Ticket validity Highland sleeper Fort William-Westerton

[michaelhill94]

I am assuming the answer to this is no, but here goes. I want to travel from Fort William-Glasgow as late as possible on the 5th of August. I have an anytime return ticket. Would I be allowed to use my ticket on the Highland sleeper, then get off at Westerton to then go on to Glasgow Queen Street (which is possible with the train times)?

 

[reb0118]

I am assuming the answer to this is no, but here goes. I want to travel from Fort William-Glasgow as late as possible on the 5th of August. I have an anytime return ticket. Would I be allowed to use my ticket on the Highland sleeper, then get off at Westerton to then go on to Glasgow Queen Street (which is possible with the train times)?

The Fort William [FTW] sleeper, unlike the rest of the Scottish sleepers, is run as a normal passenger train between FTW & Edinburgh, including intermediate stops. As there are only 31 seats a seat reservation is strongly recommended - it may even be compulsory?

So the answer is it fact yes, subject to availability.

 

[michaelhill94]

Thank you for your response. That's fantastic. How do i make a reservation considering i have already booked the ticket?

 

[reb0118]

Thank you for your response. That's fantastic. How do i make a reservation considering i have already booked the ticket?

Via ScotRail telesales or at any booking office, just take your ticket. I just checked the website and it was allowing me to book on your specified day for the 19:00 dep, changing at Westerton, for Glasgow, so space must still be available. I'd book soon though as demand may outstrip supply.

Have a good trip!

 

[yorkie]

When I took the Sleeper from Helensburgh to Westerton last week, I estimate there were about 6 people already in the seated section. We easily got a bay of 4 to ourselves. I think everyone got off at Westerton. We got a whole coach to ourselves from Westerton to Glasgow.

I've taken this train several times and the only time I've known it be full & standing was on the penultimate weekend of Class 37 haulage on a Bank Holiday weekend. There were people sat/stood all over the guards van, and of course the front vestibule was well loaded too. But that was very foreseeable. I remember some American tourist being really annoyed there was only one seated coach, and we let a load of tourists who were sat in our booked seats remain seated until around Ardlui/Helensburgh, but they were most unhappy to stand from there to Westerton/Edinburgh.

Chances of it being full are highly unlikely.

 

[michaelhill94]

Thank you for all the helpful replies. I will reserve it tommorrow just to be on the safe side.

 

[reb0118]

Chances of it being full are highly unlikely.

True, I'm mainly on the Aberdeen portion and occupancy there ranges from 5 passengers to fully booked, (averages for me though is about 2/3 full).

I've only done the seated portion of the FTW about 6x (all as a passenger), my friend was a manager of a fish farm at Corpach so it was a useful way of popping up to see him for some highland hospitality. Only once was it completely full, once the seated coach failed and pax were transferred to the lounge car, and the other times ranged from quiet to fairly busy.

My advice to reserve still stands though, the chance that you need it might be slim, but as it it free to reserve then there is no harm in it.

I'm a belt & braces man, me!