CrossCountry has announced a new, direct rail service between Edinburgh and Cardiff launching from 16 December.
The mammoth 455-mile journey will take seven hours and call at 20 stations across Scotland, England, and Wales.
“We’re delighted to introduce this new service joining Cardiff and Edinburgh directly by rail for the very first time – meaning even more connections for customers across the length and breadth of the country,” said Scott Maynard, Interim Managing Director at CrossCountry.
There will be one service per weekday in each direction.
The train from Cardiff Central will depart at 9:45 am and arrive at Edinburgh in the early evening, at 5:08 pm.
In the other direction, the train will depart Edinburgh Waverley at 1:07 pm, to make it to Cardiff by 8:07 pm.
The route will certainly not be the cheapest way to make the journey.
An advance single ticket for the full trip, before any Railcard discounts, will cost £219.80.
Advance single fares are ‘unregulated’, meaning there is no maximum price set by the government. Instead, the fares are at the discretion of the train operating company.
The journey can be made cheaper by changing trains along the way – at Crewe, for example – rather than taking the direct journey.
“221131 at Edinburgh Waverley” by To The Trains is licensed under CC BY 4.0.