300+ Miles of ScotRail Inter7City HSTs

Back in September 2024 it was announced that the process would be started to replace ScotRail’s Inter7City fleet, their short-set HSTs, marking the beginning of the final chapter of the iconic HST’s operation in the UK. In November 2024 I was in Scotland for work and with most of a day free, I found myself at Glasgow Queen Street early one morning with a plan to ride these iconic trains for more than 300 miles over some of Scotland’s railways. My plan for the day would see me travelling onboard four different Inter7City sets, as I headed to Montrose, Edinburgh, Perth and finally back to Glasgow.

DUB to BHX Aer Lingus Regional Economy

Having had a busy 24 hours in Ireland, it was time to head home and rather than catch a ‘boring’ Airbus or Boeing back across the Irish Sea, I’d timed my return to England to fly onboard one of the two daily Aer Lingus Regional flights from Dublin to Birmingham. Operated by Aer Lingus’ regional partner, Emerald Airlines, these flights use one of the airline’s 18 ATR 72-600s, offering something a bit different to the usual narrowbody jets that operate between Ireland and the UK. I have flown on one of these Aer Lingus Regional flights previously, back when they were operated by Stobart Air, but it had been a few years, so this was a good opportunity to try the ATR out again.

Cork Kent – Dublin Hueston Iarnród Éireann – 1st Class

Whilst I’d started my trip to Ireland by flying from Heathrow to Cork, I was ending it by flying from Dublin to Birmingham and so needed to make my way from Ireland’s south coast to the capital. The easiest way of doing this was by taking an Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) service from Cork Kent station direct to Dublin Hueston. Whilst the vast majority of Iarnród Éireann services are now operated by Diesel or Electric Multiple Units, the Cork to Dublin route is home to one of Ireland’s only remaining loco-hauled services, giving me the chance to try something a little bit different.

An Irish Trio – Cobh, Cork and Dublin

Having arrived at Cork airport on an Aer Lingus flight from Heathrow, I made a very quick exit from the aircraft with it taking just seven minutes from touchdown to reaching landside. Unfortunately, this quick exit was then slowed down by the wait for a bus into the city centre, with me waiting more than 20 minutes for a 225 or 226 bus to appear. Signs around the bus stops and in the terminal suggest buying your bus ticket on an app, however I couldn’t get this to work and ended up buying a physical ticket from the machine just inside the terminal by bus stop A. Physical tickets are €2.20 instead of €1.35 on app, however make sure you buy before you board as the buses themselves only take cash.

LHR to ORK Aer Lingus AerSpace

Back in September I had decided to attend a railway related event to aid in my professional development, something I do fairly regularly, however on this occasion it required a bit more travel than jumping on a train to London or Birmingham as the talk was being held in Cork. Deciding to make the most of the trip to Ireland, I planned to spend some time exploring Cork and the surrounding area, as well as trying out Iarnród Éireann before flying back from Dublin. Before all that though, I had to get to Cork and so Thursday 12th September saw me waking up at a Heathrow hotel ready to fly across the Irish Sea.

PMH-WAT South Western Railway – 1st Class

After a few days on the south coast exploring the railways, visiting friends and crossing the Solent to the Isle of Wight, it was time to head home. On my way down to the coast I’d travelled with South Western Railway (SWR) from London Waterloo to Dorchester South, but on the way back I was travelling via the quicker Portsmouth Direct line from Portsmouth Harbour through to London. As such I started my day in Chichester, catching a southern service along the coast to Portsmouth, where I’d start the journey back towards the capital in earnest.