Scotrail Edinburgh to Inverness allocations?

[TRAINLINCS]

Travelling Edinburgh on 13.36 train to Inverness Monday 4th March. Can anyone tell me what type of train this will be. Number of coaches, whether refreshments available on board. Thank you.

 

[route:oxford]

Travelling Edinburgh on 13.36 train to Inverness Monday 4th March.Can anyone tell me what type of train this will be.Number of coaches,whether refreshments available on board.Thank you.

Usually a pair of 3 coach 170s with an on-board trolley. Occasionally a pair of 158s.

If you are lucky, the trolley will be in the same 170 as you.

Have you considered waiting for the Highland Chieftan?

 

[TRAINLINCS]

Thanks for the reply. I have usually travelled on The Chieftain but need to arrive earlier on this occasion.

 

[michael769]

IIRC the trolley is normally in the rear set - but it is worth checking if you are boarding at Edinburgh - it's usually not hard to find as it is loaded in one of the vestibules.

 

[jopsuk]

I appreciate the 3 car sets makes the fleet more flexible, but the Edinburgh/Glasgow Aberdeen/Inverness service really would be better served with single six car units (and of course units with doors at the end of the carriages).

As would the E-G shuttle service- though for that the "commuter" doors make more sense.

 

[michael769]

The shuttle does not need more than 3 cars outside of peak hours.

 

[route:oxford]

The shuttle does not need more than 3 cars outside of peak hours.

There's isn't much left of "off-peak off-peak" though - once you have the off-peak peak just after the morning-peak, the end-of-school peak, then the pre-peak off-peak peak and after the evening-peak.

By the time diagrams are organised to move stock into the right place for the peaks, there must only be a few services each day that it is worth operating as shortened service.

Given that Driving units are understandably more expensive to manufacture and buy/lease and units can now have sophisticated engine management systems - there really can't be that much in it cost-wise.