ScotRail Reviews 

Just travelled from Edinburgh to inverness and back the following day, (5/12/25 and 6/12/25)Matthew was on board with the refreshment cart and he couldnt have been more pleasant. Even recognised us on our return journey and took time to find out the purpose of our trip. Thank you

One week, two service cancellations. No apparent contingency plans when rail service is cancelled suddenly. This evening, 3/12/2025, all trains out of Glasgow heading to Ayrshire cancelled (signal fault). No help from staff, you're left on your own to figure out what is going on and how you will get home.
Very unreliable service and my dependable.

Managed to just jump on at Hyndland train station with my daughter for 1 stop to Anniesland. Ticket man was there. He asked where to? I see you got on at Hyndland he told us, so I told him 2 adults return to Anniesland yes 1 stop. I showed my saltire concession card he said ok. He charged me £5.35 for the 2 tickets. It appears it should have been £3.25. After I got off the tickets were both full price from Anniesland to Mingavie....very bizarre. Makes me wonder if he had a scam going ripping off his scotrail employers. I reported him when I got back to Hyndland. They are aware of a few discrepancies they said. So I just say check your ticket when you buy it from a ticket Inspector. Cannot trust anyone I am starting to feel.

Had the misfortune to travel from Glasgow to Carlisle on Scotrail on 20/11/25. The carriage was freezing cold over the two and a half hour journey. Everyone was sitting with hats and hoods up on Winter coats in an attempt to keep warm. When tackled about this, the conductor acknowledged it was cold but it appeared he couldn't do anything about this. Service of last resort in future!!

Fort William to Glasgow, 4 hours on a train going through the snow covered highlands and no heating! My feet were like two blocks of ice by the end of it. Train came late into Glasgow, just as our connecting train to Edinburgh was leaving. I have autism so these things stress me out more than your average person, went over to a member of staff to complain and she was so rude to me, I was clearly distressed, to the point I was almost in tears and she was so unsympathetic and unhelpful. The next train we got on was also running late, so we missed our next train back to Coventry. It’s now 23:04, been travelling for over 12 hours, should’ve been home over an hour ago. Seriously not impressed.

I booked first class one-way tickets from Edinburgh to Inverness for me and my wife directly through their website. Not only did they NOT have any first class seats from Edinburgh to Perth but without any heads up or pre-trip notification, we were bused for the second half of the trip. I filed a claim afterwards and was told I need to have a UK bank account to get a refund of the fare difference. I requested for the refund to be credited back to the credit card I used when I booked but did not get any more response despite several email. The difference is not a big amount but I feel I have to warn other travelers of this totally unacceptable experience.

Ticket machine malfunctioned and stole money from me. No staff anywhere to be seen in Glasgow central station so could not talk to anyone at the time. Waited weeks for a reply and now that are just lying saying that there was no fault recorded. Il be jumping trains from now on until I get my £20 back as I'm sure I won't get caught due to the abysmal lack of staff. Lying robbing ......

Absolute shambles.
On the train from Glasgow central and the train has stalled more than 10 times.
People have worked hard all week and have been stuck sitting on the train for an hour more than they should be.
Get your act together.
P.S this is directed at the circus in charge of this disgrace, not at the ones who do their best.
Thank you.

Why?!!!!! Why do companies make you download their apps for tickets? Your ticket machine at the Newcraighall Park and Ride was out of service. So, we had to buy tickets online. No option to simply have the ticket emailed over BUT we have to download the app for just one journey in and out of Edinburgh. It's annoying! What about the poor people who do not have the tech or technological know how to do all this?! It's unfair!
I wonder if ScotRail are monetizing the collection of our personal data for advertising, etc. Shame on you!

I don't think it would be possible to travel slower on a more rickety, wobbly train than that provided by ScotRail. The Journey from Edinburgh Waverly to our stop of Gleneagles took around 75 minutes and was as shaky & wobbly & rattly as that imaginable, the polar opposite of that provided by LNER on the outward journey a few days previous.

In the Winter 25 Degrees Boiling Hot, No Ventilation

If you don' t fancy vomiting on the train , feel sick inside train carriages 25 degrees with No ventilation.

Then bring your own portable ventilators because the Temperature inside ScotRail trains are the worst in the whole Europe.

Most trains have no station announcement which is bad for death passengers.

Health and Safety is a joke in ScotRail they cannot care less !

Disgusting pricing. Recently needed to make a single journey and charged £13.10, when the full price for a return is £13.90.

Hateful, joyless experience ONCE AGAIN travelling Scotrail. A Family A***hole thought it would be fine to leave their stinking DOGS on the tables from Aberdeen to Glasgow....Scotrail staff didn't give a toss. The service was tardy, the carriage wasn't cleaned, the staff are surley and uncooperative. It's a National embarrassment.

Never again
LNER where possible always from now on.

My Husband and I bought tickets for the theatre in Glasow. We travelled on the 6.03 train from Larkhall to glasgow on 13th October. The train stopped in Newton and we were asked to leave the train due to line works. We had to book a taxi as we had paid a lot for theatre tickets. We made it just in time. When we came out we got to the station bought our tickets to Larkhall got down the stairs to discover the train had been cancelled. Leaving us stranded. We are both 78 went back upstairs 30 mins later got a train to Carluke then a taxi. We did not get home till midnight. Scotrail refuse to recompense us for our expense. We had no choice but to take taxis.

Came here to drop of my opinion and see if someone can do something about it, but seeing their 1.8 rating I don't have high hopes. The staff is nasty wi-fi just doesn't exist. It's just disgusting the amount of money this companies charge.

They claim to be dog friendly but they're not. I use the trains quite a lot as I'm constantly traveling between Aberdeen and Edinburgh and I had travel with other companies and I never had a problem with my dog until now. He is nervous he doesn't do well laying on the floor and I was told he can't be in the seat because I don't have a blanket for the dog... I'm sorry but there's a bunch of other thousands of nasty things in this seats than just dog hair, I've seen people putting their shoes on the seats and none says anything, I've seen people spilling things on the seats and that never gets cleaned because you see the stains on the fabric. The woman who told me this is just a Karen and a hater.

ScotRail are absolutely hopeless!!! 😡I left my flat 50 minutes early for a Queen Street connection at 11.45 but almost missed it due to trains cancelled at my local Anniesland station and another train running 6 mins late I almost missed my connection at Queen Street and had to sprint like mad to make it with 2 minutes to spare!!! I left with plenty of time to spare too!!! I had a another LNER connection in Edinburgh too. I am very angry, disappointed and annoyed at the dreadful service, yet again from ScotRail!!! 😡😡😡

My son was left stranded in Dundee last night after the train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen terminated unexpectedly and the passengers were ejected without assistance or continuity of travel. To make it worse passenger safety was clearly the last thing on the operator's mind as my sons had to wonder around Dundee at night, with his phone almost dead and missing a bus. It was dangerous and distressing for all of us. We eventually got tickets and found a way for him to get on a late bus and make it home by just before 11pm. This is about as unnacceptable as it gets.

Applied for over 50,s travel card for second time as they made an arse of it first time round.And you'll never believe it but they have done it again.After an eternity I got a refund first time but this time they can shove it and keep the money.An utter joke.

Bishopbriggs Station
2 Coloured people only checked for the ticket by the station master or the guy who sells the ticket on the platform.
Spoken rudely, saying didnt buy full price ticket, "young Scot Card" was used. The kid said that she just turned 19 and wasnt aware that the young scot card cannot be used when you turn 18 as the buses are free. Anyways, he was condescending and accused of using the discount. This person took the phone without permission. threatening behaviour using words like we will find you, your account will be flagged , etc.
Called Scotrail to give feedback not complaint at the moment. Completely ignored, speaking over me,
Person has to call directly.
Two people of colour were the only ones checked for tickets by the stationmaster (or the person selling tickets on the platform). They were spoken to rudely and accused of not buying a full-price ticket; the staff member said a "Young Scot" card had been used. One of them had just turned 19 and their card validity had never been checked. The staff member took a phone without permission.

I called ScotRail to give feedback (not to make a complaint at that moment) but was completely ignored and spoken over. I was told the person would have to call directly. I requested that this feedback be passed to the station to ask why people of colour were being singled out and to raise that staff should not take someone else’s phone, but the person on the phone would not listen. There was no customer service, I was spoken over, and there was no courtesy. I was told my feedback would not be passed to the station because the incident “didn’t happen to me.”

I was going to Inverness from Stirling on sept weekend , I am not from that area so wouldn't know train prices , I was over charged at the counter for an open return ,which I didn't ask for , only noticed once I was on the train and they can't do anything about it , what excuse it that , but my main complaint is the train journey I stood for 3.5 hours on a jam packed train , you couldn't move upor down , every station more got on with bikes , wheelchair and prams , it's was so hot and no air , I felt unwell , it was a danger to every person standing , a disabled man was sitting on those fold up seats at the door and I had to try and keep him on the chair , for two hours , now tell me is that a journey worth £70 cause that is what I was charged , if a bus full you don't get on why is Scot rail putting money before public safety , they not interested saying they apologise , you should have stopped more people getting on and I don't even work there and know it's not right