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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 168 reviews, most reviewers were unhappy with their experience overall. Consumers often struggled with severe delays, unexpected cancellations, and freezing temperatures inside the carriages during long winter journeys. Passengers frequently mentioned overcrowded trains with insufficient seating, alongside excessively high ticket prices that feel completely unreasonable for the poor service provided. Some people were satisfied with the exceptionally helpful staff members who went above and beyond to assist travellers and ensure a truly pleasant journey. Travellers additionally noted that specific routes featured frequent daily connections, very friendly employees, and relatively competitive fares compared to alternative transport options.

What people talk about most

Service

Users describe negative interactions with service, highlighting widespread frustration and disappointment... See more

Staff

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about staff, reflecting deeply contrasting experiences across different... See more

Location

People report ambiguous experiences with location, noting various journeys between cities like Edinburgh,... See more

Price

Clients share negative opinions on price, consistently describing ticket costs as overpriced and... See more

Customer service

Customers had ambiguous experiences with customer_service. While many reviewers praised helpful helpline... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Capacity is atrocious. You know how many commuters are using your services yet consistently fail to provide sufficient carriages on main routes, whilst other times I practically get a carriage to my... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Arrived and boarded train at Waverley station in Edinburgh. After half an hour announcement to say to get off train as not going. No apology or explanation. Went back to concourse only to find an h... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

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 fa... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Sunday service August Edinburgh festival there are shows going beyond 1030pm and the last train North of Inverkeithing is 1028hrs.Whats a disgrace.I think one of the worst rail networks i know.During... See more


2.0

Poor

TrustScore 2 out of 5

1K reviews

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2.0

All reviews

(1,183)

157 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Very friendly and reliable, too bad Networkrail ain't

Always quite reliable and withotut too much delay. The onboard staff is always very helpful and friendly. I just with the first class service was a bit more substantial, especially on longer journeys. Before covid their service was much better. Nowadays it's just water and cookies, and if you're very lucky maybe a coffee.

Too bad they are replacing their HST's by class 222 units. Those 222's run quite smoothly, but the seats are horrible. There just isn't enough room between the seat mounting points, so whatever seats they will add after the renovation, it won't give decent legroom ...

17 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Terrible Customer Service

It is clear to me that Scot Rail have the worst customer relations department across all of the UK. Not only do they tell lies they fail to reply to letters and emails plus the most concern is that I have written five times with cancelled train tickets and photocopy of these and get told all five letters must of got lost in the post????? The excuses they give you if they answer the phones are comical like for instance we have a new system and its causing issues and that it takes three months to respond to a complaint. Trains I booked were cancelled due to signal issues meaning I could not use the train on the days BUT they find it hard to refund me. I have taken the matter further and urge you to follow the same if you have issues with this department. First contact BBC Watchdog via email to advise, second contact the onmbusman who will be keen to look at. Follow this up with an email to the CEO and all board members and keep resending like I did 120 times that way they may get the message. I have never seen such poor aftercare

20 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Yes, after five months we got our refund!

It took five months to get a refund for a train they cancelled themselves. At the time all passengers had to get off the train and there was no solution for us offered by ScotRail to get to our destination. So we had to take a taxi for the last 40 miles.

16 October 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

hope you never leave property on a…

hope you never leave property on a train, we had a train booked from glasgow central to London, the station was closed because of a fire nearby, so they put us on a train from glasgow low level to Motherwell , where the london train then started from, i left a bag on the laid on train,to Motherwell, trying to report it is impossible, they say they don't recognise the train , or the station, it is a recorded message to leave details that they don't recognise because its not a normal service , i finally got through to an Indian lady who just kept telling me they don't run that train or go to that station, and could not understand that it was a special train because of the fire. I cant ring motherwell station direct, i wrote to customer services explaining all this, after 2 weeks i had a reply saying they cant chase lost property and gave me the telephone number and address i was complaining about ! I give up my bag is probably on a shelf in a room and I cant get it ! absolute disgrace.

15 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Cancel trains regularly

Cancel trains, don't offer advice on when next one will be due, don't tell you any information about what to do, where to go. Trains regularly run late, are not cheap and never we adequate for the service times or requirements - primary tweedbank line.

31 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

So unfriendly experience with “John”…

So unfriendly experience with “John” for a trip from Dundee touring experience at 6:45p. I’d registered and paid for return 50us ticket to Dundee and bus pas.I had a paper ticket as well, showed the email of approved , ticket…and my UK drivers license. He made a scene that this was not enough.

Is this what service is?

30 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Another Week, Another ScotFail

Well Scotfail,

Another Week, Another ScotFail

Not only are you incapable of keeping a reasonable service running while Glasgow Central is out of service, for the Second week in a row you cancel the alternative train service I use to get home. Why, a broken down train again, no surprise, you have shown many time you are completely incapable of maintaining your fleet of trains to any reliable level.

As for the dreadful service you are running while Central Station is out of service. Why are you not running trains up the last station before Central, or an alternative stations such as Cambuslang, then parking/turning the trains in the depot’s at Polmadie etc? Has anyone even thought of this or are you relying on joe public to come up with ideas.

Frankly form the service I have experienced from Scotrail over many years of commuting, I can still only conclude that it is run incompetent fools who should not even be trusted with a Hornby toy train set, never mind a public service funded by tax payers pounds.

If you cannot deliver the service you should be providing, please just hand the tax payers money back so it can be invested in roads and parking. You can then go out of business, and whoever picks up the crumbs can get rid of the dead wood and bring in some professional train managers from Japan etc.

As the saying goes, the one thing you can rely on with ScotFail, is that you cannot rely on ScotFail.

Please try harder, your performance is abominable.

20 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Do Not Use Scot Rail

If I could give 0 stars I would. My train failed to turn up. There was no information at the unmanned station. I contacted ScotRail customer Services when at the station. Put through to India. Couldn’t understand a word and eventually gave up. Tried getting a refund for the tickets. Phoned Scot Rail Ref giving RSC0247032. Phoned again 13/3/26 told a refund was authorised and they were sending a link as we spoke. The link and email had the same outcome as the train - NEVER ARRIVED.
My advice do not use Scot Rail.

13 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Pricing is a joke

Pricing is a joke. Apparently they removed peak fares supposedly making it cheaper. It's a scam. It's all peak fares now. Flexi tickets also more expensive as they added more journeys so yes cheaper if you use all the journeys otherwise you loose out. Everyone doesn't need more journeys.

13 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Stirling station smoking problem

Stirling station smoking problem. It seems that staff at Stirling station turn a blind eye to tobacco smoking and vaping. Everyday I see so called commuters smoking on the station. Corners of the station buildings have used cigarette butts stubbed out on ledges and corners. Why is Scotrail allowing such filth to take place?

7 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

We booked a journey and scotrail…

We booked a journey and scotrail cancelled our train thay say on there website if your train was cancelled you will get a refund but trying to get this is shocking service thay don’t get in touch when you open a claim you have you are left to chase them up still waiting after nearly a month

16 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Got on the 11.20 train from Bishopton…

Got on the 11.20 train from Bishopton to Glasgow. Ticket collector Scott was brilliant. Watched his interaction with a 2 year old boy and it was really funny and he made the wee boys day. Apart from that he was extremely friendly and helpful. We need more people like Scott 👍👍

5 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Scotrail £20 return anywhere in Scotland deal

Received email to look out for ScotRail £20 return fair anywhere in Scotland Deal.
Email arrived, and clicked on to book two return tickets to Aberdeen from Queen Street station Glasgow.
Everything went through, £40 taken from my bank, and confirmed, received booking reference number from ScotRail, and then screen flashed up transaction failed.
Phone ScotRail and told yes transaction failed, and monies will be refunded within 3/5 work days.
Asked why transaction failed, and told due to train scheduling issues, again asked why scheduling not checked before payment was taken, could not answer, other than saying monies will be refunded within 3/5 working days.
Also asked why no follow up email or text to confirm transaction failed, again no answer, other than you will receive refund within 3/5 working days.
So why should I be out of pocket, until I receive refund, again sorry but that's procedure.
So while talking to him, went onto my ScotRail app, and put in same travel details, and a presto train time still showing, but at £140 for return.
So ScotRail come on, Don't take payment until all details checked.

4 March 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Nope ❌️

Cleanliness ❌️

WiFi ❌️- it's absolutely appalling.

Timely 🤏

Staff ✅️ (Mostly/ Kind of/ Many grumpy t#!@s too).

Getting Scotrail anywhere is usually a bloody awful experience. Overbooked, unclean and with a tannoy in train that either blows your head off or can't be heard.

It needs millions spent on it, and as its nationalised that won't happen.

If you can, use LNER. Its a different class of service altogether. Night and Day. Even Cross-country is preferable.

26 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Overcrowded trains are a constant with…

Overcrowded trains are a constant with never enough carriages, you are very lucky if you get anything over a 4 carriage train these days. Expected to be crammed all down the aisles and at the doors and it’s less about convenience and more of a daily struggle on when and if your train will be on time, late or cancelled. I use the trains a lot and in the last few years they have deteriorated to the worst I’ve ever seen them.

24 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I recommend this company.

Overall, the company is good in my opinion because the prices are reasonable. Bus journeys on the same routes are usually cheaper, but I have used ScotRail’s services many times and they are generally on time and have very friendly staff.

9 February 2026
Unprompted review

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