Editing First ScotRail (section)

==Services==

===Main lines===
[[File:Rail map scotland 2014.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Map of the principal railway lines of Scotland; First ScotRail's former services are indicated in red.]]
[[File:Train approaching the Forth Bridge.JPG|thumb|Northbound [[British Rail Class 170|Class 170]] approaching the [[Forth Bridge]] on the [[Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line]]]]
Express trains operated between Edinburgh, Glasgow, [[Inverness]], [[Dundee]] and [[Aberdeen]]. The [[Highland Main Line]] links Inverness to the south. Some stretches of main line, such as the Highland Main Line, are single track, and express trains must call at intermediate stations to permit trains coming in the opposite direction to pass.

The main lines of Scotland are:
*[[Ayrshire Coast Line]]
*[[Dundee–Aberdeen line]]
*[[Edinburgh–Dundee line]]
*[[Fife Circle Line]]
*[[Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line]]
*[[Glasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line]]
*[[Glasgow–Dundee line]]
*[[Glasgow South Western Line]]
*[[Highland Main Line]]

===Glasgow===
{{see also|Transport in Glasgow}}
The densest part of the network was the [[Commuter rail in the United Kingdom|suburban network]] around [[Glasgow]], with 183 stations, the second-largest suburban rail network in the UK, after London. Much of it is [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|{{nowrap|25 kV AC}} electrified]]. Glasgow’s main [[terminal station]]s are [[Glasgow Central railway station|Central]] and [[Glasgow Queen Street railway station|Queen Street station]]s. ScotRail operated trains in this area under the [[Strathclyde Partnership for Transport]] (SPT) brand. However, the [[Strathclyde Partnership for Transport]] no longer has any input into specifying rail services in the Glasgow area. DMUs and EMUs that were liveried in the carmine and cream livery were stripped of the Strathclyde logos.<ref>{{cite magazine |title = |magazine = [[Today's Railways UK]] |issue = 81  |date = |page = }}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=May 2023}} Lines in and around Glasgow were:
{{col-float}}
*[[Argyle Line]]
*[[Ayrshire Coast Line]]
*[[Cathcart Circle Lines]]
*[[Croy Line]]
*[[Cumbernauld Line]]
*[[Inverclyde Line]]
*[[Maryhill Line]]

{{col-float-break}}
*[[Motherwell–Cumbernauld line]]
*[[North Clyde Line]] (extended to Cumbernauld & Edinburgh<ref name="airdriebathgate">{{cite web |url = http://www.airdriebathgateraillink.co.uk/plan/ |title = Airdrie-Bathgate rail link |publisher = airdriebathgateraillink.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110928141710/http://www.airdriebathgateraillink.co.uk/plan/ |archive-date = 28 September 2011 }}</ref>)
*[[Paisley Canal line]]
*[[Shotts Line]]
*[[Glasgow South Western Line]]
*[[Whifflet Line]] (incorporated into the [[Argyle Line]])
{{col-float-end}}

The North Clyde Line is now linked to the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line (see Edinburgh, below) with the completion of the [[Airdrie–Bathgate rail link]], creating a new direct link between Glasgow and Edinburgh. There is also a proposal to create a new rail link across the city with the [[Crossrail Glasgow]] project.

===Edinburgh===
[[File:Bb-forthrailbridge.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Forth Bridge]] in 2004]]
{{See also|Transport in Edinburgh}}

[[Edinburgh]]’s [[Commuter rail in the United Kingdom|suburban network]] is less dense than Glasgow’s. Edinburgh’s main station is [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Waverley]]. The main railway line through the city centre runs in a cutting immediately below [[Edinburgh Castle]]. A secondary station is at {{Stnlnk|Haymarket}} in the west of the city. Railway lines running north from Edinburgh to [[Fife]] and the [[Highland (council area)|Highlands]] cross the [[Firth of Forth]] via the [[Forth Bridge]]. Lines in and around Edinburgh were:
*[[Edinburgh–Bathgate line]] (incorporated into the [[North Clyde Line]]<ref name="airdriebathgate"/>)
*[[Edinburgh Crossrail]]
*[[Edinburgh–Dunblane line]]
*[[North Berwick Line]]
*[[Shotts Line]]
*[[Edinburgh–Dundee line]]

The Edinburgh rail network is being expanded with the construction of the Waverley Line to the Borders, and the Edinburgh–Bathgate Line has been extended by the [[Airdrie–Bathgate rail link]]. A project to open a [[Edinburgh Airport railway station|rail link to Edinburgh Airport]] was cancelled in September 2007 by the Scottish Government in favour of construction of a station at nearby [[Gogar]] which will connect with the [[Edinburgh tram network]] to take passengers to the terminal.<ref name=edinAirport>{{cite news |title = It's £30m down the drain |publisher = Johnston Publishing |work = The Scotsman |url = http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=607&id=1546642007 |access-date = 7 September 2013 |location = Edinburgh |date = 27 September 2007 |archive-date = 5 June 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605052125/http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=607 |url-status = live }}</ref> A proposal to re-open the [[Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway|Edinburgh suburban railway line]] has been made by campaigning groups.<ref name="CRAG">{{cite web |url = http://www.reopenthesouthsub.org.uk/ |title = Capital Rail Action Group |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140516205531/http://www.reopenthesouthsub.org.uk/ |archive-date = 16 May 2014 }}</ref>

===Rural lines===
[[File:West Highland Line looking north from Rannoch station 02.jpg|thumb|right|The [[West Highland Line]] at [[Rannoch railway station|Rannoch]]]]
[[File:First ScotRail Class 170.JPG|thumb|[[British Rail Class 170|Class 170 ''Turbostar'']] in First ScotRail livery at [[Inverness railway station|Inverness]]]]
Rural lines include the scenic [[West Highland Line]], [[Kyle of Lochalsh line]] and [[Far North Line]]. These lines carried more passengers, mostly tourists, during the summer months, but provided a valuable link and social service during the winter months.

Many rural lines are single track. Trains terminating at the coastal towns of [[Oban]] and [[Mallaig]] connected with the [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] ferry services to [[Isle of Skye|Skye]], [[Colonsay]], [[Lismore, Scotland|Lismore]], [[Islay]] and the [[Outer Hebrides]] and [[Inner Hebrides]].

The rural lines were:
*[[Aberdeen–Inverness line]]
*[[Far North Line]]
*[[Kyle of Lochalsh line]]
*[[West Highland Line]]

===InterCity & Sleeper services===
{{Main|Caledonian Sleeper}}
First ScotRail operated some services that ventured south of the border: principally the [[Caledonian Sleeper]] to [[London Euston railway station|London Euston]] along the [[West Coast Main Line]], and a three times daily cross-country service between [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] and Glasgow Central via [[Carlisle]] and [[Kilmarnock]].