YOUR VISIT

FAQs (at 9 September 2021)

Is the railway open?
We are running trains on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays until the end of October plus Wednesdays in August. Tickets will be available a block at a time and you can book for dates until end October now.

Trains leave Bo’ness at 10.30, 12.45 and 15.00 for a 70 minute return journey to Manuel.

Will it be a Steam Train or a Heritage Diesel Train?
All trains on Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday and the 1030 and 1245 departures on Sunday are steam hauled.
The 1500 train on Sunday is our heritage diesel train service.
*Note: Whilst every effort is made to run to the published timetable, SRPS reserves the right to vary it and to use steam or diesel power without notice.

How much are tickets?
Standard Fares 2021 – Please see Booking System here.

Do I need to pre-book tickets online?
You can pre-book your date and train departure time up to half an hour before departure. The link to our booking system is here. Your ticket will only be valid for the train you book.
Some tickets may be available at the station on the day, but if the train you wish to travel on is fully booked, you will not be able to board. So it’s best to pre-book if you can.

What safety measures will there be in place?     

As we move beyond level zero in Scotland we will maintain mitigation measures, including managing capacities and visitor flow, use of hand sanitation stations and enhanced cleaning protocols, until otherwise announced, in accordance with industry best practice and guidance endorsed by the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions.

Face coverings must be worn indoors, unless exempt or eating and drinking. This includes on trains, in the museum and at Bo’ness Station. It is also recommended they are worn in areas likely to be crowded, including queues.

Please be mindful of other visitors and use the space we have provided kindly.

To help with NHS Test & Protect Scan the code on our Check In Scotland posters that you will see on site.

Do follow Government advice and local mitigations at all times, see here for the latest information.

When booking a table or compartment, how many households can sit together?

The tables seat up to four people and compartments seat up to 6. Please follow the guidance from the Scottish Government at the time. You kind find helpful information here.

Do infants count in the numbers for booking a table/compartment?

There is no actual ticket especially for infants. As far as our seating is concerned, a child under 5 would be able to sit on an adults knee and not need a seat.

Can I just come for a wander round the site and visit the café and Gift Shop?
With the recent easing of restrictions, visitors can come to the Station to visit our shop, model railway at weekends, picnic areas and on to the platform to buy drinks and snacks from the Buffet hatch.
Access further up the platform is for passengers who have bought or wish to buy tickets for travel on our trains.

We ask that all passengers and visitors continue to wear a face covering, unless exempt, in line with our mitigation measures whilst at the Station, the train platforms, on trains (unless eating or drinking) and keep a safe distance from other visitors and follow marked routes.

How long will I be on the train?
Your return train journey to Manuel takes around 70 minutes.
You will be shown to your allocated seat at Bo’ness by our staff and asked to remain there for the journey except at Manuel when the train will stop for just over ten minutes to allow the crew to move the locomotive from one end of the train to the other to pull it back to Bo’ness. At Manuel you are welcome to alight and enjoy the fresh air on our platform whilst this takes place. When it is time to get back on the Guard will blow their whistle and our staff will let you know it’s time to get back on. Please remember to follow social distancing guidelines whilst on our platform and trains as well as wearing a face covering.

What time should we get to Bo’ness Station to catch our train?
Please arrive around 30 minutes before your train departure to allow time for parking, waiting to board your train and visiting our toilet facilities.

Are there toilets on the train?

Yes there are as well as in Bo’ness Station.

Where are you?

Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway
Bo’ness Station
Union St
Bo’ness
EH51 9AQ

By car – Bo’ness Station is in the town centre and has lots of free parking. M9 J5 or J3 then follow the brown tourist signs to Bo’ness & the railway. SATNAV ref EH51 9AQ .

If you are travelling by an electric vehicle, there are 5 electric car charging points (connectors) available at Union Street Car Park, less than 5 minutes walk from the station. Click here for more info.

By bus from Edinburgh

Bo’ness Community Bus runs from the centre of Edinburgh to Bo’ness with stops in between and then back.

It is recommended you book your seat in advance on the bus. Please see their website here for more information.

By train and bus – Linlithgow is the nearest mainline station. Visitors should alight here and make their way to opposite Linlithgow Cross and to the bus stop outside The Four Mary’s pub. Please see www.travelinescotland.com or call 0871 200 2233 for up to date information about bus services.

What else can I do?
Due to the pandemic, we are still working on opening up our site. Right now you can use our free car park, pick up a souvenir in our Gift Shop, take a pre-booked train journey, enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the golden age of train travel, bring a picnic to eat in our picnic area, buy a hot or cold drink and a snack to takeaway or on the train, use our toilet facilities and be looked after by our friendly staff and volunteers whilst you are with us.
Our Station Buffet indoor dining area, Visitor Trail and Museum remain closed but we are working to make them safe for you to enjoy in future.

Can I change my train time if I can no longer make it?
Unfortunately we can only make transfers or offer refunds if we are unable to run your booked train service. Please find further terms and conditions see our booking page here.

Can I get something to eat and drink?

There is a selection of hot and cold drinks, crisps, chocolate bars and a selection of cakes and traybakes to take away from our Station Buffet.
You are also welcome to bring your own picnic to eat in our picnic areas or on the train but please dispose of your litter wisely. At the moment alcohol is not allowed on our site, including trains.

Is the Museum of Scottish Railways open?

No, we are building a new entrance to our museum and unfortunately this has taken longer than expected. The new entrance will catch the eye of visitors on the platform at Bo’ness Station so you really can’t miss it. It will be accessed from the new visitor trail that takes in the new Engineering facility next door which is being built by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Whilst the construction work is going on, visitor access is not permitted. The Museum will be open next year (2022) and we are looking at extending our opening season to welcome everyone back.

Are the station and trains accessible?
Please see our accessibility statement here.  You can book for a wheelchair space and three seats with it on our booking site subject to availability.

Is there parking?
Yes we have a large free car park with accessible parking spaces less than 10 metres from Bo’ness Station

Can I bring my dog ?
Assistance dogs are allowed on site at any time. All dogs are welcome except on special event days such as Day Out With Thomas and Santa Steam Trains which are extremely busy and not the best experience for our four legged friends!
On standard days well behaved dogs are welcome on the trains but only in the open carriages ie Tables of up to four (except in the On Train Buffet Car) and platform and must be kept on a lead at all times. We do not allow dogs in our compartment coaches.

We also ask that dogs are kept off the seats too please.

Dogs are not allowed in the Station Buffet at Bo’ness but food and drinks from their menu can be taken away and enjoyed at picnic benches around the site.

Will there be a Day Out With Thomas event this year?
At present it is unlikely this will be the case. These events take months of planning and due to the pandemic and the uncertainty of the events sector guidance from the Scottish government we have not built this in to our annual plan this year. We are concentrating on running our steam trains having not been able to for over a year.

What about other events?
We love our special events as much as our visitors and as soon as is safely possible will bring our programme of special events back.

Are you doing Afternoon Tea on a Steam Train?
We are working with our caterer to bring this back but still need a bit more time to work things through, we appreciate your patience while we do so.

Can I use my Afternoon Tea Gift Vouchers?
We are working towards a way of doing this and will give an update about this soon. As you can appreciate reopening after such a long time and in a very different world has not been easy for anyone and are grateful of your understanding in these more challenging times.