 hour journey, versus 3.5 hours in the car.
Hopefully anyone flying from Manchester to Heathrow is on a connecting flight. Whilst travel nationally to Heathrow on public transport has got a lot easier a connecting flight can be a lot less hassle with check through baggage etc.
The current parlous state of Avanti West Coast won’t be helping though. Thank god I use East Coast for N/S travel. Aberdeen is East Coast.
Used to do London - Edinburgh for work periodically.
Train was looooong. Not too bad if you could get first class, but with the current quality of rail service, cattle class would be unbearable over that distance (I use EMR and East Coast a fair bit still. Neither are great)
Flying was less tedious as it got everything broken up into chunks, but it’s still a lot of faffing by the time you’ve actually got to destinations each end. Let alone the horrific green credentials these days.
For me the best answer was driving. I could stay at my parents in the midlands overnight, sometimes I’d take a bike and arrange to leave it at Glentress while I worked then fit a day or 2 riding in on the way back. Oh, and 800+ miles at 45p/mile was quite nice too…
There are quite long sections on the train that are very scenic, basically the stretches north of Newcastle.
Torness is lovely at any time of year.
Posted four days ago…
£37.50 each way
Dates might not suit OP’s upcoming trip, maybe future ones.
Seated? I'd rather walk. Either do it properly or don't do it at all.
If planned right. Aberdeen to London is one train.
Your actually on the train longer than the crew. They change at Edinburgh iirc.
I cycled to a work meeting in Manchester from Cambridge a while back.
Think of it this way: sat in a car you are just existing, time passes; you get older; you get more stressed; that's it.
Cycling, even though it takes longer, is an unforgettable epic experience.
I think you could cycle from Aberdeen to London in four days, no problem.
I do Perth to London return a couple of times a month. My preferred route is east coast to Kings Cross. I book 1st class advance and pay just over £100 each way because I need to get a decent work shift in whilst travelling.
Over the years I’ve also flown and used the sleeper. These days I can’t be arsed with the hassle or carbon footprint guilt of flying and the sleeper is a lottery. Get a bunk over a bogie and you’ll get a rough nights dozing and even if you do get a decent cabin in the middle of a carriage you’ll be woken by the shunting at carstairs where the trains are joined together/split apart.
I think you could cycle from Aberdeen to London in four days, no problem.
227km a day for 4 days according to Google cycling map from here to kings cross.
Have a look for industrial action too- I always usually take the train, it's just nicer and less stress generally but at the moment it doesn't take an awful lot for things to go tits up
(took me 11 hours from London to Edinburgh yesterday- they were quite open about why, they just didn't have enough staff because of not being able to run the whole network on overtime, and the knock-on effects of every cancellation can be really big, trains and crew all end up in the wrong places. It goes from "running fine" to "total chaos really quickly when they're stretching everything so thin and that wasn't even a strike day)
Was flooding and closures on ECML too on Friday. As for the scenic vs Torness comment it is bloody nice. I went from Brum to Wakefield today and it’s mostly in a ditch covered in overgrown foliage and dumped and wind blown plastic waste. I’ll take ageing nuclear power stations by the sea on a grey November day any day!
As for the scenic vs Torness comment it is bloody nice. I went from Brum to Wakefield today and it’s mostly in a ditch covered in overgrown foliage and dumped and wind blown plastic waste. I’ll take ageing nuclear power stations by the sea on a grey November day any day!
😆🎣
I like the ECML but my god I find the stretch from Edinburgh to Berwick dull. Still better than a lot of routes though I'll give you that.
Book early and you can get first class for very cheap prices. 7hrs of work/movies, free drinks and a lunch dinner helps.
I can’t recommended the sleeper. Narrow beds rather like sleeping on an ironing board, extra costs to have an exclusive cabins clackers clack all night… was my experience.
I think you could cycle from Aberdeen to London in four days, no problem
Not in four days I could not. Maybe 7-8.
Then same again for the return journey.
I can see how the meeting with my boss will go... "You know that two day meeting/conference I'm going to? Well it's going to take three weeks total time..."
I can’t recommended the sleeper. Narrow beds rather like sleeping on an ironing board, extra costs to have an exclusive cabins clackers clack all night… was my experience.
I found it quite good but I'm used to sleeping on ships so can understand why folk wouldn't. Was better than the Megabus but even that was better than sitting up.
Since it's a meeting and work are paying the price is an irrelevance, and taking internal flights while there's a climate crisis is ridiculous regardless of cost.
I do Edinburgh to London on the train (to do actual work, not just a meeting which I assume you could do online anyway). It's better value for my employer - because I get on the train and can then work all the way (when I'm not staring out of the window) they get more out of me. On a plane they'd only get an hour and a half. Or, if I catch the sleeper, they get a full working day out of me and don't have to pay for a hotel so it works out the same price wise.
I also find I arrive much more relaxed when I've done the journey by train.
my god I find the stretch from Edinburgh to Berwick dull
Maybe but the stretch from Berwick to Alnmouth is absolutely amazing.
I much prefer the train to flying, even in cattle. In 1st class it's absolutely one of the best ways too travel. With a table and a power socket, you can easily do useful work.
The downside is the cost. Which is totally infuriating.
Also make sure work are prepared to pay they may be expecting air fair + transfers type cost and the train will considerably extra. Even more so for the the sleeper at it is expensive.
The OP was talking of going down the night before, so he'd have hotel costs, which you don't have with the sleeper.
I use to do Edinburgh to London once a month. If I got the earliest train which only took 4 hrs and went first class it was bareable…just
Cattle class on the train that stopped every few stops was unbearable. And you’ll be looking at 2 hrs on top of that.
Normally train would be first choice, but honestly it's chaos ATM, even the numbers of regional flights has dropped (I couldn't fly from Manchester to Heathrow to connect to a transatlantic flight a couple of months ago) to the point where driving seems like the least hassle option.
Which is crazy even writing it.
All those choosing to fly. Thanks from the undeveloped world for continuing to **** over the planet for short term gain.
For those who point out the trains ate expensive and take ages. Anyone who was old enough to vote in 1992... you got what you voted for. Dissolution of an integrated railway system.
And all those who want to cancel HS2... see why we're becoming a 3rd World backwards declining country. Because we don't have a decent modern transport system. France and Germany would have built a high speed line to Aberdeen 25 years ago and be getting the benefits now and for the next hundred years. And would have fares at 1/4 the GB prices because they want sustainable viable transport.
(Turkey has more high speed track and trains to use it than Britain ! FFS).
I get on the train and can then work all the way
This is a good point. I used to regularly travel between Edinburgh and Leeds/London and had the option of train or plane. I'd use the time to read all of the stuff I had to know before the meetings and would usually be the best-informed person around the table etc. I also hated all of the additional faff of flying, queue for check-in, queue for security, queue for boarding ...
A lot of people seem to ignore the extra time required to get to airport, clear security, get out at the other end and hen travelling to your final destination.
I live in North Northumberland, in my previous life, for business in the City of London, I could do it in 4 hrs door to door by plane or about 4.5 to 5 hours door to door by train.
However, that's ignoring the advice of Newcastle airport to be there 2 hours before and getting there about 45 minutes before. The train would be quicker if their strong advice was followed.
Passengers are strongly advised to check-in at the airport at least three hours before a charter flight and two hours before a scheduled flight.
Train every time, far more comfortable.
The OP was talking of going down the night before, so he’d have hotel costs, which you don’t have with the sleeper.
Every time I've thought "oh yes I'll take the overnight and then skip a hotel room" I rediscover how tough it is to get a decent night's sleep on any form of transport (sleeper or plane), regardless of being lying down. YMMV
Anyone who was old enough to vote in 1992… you got what you voted for. Dissolution of an integrated railway system.
the train system in the UK was in way worse shape in the 80s than it is now.
If you are not in a hurry go with train otherwise plane.
LOL! Using sleeper train just to go to a meeting and having to travel "one" day in advance. That's no Oriental Express you know.
Yes, the hassle of flying is having to go through the security check, cavity search etc but it is still slightly better I guess.
The last time I traveled by train from Newcastle to London was alright but it was sloowwwww. I tried to fly but all cheap tickets were gone and I hate security checks and having to carry my passport.
Anyway, please report back to let us know how you get on.
I regularly do London to Edinburgh for business and social. In the noughties that was stansted to Edinburgh early doors to be in the office sort of vaguely morning. That meant being out of bed horribly early and being on the go petty much non stop so by the time I get to the office I was always knackered. Leaving the office at 4ish to rush for the return and being totally washed out by the time i eventually got home - horrific. Looking back I don’t know why I did it to myself! Less enlightened times
I’ve done first class on the train a few times and it’s a much more civilised affair - either get a bit of work done or chill out watching a bit of YouTube and browsing STW whilst having breakfast and you’re in Edinburgh 4 hours later. Lush
These days if I’ve got the family in tow then the car is (sadly) the only practical option but if it’s just the two of us then train all the way. We’re on the Lumo this weekend £130 return for 2 adults booked 10 weeks out
Aberdeen obviously doubles the journey but a day sat in first class with your laptop out and someone bringing you snacks isn’t much worse than a day in the office in my book.
The last time I traveled by train from Newcastle to London was alright but it was sloowwwww. I tried to fly but all cheap tickets were gone and I hate security checks and having to carry my passport.
What nonsense.
There are loads of trains from Newcastle to London that do it in under 3 hours, there is even 1 that does it in just over 2.5 hours. That's much quicker a journey to the centre of London than any flight from Newcastle.
What nonsense.
There are loads of trains from Newcastle to London that do it in under 3 hours, there is even 1 that does it in just over 2.5 hours. That’s much quicker a journey to the centre of London than any flight from Newcastle.
It was several years ago (think more than 5 years ago) so not that recent. Yes, it is still slooowww. Mind you I was not in a hurry so not an issue. Bring on HS2! I want it to be under 1.30hr.
I will going to London next April so will try out the new LUMO service as I was told it should be faster.
Train every time.
A plane might take the same time overall, but will be broken down into a hour on a bus, 2 hours in a terminal, half an hour boarding, taking off, an hour on the plane where you actually get to sit back and work, then reverse the whole process. It's always a stressy faff, ad you're beholden to the RMT anyway as any strikes will leave you stuck miles outside the city anyway.
Train you're on it, and you've got all that time to do whatever you like.
There's also a much nicer sense of traveling on a train, it's like riding a bike around a city (or between villages) gives you a much better sense of place and geography compared to driving that leaves you feeling that the country is made-up of concrete arteries linked by the time it takes to travel them rather than by distances and the places on the way.
Just avoid standard class in the new east coast hitachi trains, brutally uncomfortable!
Newcastle to London was my commute for a bit, the train South was the best bit of the week (because for some reason the South train was always empty, the train out of London was packed).
Newcastle to London was my commute for a bit, the train South was the best bit of the week (because for some reason the South train was always empty, the train out of London was packed)
It was packed the last time I used them as it was summer. Have you tried LUMO yet?
It was packed the last time I used them as it was summer. Have you tried LUMO yet?
Yea, that's the new hitachi trains, maybe they're comfortable if you fit in the middle of the hitachi ergonomic bell curve, but for 6ft 15st me it was just brutal. They feel like bus seats, absurdly narrow considering the trains must be the same width as the old ones?
[edit] apparently, they both run the same Hitachi trains, I've no idea then why one set seem so uncomfortable, they just are. Maybe the seats just need breaking in a bit! As the LNER ones seem fine.
Much preferred the old 225's, some of those were like being in 1st class! Not all, just some. Was there some 'downgraded' 1st class carriages or rolling stock doing double duty as a sleeper?
Anything over 5 hours total journey time and the plane starts to win. Brussels and Paris from anywhere within 100-150 miles of London is usually pretty close so long as your connections for the train are okay.
By comparison - It's a 6.5 hour total journey time to Munich from my house, via Heathrow T5 (110 miles) including check in and trabel at both ends (Munich Flughaffen is MILES away from the city), but it's 23 hours using the train...
Only complaint we had about the last lumo trip we did is the seats we had were in a position where there was no window. The seats themselves were perfectly decent. Not up to first class on the azuma but all told, perfectly comfortable
There is a very small window of what ‘works’ in using a train for me for work, as I rarely travel in the UK. However, this year we had a couple of work things at the NEC, and its one of the few places it’s quicker for me to get it, rather than driving.
My tester last year identified it would be acceptable, only if I went First, as paying £90 to stand for an hour and a half and not be able to work, rendered it pointless.
So, with a bit of planning, I needed to go there on 5 separate occasions this year, and avoided staying away from home. Pre-booked tickets, early start down to the station, patiently waiting…
4 of the 5 trains cancelled, all with less than 30 minutes notice 🙄
I won’t be bothering any more.
Bring on HS2! I want it to be under 1.30hr.
Er HS2 going nowhere near any station on the ECML.
Azuma seats are shite compared to 225.
One of my team went out to Geneva by train from London on Sunday morning for a client meeting today. He worked on the train going over and will do a bit more on way to Berlin to meet his girlfriend tonight. He's off tomorrow and back in London on Wednesday. He won’t fly and has taught me a lot about how much easier European trains are than flying for work..pretty much normal behaviour for the youngsters now - teaching me a lot as well!
It was several years ago (think more than 5 years ago) so not that recent. Yes, it is still slooowww. Mind you I was not in a hurry so not an issue. Bring on HS2! I want it to be under 1.30hr.
The timings haven't changed for decades. Trains, with the exception of HS1, are limited to 125mph in the UK.
I used it a lot in the early 90's and the timings were basically the same.
HS2 will never be anywhere near the North East.
HS2 will never get north of Birmingham if it even ever gets there.
Azuma seats are shite compared to 225.
Second that. I really find them uncomfortable compared to 125, 225 and 390 (Pendolino).
4 of the 5 trains cancelled, all with less than 30 minutes notice 🙄
I won’t be bothering any more.
This is the train problem at the moment.
I have a friend (ironically the sustainable transport person in local council!) who is keeping a tally of how many times her daughters train to college is cancelled - currently running at less than 50% operating this term...
My sons have moved from trains to buses - the new electric Ember buses are free for them (under 25) and both Glasgow-Dunblane or Edinburgh-Dunblane are faster than the train. You can also pre-book bikes on. There is also the existing CityLink and new Flixbus - which are free for under 25's and often only a few minutes slower. And RELIABLE.
Why, why would you take the train at the moment in our area?
While technology gets us so far in reducing how many meetings are in person, some things cannot be replaced and therefore I still have to travel. So the multiple train cancellations have meant I have been back in car or (gasp) have booked a flight down (train back...) to a multi day event in south England - because I cannot trust the train.
The timings haven’t changed for decades.
I think that electrification has helped a bit - the times from Cardiff to London seem to be about 10 mins quicker.
Edinburgh / Glasgow is a bit quicker since electrification ( 47 mins not 54???). Edinburgh / glasgow has been 4 hours for the last 25 years
OK. I will amend my statement.
The timings haven’t changed signifcantly for decades.
I've done London to Glasgow dozens of times for work - nothing other than flying makes any sense.
From my house its a 40 min drive to Gatwick, then and hour on the plane..
I think i've managed to crack 5 hours door to door when i've got my timings right, and whilst i'm not a fan, I have done it as a day trip (although this makes a very long day)
Train would involve commuter train into London, tube across London, etc... And the cost is sometimes comical when compared to EasyJet.
Our travel for work policy now has a red sentence in it stating something like we should choose the least emitting option practically possible. It seems to have made a difference in adoption of train instead of driving.
The fact that flying is even an option for anyone shows how unlikely we are to address climate change in any meaningful way.
Edinburgh / Glasgow is a bit quicker since electrification ( 47 mins not 54???). Edinburgh / glasgow has been 4 hours for the last 25 years
Aye, but the cost of the focus on saving 7 minutes around the central 'triangle' that is Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling is that Dunblane & BofA has routinely cancelled services, so that any delay over 4 minutes can be 'caught up' again by missing BofA and Dunblane. And express trains don't stop because they are express...
This is the train problem at the moment.
I have a friend (ironically the sustainable transport person in local council!) who is keeping a tally of how many times her daughters train to college is cancelled – currently running at less than 50% operating this term…
It's a bit ironic because, during and after Covid, trains were actually very good indeed, they kept a lot of services running for the essential workers but were then faced with a huge backlog of training (due to social distancing stuff you couldn't have drivers crammed together in cabs or in classrooms) so there was a dearth of new drivers coming through, the system became overly reliant on overtime working and goodwill, a lot of the infrastructure and maintenance wasn't kept up to date (again, social distancing plus a few other Brexit / Covid realities) and now the whole lot is falling to bits.
I don't mind a long train journey but what I do mind is turning up to find a load of cancelled services and at the moment, I wouldn't risk trying to get to an important event via train unless I could factor in leaving at least 1 day early.
OK. I will amend my statement.
The timings haven’t changed signifcantly for decades.
You didn't account for the pedants on here 🙂
I seem to remember Cardiff to London was due to come down to 1h40 or something - psychlogically that seems way shorter than 2h15. It doesn't seem to be quite that quick atm though.
But hey that's what HS2 is for and people are complaining bitterly about that.