Frequently asked questions

Bookings for the 2019 season are now live. You can now book online, or by telephone on 0844 850 4685 * between the hours of 9.30am to 4.00pm Monday-Friday.

Medium family dogs are permitted to travel in the standard section of the Jacobite train only (1 per person/ booking), they travel for free, are not permitted on seats and they must remain on a lead at all times. Unfortunately, dogs are not permitted in 1st class. Dogs are also not permitted on our other trips due to the length of time they would be on the train.

Yes – however please arrive early and ask the Guard where best to store your luggage.

On some of our trips (The Jacobite, Scarborough Spa Express and The Dalesman) Limited tickets may be available on the day, which include First Class, the HP style Compartment Carriage (only available on The Jacobite Steam Train Trip) and Standard Class, on the Platform from the Guard. These are sold on a first come first served basis to cash customers so early arrival (approximately an hour before the train departs) is recommended. These cannot be secured beforehand. There is no guarentee of how many, or if any, tickets will be availiable on any given day.

When booking online the automated booking system will always seat you as a group, The B and the F determine which side of a table you are seated, therefore as an example seat 1b is seated opposite (over a table) seat 1f. Also seat 1b is generally next to seat 2b and seat 1f is generally next to seat 2f. Please also note that 'b' and 'f' do not idenify which way you will be facing. We cannot guarantee which way the carriage will so do not state forwards or backwards facing or which side of the train you will be sat on.

On The Jacobite Trip,in the open First Class carriages there are tables for two and tables for four. The HP style Compartment Carriage is made up of compartments that seat six people. In Standard Class carriages there are tables for four only. On all other trips, the seating arrangements are covered in each relevant trip detail.

1st class seats are more comfortable and larger than the standard seats, giving you extra leg room. The carriage is more luxurious than the standard carriages with nicer furnishings. First Class passengers on the Jacobite service will receive one complimentary tea / coffee per direction of travel. For all other trips, please see each trip navigation menus, where the details of what is included on each class of travel can be found.

Yes, you will always be allocated seats when booking in advance. You are not able to select your own seats

When booking online the automated system will always allocate seats together. The system will not allow you to book unless there are sufficient seats for your party to sit together.

The locomotive used on the Jacobite will either be a Black 5 or a K1. For all other trips, please see the relevant trip page.

Unfortunately we do not offer concessionary fares or accept railcards. Priv. Rates For Rail Staff are available on some of our trips, these can only be applied via a telephone booking on 01524 732100.

Due to the age and construction of our trains it is not possible to board whilst seated in a wheelchair, however we will be pleased to convey passengers of limited mobility whenever possible provided they can step onto the train from the platform and move to their reserved seats with the help of an able bodied carer, the wheelchair then being folded by you and stored at the end of the carriage. We are unable to convey mobility scooters or non-folding wheelchairs due to the age and design of the trains used. For further information or assistance with this, please contact us on 0844 850 3137 or by email. We will however, do our utmost to assist passengers whose mobility is impaired, full details can be found in our Disabled Policy page. Please click here to view.

Yes, this is available on our Disabled People Protection Policy page. Please click here to view.

There is a limited amount of storage on our trains, so we can only accommodate a maximum of four bicycles in one day. However, wheelchairs will take priority. Please note that it is not possible to board with a bicycle at all stations. Please call 0844 850 4685 * or 0845 128 4685 * at your time of booking to let us know if you are planning on bringing bicycles.

The website only allows bookings of up to 6 passengers. For group booking please call our booking office on 0844 850 4685 *. Special rates are available to parties of 10 or more adults. These rates are only attainable when booking over the phone.

As long as the pushchair is foldable then it will not be a problem to bring it on the train. Please be aware however that as wheelchairs take priority there may be limited storage space on your day of travel, in which case your pushchair can be stored in the station.

There is only one train station in Fort William, the address is: Tom-na-Faire, Station Square, Fort William, Highland, PH33 6EN. If you are departing from Mallaig station, the address is: Main Street, Mallaig, Highland, PH41 4QA.

If you do not have a PayPal account you can also pay with any major credit card. After clicking proceed to payment you will be taken to the PayPal website. Users can log in on the right hand side of the screen. If you do not have a PayPal account, on the left hand side of the screen you will see that it says "Don´t have a PayPal account? Use your credit card or bank account". If you click continue you can enter your credit card details and proceed to payment.

If you have paid online by credit card, you will still be sent a receipt for your payment from PayPal, as all of our online transactions are made through them. This is to ensure your security.

If you have booked online you are able to add gifts and extra's onto your booking. Please log into 'Your Account' on the home page main menu and follow the instructions. If you booked by telephone, please call 0844 850 4685 * .

You will receive a confirmation of your online booking via email, this also acts as your ticket, so please make sure to print it out and bring it with you on your day of travel. If you think that you may not have received this or have lost it, please send us an email and we will send you a new one. Please check your junk/spam inbox e-mail folder if you have not received them as occasionally emails can be directed there by your e-mail service provider. When booking by phone, if you provide an email address your booking confirmation will be emailed to you. If you do not have an email address please request that a copy be posted to you.

Any child requiring a seat will pay the child fare. However, a small infant under 3 can travel free whilst sitting on an adult´s knee.

As long as there are seats available on your desired date and you give us plenty of notice then this can easily be done. Please note that there is a £15 charge for amendments made to bookings (this does not apply when adding additional seats or gifts to the current booking). Email us with your booking reference number and we will try and arrange this for you - enquiries@westcoastrailways.net.

Unfortunately we cannot guarantee which way your seats will be facing, as sometimes the carriages are turned around without notice. If you are not happy with your seats on the day the best thing to do is to ask the guard if there are any others available that you can swap to.

Unfortunately we cannot guarantee which side of the carriage your seats will be on, as sometimes the carriages are turned around without notice. If you are not happy with your seats on the day the best thing to do is to ask the guard if there are any others available that you can swap to.

There is a buffet carriage on board which offers hot and cold drinks, and cold snacks.

All of our coaches have toilets situated at each end. However, Jacobite passengers should note that under local council guidelines all toilets will be locked for the duration of the journey and will only be opened by the guard in the event of an emergency. Toilets facilities are however available both at Fort William and Mallaig stations.

To travel on different days you will need to book two singles, one for your outbound journey and one for your inbound journey. The Jacobite is a same day return on the same train as it is written in the terms & conditions. For all other trips covered on this website, a return tickets is only valid for the date of travel stated on the ticket.

For the Jacobite, the journey is a round trip and takes 2 hrs and 10 minutes outbound with a 20 minute stop at Glenfinnan station. You have 1 hour and 45 minutes in Mallaig and the return journey takes 1 hour and 50 minutes. For all other trips, please see each trip navigation menus, where the details of the departure and return times can be found.

A child is eligible if they are 16 and under.

Although Fort William Station itself has limited parking, Fort William has several car parks, so it should be no problem to find a place for your car. The car parks are well signed, and there are short stay and long stay car parks.

Long Stay Car Parks: The long stay car parks are West End, Transport Centre (opposite the Belford Hospital, and at the side of the Railway Station) / An Aird No.1 (Opposite the Nevis Centre) and An Aird No.2 adjacent to the Shinty Club.

West End Car Park: used mostly for coaches, campers and private vehicles

An Aird Car Park - No 1 opposite The Nevis Centre - suitable for HGV, caravans. Additional car parking in Fort William can be found at the Shinty Park, along from An Aird No 1.

High Street car park & toilets: Cars and short vans only / Middle Street Car Park Ellis Brigham car park - next to railway station

Nevisport Car Park: A small car park right in the centre of town - cars and bikes only. Not long stay

Other car parks: (no HGV or COACHES) Achintee Car Park, Glen Nevis - not long stay / Glen Nevis Visitor Centre, Glen Nevis - not long stay / Braveheart Car Park, Glen Nevis - not long stay / Morrison's Car Park - passengers are advised not to use this car park as parking fines may be issued

Yes, in order to book the HP style Compartment there needs to be availbility, this is also only available on the morning train - when checking availability it will show as FIRST CLASS COMPARTMENT CARRIAGE HP STYLE, just select this option when booking your tickets. If the option does not appear on the booking screen, it means all the seats in this carriage have already been booked. This First Class carriage has compartments that seat 6 people on bench style seats, there is not normally a table. These compartments have a door that leads onto a corridor that runs the full length of the carriage.

Yes there are connecting trains. Most travellers use the Caledonian Sleeper train, details can be found at www.sleeper.scot Although this is a connecting train, if it is delayed then the Jacobite will be unable to wait for it´s arrival. Unfortunately we cannot offer refunds for delayed connections therefore it may be advisable to either ride the afternoon train or plan an overnight stay prior to your Jacobite Trip. You may be able to claim via your travel insurance for missed connections.

Unfortunately not, we always advise passengers to be at the station well in advance of the departure time.

One of the best locations to photograph the Jacobite is where the train crosses the Glenfinnan viaduct. In addition to being extremely scenic the train sloews down as it crosses the viaduct making it easier to capture that perfect shot! We would suggest that you follow the road under the viaduct and then make your way up the hill to the left (West) to capture the curve of the viaduct. Passing times for the viaduct are: Morning Train 10:58 outbound and 15:00 return / Afternoon Train 15:13 outbound and 19:30 return.

Job vacancies are advertised in the Careers section on the website.