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Scottish Citylink Festive Travel Guide for 2025-26

Posted on December 16, 2025

Reading time: 4 minutes.

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The festive period brings its familiar mix of altered timetables and special services across Scotland’s coach network. Scottish Citylink has now published its schedule of services for the 2025-26 festive period, detailing operations from 24^th December through 5^th January. From overnight New Year services to Boxing Day Highland connections, here is what travellers can expect during this traditionally disrupted fortnight.

Christmas Eve Services

Christmas Eve services will operate to normal timetables during the day, with early evening finishes on most routes. The flagship Glasgow-Edinburgh service will conclude with final departures at 20:00 from Glasgow, whilst Edinburgh offers multiple late options with departures at 21:15, 21:45 and 22:15.

Route 902 (Glasgow-Edinburgh Airport via Livingston) experiences significant evening disruption, with the 19:45 Glasgow departure terminating at Livingston rather than continuing to the airport. Additionally, the 21:45 Glasgow to Edinburgh Airport service, the 21:40 Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow service and the 23:45 Glasgow to Chapelhall service all do not operate.

Highland routes maintain normal service throughout the day, with standard evening finish times. Cross-border services to Belfast see selective cancellations, with the 16:20 and 18:20 departures from Glasgow to Stranraer not operating. However, an additional 14:20 service from Glasgow to Stranraer provides extra capacity for those needing to connect with earlier ferry sailings.

On the Saltire Cross network connecting Edinburgh, Glasgow and the north-east, several late evening M-series departures are withdrawn. From Edinburgh, cancelled services include numerous M92 Aberdeen departures (07:35, 16:35, 18:35, 21:25 and 23:25) and certain M90 services to Perth and Inverness. From Glasgow, the evening M9 Aberdeen services from 15:40 onwards do not operate.

Christmas Day Operations

On Christmas Day, a special service will operate on the Glasgow-Edinburgh route 900, with hourly departures from Glasgow between 08:30 and 20:30, and from Edinburgh between 10:15 and 22:15, with no other routes in operation. Special fare conditions apply because these services are classified as premium services. Thus, standard concessionary travel passes, open return tickets and multi-journey tickets are not valid and neither are regular child, student and other promotional discounts.

Boxing Day and Return to Service

Boxing Day sees the resumption of services across the network, though with modified schedules. The Glasgow-Edinburgh service begins early, with first departures at 04:00 from Glasgow and 05:45 from Edinburgh. Highland services include three return journeys between Glasgow and Fort William/Skye, departing Glasgow at 08:00, 11:20 and 16:20. A special Glasgow-Oban service operates with one return journey, leaving Glasgow at 12:15 and returning from Oban at 18:20. Regular service patterns resume between 27^th and 30^th December.

New Year’s Eve Arrangements

New Year’s Eve (31^st December) mirrors Christmas Eve arrangements, with services operating normally during the day before early evening finishes. The Glasgow-Edinburgh route 900 provides multiple evening options from Glasgow at 20:00, 21:30 and 22:30, whilst Edinburgh maintains its late departures at 21:15, 21:45 and 22:15.

Route 902 encounters similar disruption to Christmas Eve, with the 19:45 Glasgow service again terminating at Livingston, and the same evening cancellations applying. The cross-border Belfast services also follow the Christmas Eve pattern, with the 16:20 Glasgow to Stranraer service cancelled, though the additional 14:20 departure again provides alternative capacity.

The Saltire Cross network sees extensive evening cancellations matching those on Christmas Eve, particularly affecting services from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and from Glasgow to Aberdeen after mid-afternoon.

New Year’s Day Enhanced Services

New Year’s Day features an enhanced service on the Glasgow-Edinburgh corridor, with route 900 operating half-hourly during the day and hourly during overnight hours. The first departures are at 01:00 from Glasgow and 00:45 from Edinburgh, with services continuing through the night. The timetable includes late departures at 19:00, 19:30, 20:00, 22:00 and 23:59 from Glasgow. Airport services run hourly on New Year’s Day, with buses from Glasgow to Edinburgh Airport operating between 09:15 and 18:15, and return services from 10:30 to 19:30.

The intercity network maintains significant coverage on New Year’s Day, with regular services connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh with Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness. Detailed special timetables operate across the M-series routes serving these corridors throughout the day.

Service Resumption Pattern

Sunday service levels apply on 26^th-27^th December and 2^nd-3^rd January across most of the network. Regular service resumes between 28^th-30^th December and returns permanently from 4^th January onwards.

Route-Specific Alterations

Several routes have specific alterations during the festive period beyond those on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Route 909 (Edinburgh-Stirling-Dunblane) withdraws its 19:30 Dunblane to Edinburgh and 22:20 Edinburgh to Stirling services on both 24^th and 31^st December, with additional Boxing Day cancellations of the 06:20 Stirling to Edinburgh departure.

The Inverness-Portree corridor sees a consistent midday service gap between 26^th December and 4^th January, with the 13:15 and 13:00 departures not operating. Route 926 (Glasgow-Campbeltown) runs a single return journey on Boxing Day and 2^nd January, with only the 09:10 from Glasgow and 17:00 from Campbeltown operating.

The Inverness-Ullapool route (961) similarly operates just one return journey on Boxing Day, with the 15:10 from Inverness and 17:00 from Ullapool being the sole services. Route 913 (Edinburgh-Fort William) does not operate at all on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day or 2^nd January.