Final ever Royal Mail train returns to Glasgow for last time after 200 years of service

Britain’s final ever Royal Mail train returned to Glasgow last Friday, September 20 - bringing 200 years of mail transport by rail to an end.

Announced by the privatised mail service earlier this year, now all mail will be delivered primarily by road transport.

The bright red mail trains had been a cornerstone of Glasgow and Scotland’s railways - zooming through stations, carrying no passengers, only post and parcels.

The 15 freight trains have been listed for sale by the national postal service, definitively divesting from railway operations.

Glasgow to Daventry in the West midlands was the final route left running in Britain - the route running for well over a hundred years, nearly as long as the service itself - it left Glasgow for the final time on the evening of Friday, September 20, 2024, just before 9pm. It returned overnight, with no mail left to deliver.

Following the announcement earlier this year, DB Cargo UK (the former operator of the Royal Mail rail service) responded to the announcement, they said: “To learn that Royal Mail is now planning to rely solely on road haulage to move customers’ letters and parcels around the UK is not just disappointing for DB Cargo UK, but the wider rail freight sector too.

“Royal Mail has made it clear that its decision is purely down to the increasing costs of electric traction (EC4T) and the high investment needs of its ageing 325 fleet. In fact, it has explicitly reiterated our excellent performance in operating and maintaining their services and units over the years.

“So, this is not a decision against DB Cargo UK but one against the economics of rail freight as a mode of transport.”