Advance Train Tickets

Enjoy big savings when you book early.

Save up to 60%* on train travel across Scotland with our Advance Single tickets.

If you want to make big savings, it pays to book your tickets as early as possible and be flexible on when you can travel.

Where can I travel?

Advance Single tickets are available on selected routes across Scotland.

Whether it’s a soaking up some culture on a Scottish city break, heading off on a Highland adventure or taking a trip to the coast, these super-saving tickets are a great way to get out and see Scotland by train.

Here's a handy map to give you a flavour of where you could go...

Map of Advance tickets on intercity routes such as Glasgow and Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness, as well as coastal destinations like Oban, Ayr and North Berwick. Advance fares are not available for travel between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

  • Online
  • Via the ScotRail app
  • At any ScotRail ticket office
  • By phone — call 0344 811 0141

Advance Single tickets are subject to availability and remain for sale up until 6pm the day before travel, so it’s always worth checking your journey on our website or the ScotRail app before you travel to see if you could still save.

But remember, availability is limited so book your tickets as soon as you can.

Buying through the ScotRail website

When you plan your journey using Journey Planner on our website the cheapest fares will be highlighted in yellow. If there is an Advance fare available, the cheapest single price will be highlighted.

A screensot of a desktop view of the ScotRail booing engine, which displays Advance Single fares for £8.50
  • Search on a Thursday - Advance fares are released every Thursday. The current booking window is open for bookings 8 weeks in advance.
  • Check for services early in the morning and late at night as these are generally quieter and often more likely to have Advance tickets available on them
  • Search for tickets from your nearest city station, not your local station. For example, search for Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen, rather than Cambuslang to Aberdeen.

If you're unsure if an Advance ticket would be suitable for your journey, take a look below to see all the important information you need to make your decision:

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Travel times

Advance Single tickets are available on a range of services seven days a week. When you book an Advance Single ticket you book onto a specific service which you must then travel on. Your ticket cannot be used on another service at a different time.
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Refundable

Advance tickets are non-refundable. However, you can change the date or time of your ticket by paying the standard £10 administrative fee plus any difference in fare. Find out more on our Refunds page.
Reserveable seating icon - a teal train seat.

Reservable seating

Reservable seating is available with some Advance Single tickets. Look for the “reservable seating” options on journey planner to see whether reserved seating is available. Click here to find out more about seat reservations.

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Non-transferable

Our Advance Single tickets are non-transferable, meaning if you decide you can no longer use it, you cannot offer it to someone else.
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Purchase protection

Your Advance Single ticket is protected by our Delay Repay guarantee, meaning you can claim compensation if your journey is delayed by 30 minutes or more. Read our full Delay Repay guarantee and relevant terms & conditions for more information.

When you book an Advance Single ticket, you must travel on your booked service. Advance tickets are available on intercity routes between:

Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. Please note that Advance fares are not available for services between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

We also have Advance Single fares available on other selected routes. These are:

  • Glasgow and Fort William
  • Glasgow and Inverness
  • Glasgow and Mallaig
  • Glasgow and Oban
  • Glasgow and Ayr
  • Edinburgh and North Berwick
  • Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh
  • Inverness and Wick

View map of Advance ticket routes

We release thousands of Advance fares every week for travel on a range of intercity services. These are usually released around 12 weeks before the date of travel. On the busier trains, these can get snapped up very quickly. Check early morning, late night and middle of the day services for the best chance at finding an Advance Single ticket. Please also ensure that the journey you are searching for is one of the specific routes mentioned on this page.

No, they are only available on selected intercity routes and the following rural routes:

  • Glasgow and Fort William
  • Glasgow and Mallaig
  • Glasgow and Oban
  • Glasgow and Ayr
  • Edinburgh and North Berwick
  • Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh
  • Inverness and Wick

For longer journeys it always pays to book as early as you can. Advance Single fares are usually released around twelve weeks before travel. On the quietest services (early morning, middle of the day and late at night) Advance Single tickets can still be found up to 6pm before the day of travel. The sooner you book, the more change you have of finding an Advance Single ticket.

With an Advance Single ticket you must travel on the service that you have booked. Advance Single tickets are available for selected routes at various times of day.
Advance Single tickets are sold on a single, one way journey basis. For your return, simply purchase another single ticket.

Every week we release thousands of Advance Single tickets across specific routes, which are outlined further up this page.

The lowest priced fares are released around 12 weeks before train departure date. The further in advance you book, the more likely you are to find the lowest Advance Single fare.

Yes, all Standard National Railcard discounts apply.

Yes, if you’re a Club 50 member you can use your member discount on Advance tickets.

To buy online, click on 'Buy Tickets' in the main menu above, enter your journey details and select 'CLUB 50 WEB - SCOTRAIL' from the list of Railcards. If you have selected an eligible journey, the prices shown will include the 20% Club 50 discount.

Yes, you can get a 50% discount for children aged 5-15, and under 5's travel free.

Yes. You can now buy a Kids for a Quid ticket if you are travelling with an adult ScotRail Advance Single ticket.

Please note, Kids for a Quid tickets are not available with a LNER Advance Single ticket.

Yes we have Advance tickets available for Standard Class and First Class. Our cheapest Advance Single fares are for Standard Class travel only and cannot be upgraded to First Class.

However, we also have Advance Single First Class fares available.

Yes. Just show your First Class ticket on arrival for entry to the First Class lounge.

Advance tickets are non-refundable. However, you can change the date or time of your ticket. To do this you would need to pay the standard £10 administrative fee plus any difference in fare between the ticket you have, and the ticket you need. Find out more on our Refunds page.

Advance tickets are non-refundable unless the booked service has been cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, in which circumstances a full refund would be available. How to claim a refund for an Advance ticket, or change the date or time of travel, depends on how you purchased your ticket.

How to claim a refund for an Advance ticket, or change the date or time of travel, depends on how you purchased your ticket.

If you purchased from the ScotRail website or app, please login to your MyScotRail account where you can request a refund or give us a call on 0344 811 0141 selecting ‘option 2’ for our Web Support team.

If you purchased at a ScotRail ticket office, please return there to change your ticket.

​If you purchased from the ScotRail telesales team, please call 0344 811 0141 selecting ‘option 2’.

No, you can't break up your journey unless it's for connectional purposes.

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Have a Railcard or Club 50 membership?

Great news! If you have a railcard, or are a Club 50 member, you can enjoy even bigger savings on Advance fares as you receive the extra discount on top.

Fancy a bit of extra comfort?

You can also buy a First Class Advance Single ticket, which means more space and comfort throughout your journey with larger seats, individual sockets and USB ports.

*Discount compared to Anytime Day Single.

How to buy your ticket

  • At any ScotRail ticket office
  • By phone — call 0344 811 0141
  • Online

Buy tickets online