L'avion passe 35–85 min en l'air ; le trajet centre à centre inclut l'accès à l'aéroport, la marge de sécurité, la sortie et le transfert vers le centre.
L'avion émet environ 6× plus de CO₂ que le train sur cette ligne.
Tarif moyen pour une réservation 2–3 semaines à l'avance, sans bagage en soute.
Le corridor.
Book on LNER or Lumo.
Compare departure time and fare type before choosing the lowest headline price.
Le train est-il le bon choix ?
Le temps de vol affiché oublie l'aéroport. Mis à jour July 2026.
LNER and Lumo operate dozens of direct trains daily between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. The fastest services take about four hours and five minutes; many departures take a few minutes longer.
British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair UK together operate a large number of weekly flights with about eighty-five minutes scheduled in the air. From central London you still need the trip to the airport, security, the block itself, baggage reclaim and the tram or taxi from Edinburgh Airport into town.
That turns a short domestic sector into close to four hours door-to-door before delays. The train starts and finishes in the middle of both cities, with power, Wi-Fi and space to work for the whole run up the East Coast Main Line.
Fly if Edinburgh Airport is already on a longer ticket, or only a specific flight time works. King's Cross to Waverley is the default for a city-to-city trip.
Train vs avion.
| En train | En avion | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door-to-door time | ≈4h 35m door-to-door; fastest train ≈4h 05m | ≈3h 55m door-to-door Gagne | Train: show up 10–15 minutes early. Flight: airport trip, security, boarding, then another trip into town. |
| Stations vs airports | London King's Cross → Edinburgh Waverley Gagne | London airports → Edinburgh Airport | Main stations sit in town. Airports usually don't. |
| Typical one-way price | From about £25–£42 (≈€30–€50) when booked ahead Gagne | Often €70–€150 before airport transfers | Planning ranges, not live quotes. Book a few weeks out; walk-up rail and last-minute flights both get expensive. |
| CO₂e per passenger | ≈12.2 kg Gagne | ≈70.8 kg | About 59 kg less CO₂e on the train, using published European rail and short-haul factors. |
| Frequency | Dozens of direct LNER/Lumo departures/day Gagne | Live schedule shown below when available | Lumo can be cheaper; LNER offers more peak-frequency coverage. Both use King's Cross and Waverley. |
| Changes | Direct options available Gagne | Airport access at both ends | Book a direct train. A change can wipe out the whole point of not flying. |
| Useful journey time | Power, table, room to move Gagne | The hour in the air is sandwiched between queues | One stretch of usable time vs the airport sandwich. |
| Luggage | Bags stay with you Gagne | Cabin and hold limits depend on the fare | Airlines start charging once you leave the cabin bag. Check bike and oversized rules on the train too. |
Si vous prenez le train.
Book LNER or Lumo three weeks ahead.
Advance fares often start under £30 in standard class. Flexible Anytime tickets cost much more and are only worth it when the day may move.
King's Cross to Waverley.
Both stations sit in their city centres with direct metro/tram links at the Edinburgh end and the Underground at King's Cross.
Engineering works can add minutes.
Check live LNER or National Rail Enquiries information on the day, especially at weekends.
Retards, opérateurs, paysage.
"East Coast Main Line punctuality varies with engineering and weather. Check live running information rather than relying on a historic average."
Low to moderate; weekend engineering is the most common source of longer delays.
None on direct LNER or Lumo services.
"The run crosses Yorkshire and Northumberland before the approach into Edinburgh — better viewed from a window seat than from 30,000 feet."
LNER and Lumo compete on the same corridor with separate tickets and onboard products.