"ScotRail Express" What is the point of this brand?

[waverley47]

Were there any plans for Bonnybridge other than "Yes we'll think about it" which turned into "Haha in your dreams" post-COVID? I know there was plenty of humming and hawing but I never saw any concrete ideas being put forward as to what it might look like

There's a model site plan sitting on a shelf somewhere in the TS offices, the timetable and signal planning was done, but the services, and site investigation were never carried out because that costs money.

Basically everything that can be done without having to actually fully commit to beginning the long journey to spades in the ground has been done, but without a sponsor, that last part doesn't get started.

 

[Transilien]

N12 0750 Glasgow Central to Neilston

Who needs to go fast to Neilston at 0750 in the morning?

 

[A S Leib]

Who needs to go fast to Neilston at 0750 in the morning?

Getting to Neilston so it can form a Neilston to Glasgow service earlier?

 

[InvernessTMD]

There's a model site plan sitting on a shelf somewhere in the TS offices, the timetable and signal planning was done, but the services, and site investigation were never carried out because that costs money.

Basically everything that can be done without having to actually fully commit to beginning the long journey to spades in the ground has been done, but without a sponsor, that last part doesn't get started.

Sorry... TS? Feel like an idiot lol

The rest figures though. Access to any Bonnybridge station simply plonked onto the existing railway would be iffy as the only way you can get there is a badly maintained road featuring two bridges wide enough for only one car at a time and a lovely drive through an industrial estate that is definitely past its prime... And it's closer to Greenhill than Bonnybridge. Anyway, off topic

 

[Rick1984]

1737 Anderston to Carstairs skips Bridgeton, Dalmarnock and Motherwell (runs via Holytown without calling).

1630 Glasgow Central to Ayr is first stop Kilwinning, skipping Paisley Gilmour Street and Johnstone from the usual pattern, though running non-stop between Glasgow and Kilwinning was the usual half-hourly fast pattern before the COVID cuts

That seems very odd any train going non-stop through Paisley!

 

[Bill57p9]

Sorry... TS? Feel like an idiot lol

Transport Scotland

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Oct 2026 ==

Back to the original topic, I caught a Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay all station stopper today, dutifully being operated by a ScotRail Express branded 3 car class 385.
I can understand the ScotRail express branding for the fast Edinburgh - Falkirk - Glasgow operation which is almost entirely operated by the 4 car 385s (and offers first class as a further differentiator) but it seems slightly odd to brand the 3 car units in the same way.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Oct 2026 ==

That seems very odd any train going non-stop through Paisley!

Used to be a half-hourly occurrence. Particularly annoying for me at the time as I was regularly travelling between Ayr and Glasgow Airport!
(As an aside, the through fares to Glasgow Airport were another COVID casualty that never returned).

 

[Falcon1200]

Who needs to go fast to Neilston at 0750 in the morning?

Me, going home off the night shift!

Getting to Neilston so it can form a Neilston to Glasgow service earlier?

But that must be the real reason.

 

[Strathclyder]

I recall services on the Argyle Line omitting Bridgeton and Dalmarnock.

Those would've been the Dalmuir/Milngavie - Larkhall services in the days before the Whifflet Line was wired and subsumed into the wider Argyle Line network at the expense of through Dalmuir/Milngavie - Lanark services in the December 2014 timetable recast. These trains also skipped Cambuslang and Newton between Rutherglen & Blantyre.

 

[snookertam]

.

That 16;30 to Ayr is an oddity considering it's too early for commuter traffic

A 1630 departure from Glasgow will very much be carrying commuter traffic.

 

[Kite159]

A 1630 departure from Glasgow will very much be carrying commuter traffic.

Not as much as an 18:00 departure would be carrying with the "9 to 5" workers

Those would've been the Dalmuir/Milngavie - Larkhall services in the days before the Whifflet Line was wired and subsumed into the wider Argyle Line network at the expense of through Dalmuir/Milngavie - Lanark services in the December 2014 timetable recast. These trains also skipped Cambuslang and Newton between Rutherglen & Blantyre.

I'm pretty sure Bridgeton and Dalmarnock were skipped by 2tph even after the changes were made after the Whifflet Line was wired up, at least around 2016 time. Although since changed so that most services call all stations Rutherglen to Exhibition Centre

 

[snookertam]

Not as much as an 18:00 departure would be carrying with the "9 to 5" workers

In my experienced the busiest departures from both Glasgow terminals tend to be 16:30 to 17:30, usually due to the number of shoppers, uni and college students, in addition to office workers (whose number is diminishing now, but I’d say the core times have generally been consistent since pre-COVID).

You could probably consider the ‘shoulder peak’ to be from 15:30 to 18:30, but I’d say the core is pretty much as above. Hence additional peak departures from Glasgow city centre tend to be in that 16:30 to 17:30 window.

The exception being the E&G, although those are arguably as much about Edinburgh as Glasgow (and I believe the 15 min frequency will be extended by an hour or so in both peaks next year).

As for the express motif, it is partly a throughback to old publicity which was for the Glasgow/Edinburgh/Aberdeen triangle, and as others have mentioned, aimed at differentiating from slower Glasgow to Edinburgh services. ScotRail may wish to alter this when the class 222 units arrive, as these are not likely to have the Inter7City branding.

Personally I think a bespoke fleet of trains for the main Edinburgh to Queen Street would be preferable. It’s hardly just another suburban service. With class 170s operating it had more comfortable seating that now and had a trolley service, these should really be minimum expectations for such a route.

Coupled with full electrification of the borders line (not happening but arguably should be) would the enable the spare class 385s to be used here instead, and could be inter worked with the North Berwick line.

 

[Strathclyder]

I'm pretty sure Bridgeton and Dalmarnock were skipped by 2tph even after the changes were made after the Whifflet Line was wired up, at least around 2016 time. Although since changed so that most services call all stations Rutherglen to Exhibition Centre

Although I'm a bit hazy on the exact dates, am certain that stopping pattern for the Larkhall services had gone by the time of the Queen Street blockade starting in March 2016, those services becoming all-stations stoppers. Don't quote me on that though.

 

[route101]

A 1630 departure from Glasgow will very much be carrying commuter traffic.

More people work a 8 to 4 now too.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Saturday at 22:01 ==

In my experienced the busiest departures from both Glasgow terminals tend to be 16:30 to 17:30, usually due to the number of shoppers, uni and college students, in addition to office workers (whose number is diminishing now, but I’d say the core times have generally been consistent since pre-COVID).

You could probably consider the ‘shoulder peak’ to be from 15:30 to 18:30, but I’d say the core is pretty much as above. Hence additional peak departures from Glasgow city centre tend to be in that 16:30 to 17:30 window.

The exception being the E&G, although those are arguably as much about Edinburgh as Glasgow (and I believe the 15 min frequency will be extended by an hour or so in both peaks next year).

As for the express motif, it is partly a throughback to old publicity which was for the Glasgow/Edinburgh/Aberdeen triangle, and as others have mentioned, aimed at differentiating from slower Glasgow to Edinburgh services. ScotRail may wish to alter this when the class 222 units arrive, as these are not likely to have the Inter7City branding.

Personally I think a bespoke fleet of trains for the main Edinburgh to Queen Street would be preferable. It’s hardly just another suburban service. With class 170s operating it had more comfortable seating that now and had a trolley service, these should really be minimum expectations for such a route.

Coupled with full electrification of the borders line (not happening but arguably should be) would the enable the spare class 385s to be used here instead, and could be inter worked with the North Berwick line.

The 385s are great at what they do, transport a high number a passengers quickly. They are really dull and have harsh lighting but that's nit picking.