31 July 2025
Taking the train to Glasgow for the IMGC 2025
Dr Morag Lewis, Research Associate, Wolfson SPaRC
Attending the 38th International Mammalian Genome Conference in Glasgow, using IGUANA funding to travel by train instead of by plane, making the journey more sustainable and comfortable.
The 38th International Mammalian Genome Conference was held in Glasgow in April 2025. I took the train, mainly because it is better for the environment but also because I dislike commercial air travel, especially for very short journeys.
The IGUANA Initiative meant I could justify that decision even though the train fare was somehow more than twice the cost of the plane ticket even when booking a couple of months in advance. The application process was easy, which I appreciated.
My journey involved three trains, one to Peterborough, an LNER Azuma train from Peterborough to Edinburgh, then a train to Glasgow.
Unfortunately on the way out the first of these was cancelled. The terms of the ticket meant I could then take any trains I liked to make my connection from Peterborough to Edinburgh, but in the end I caught the LNER train scheduled an hour later. There wasn’t a problem with rebooking my seat, which was my main concern - four hours is a long time to stand, and I didn’t know how busy the train would be.
The Azuma trains are comfortable, with a table and plugs for laptop and mobile chargers, and they even have halfway decent WiFi. I got quite a lot done once I was able to get on board and find my seat. The scenery is worth watching if you have good weather, which I did. Getting from Edinburgh to Glasgow was uneventful, because the trains run back and forth all the time.
On the way back, I took an earlier train from Glasgow to Edinburgh than I had booked, in order to have enough time at Edinburgh Waverley to get some fudge for the rest of the lab.
Although I’d booked specific trains in advance the only train I was actually limited to was the LNER Azuma, so it wasn’t a problem to go early and find some sweets in an appropriately tartan-festooned tourist shop just outside the station. It was busier on the way south from Edinburgh than it had been going north, and the lady who sat next to me was very interested in my research.
I work on the genetics of progressive hearing loss, and her two adult sons had been deaf from birth. We talked about the topic more generally but she was also interested in my current project and the techniques we are using to investigate how the inner ear works.
The journey back was untroubled by cancellations or any other issues, and I got home about when I expected to. Despite the minor hassle on the way out, I would still prefer to travel by train. They are generally more comfortable, and there are more options when things do go wrong.
There’s no restriction on liquids, and the only person responsible for getting my poster tube to the right place is me. I would love to take a train across Europe one day. While the scenery in the North of England and South of Scotland is lovely, especially with the sun shining, travelling through the Alps would be spectacular.
The IGUANA Initiative is a great way to encourage sustainability for conference travel. Budgets are limited and I am funded by a charity, so I feel an obligation to travel as cheaply as possible.
It’s hard to justify taking the train when the price is so much greater than the air fare, and even when thinking about sustainability, it’s easy to discount a single trip to a conference and see it as a special occasion.
Having the IGUANA funding meant I could travel more comfortably and sustainably – and get one more chance to talk about my research than I’d expected, too.