Popular journeys between two stations without a direct service?

[rebmcr]

Stockport — Manchester Airport, if you count the reversing move as being indirect.

 

[Zoe]

From Chelmsford, there's no direct service and always has to stop at Shenfield/Stratford before reaching Liverpool St. I always feel sorry for people in Shenfield/Ingatestone that have to use that service as there's never any seats after Chelmsford at rush hour.

I believe the question refers to direct journeys as in travelling from one station to another without having to change, not just non-stop services.

 

[underbank]

Morecambe to Kendal

Blackpool to Lancaster/Morecambe

 

[tunster]

I believe the question refers to direct journeys as in travelling from one station to another without having to change, not just non-stop services.

Just realised what it said. As already mentioned, probably ECML services to the metro services near London and north of Colchester are quite busy!

 

[Captain Chaos]

I'd imagine most journeys off branch lines would qualify? Marlow - London, Windsor and Eton Central - London Paddington etc.

 

[Robinson]

Helensburgh Central to Glasgow Central might be in with a shout? (Although it would be hard to calculate due to tickets showing Glasgow CEN/QST...

 

[charlee]

Thanks mods for changing the title, that is exactly the title I wanted, yet couldn't seem to put it into words while creating the thread lol.

Some good examples.

 

[terryc]

Newton-le-Willows to Wigan
Only about 6 miles apart, but no direct service. However, there are 2 trains a day in the opposite direction! (but not at the times that I wan't to travel:cry

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Stourbridge junction to Birmingham New Street. Pity its a Birmingham Stations ticket though

 

[Cherry_Picker]

There was a frequent service to New Street until relatively recently. Made total sense why they routed everything through Snow Hill & Moor Street given the congestion at New Street though. The people of Stourbridge still have easy access to New Street if they need it, virtually every train (6 per hour) has a connection of less than five minutes at Smethwick and it's not much further in walking time from Moor Street.

 

[12CSVT]

Outside of London, Swindon/Bristol - Oxford must have quite a significant flow, I don't believe any trains are scheduled to use the Didcot west curve any more.

Such a service briefly existed in the late 1990s, reversing at Didcot.

Chesterfield to Matlock.

There's a frequent bus service between Chesterfield and Matlock.
A train service between the two would need a reversal either just beyond Ambergate Junction (blocking a busy main line while the reversal took place) or at Derby (10 miles of doubling back), so wouldn't be practical.

 

[corin paul]

When I was a Lad you could go on Cleethorpes to Birmingham New Street via Lincoln, Nottingham and Leicester. Now you can't even get from Lincoln to Birmingham without changing trains.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/class_153/6202549785/in/set-72157628965994201

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Chester to Ellesmere port is a popular journey but there are no direct trains between the two

 

[Clip]

Margate/Thanet to Canterbury East

 

[Martin_1981]

When I was a Lad you could go on Cleethorpes to Birmingham New Street via Lincoln, Nottingham and Leicester. Now you can't even get from Lincoln to Birmingham without changing trains.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/class_153/6202549785/in/set-72157628965994201

The same goes for Norwich-Birmingham. A direct service ran between these cities for well over two decades up until around 2000/2001. No direct service exists now, a change at Peterborough or Ely is now required.

 

[lyndhurst25]

When I was a Lad you could go on Cleethorpes to Birmingham New Street via Lincoln, Nottingham and Leicester. Now you can't even get from Lincoln to Birmingham without changing trains.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/class_153/6202549785/in/set-72157628965994201

Rotherham - Cleethorpes was always a popular day-trip and holiday destination when Trans-Pennine services used to stop at Masborough. Nowadays you have to change trains at Doncaster (or to a bus with the recent slag-heap incident).

 

[Stonesourscotty]

Wigan-Liverpool Central Via Merseyrail?
Bolton-Liverpool has a couple of peak only journeys via NW but imagine there is a good flow for this offpeak etc.

 

[43074]

When I was a Lad you could go on Cleethorpes to Birmingham New Street via Lincoln, Nottingham and Leicester. Now you can't even get from Lincoln to Birmingham without changing trains.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/class_153/6202549785/in/set-72157628965994201

I'm sure some of these services were extended out to Shrewsbury in 2003/2004 so there was a 1/2 hourly semi-fast services between Birmingham and Shrewsbury because the Cambrian services were on the other 1/2 hour. (off topic)


Might there be demand for Liverpool/Manchester to Cambridge/Stansted? Perhaps by portion working Liverpool to Norwich services which reverse at Ely anyway.

 

[corin paul]

The return working start at Cardiff to Cleethorpes via BHM Me and my dad did the full lenght one time. Hard on the bum, but a great pint of Brain's in Cardiff

but back to the main thread, without links. Oxford to Cambridge.

 

[tbtc]

Rotherham - Cleethorpes was always a popular day-trip and holiday destination

See also Bradford to Morecambe ("Bradford on Sea") and Liverpool to the North Wales Coast (plenty of Scousers along the coast, but no direct trains).

 

[enjoy_trains]

Not sure if this is a popular journey but why is there no rail link between Kettering and Northampton?!

 

[LE Greys]

Not sure if this is a popular journey but why is there no rail link between Kettering and Northampton?!

Same reason there isn't one between Hitchin and Luton, it was intermediate between two rail links, Bedford-Bletchley and Market Harborough-Northampton/Rugby. This map shows how the two interacted. Blame Beeching (and before) for removing all the cross-links between the main lines with the exception of the Marston Vale, but be glad Beeching 2 was never implimented, that would have diverted MML trains down the old Leiceter-Ruby Midland route and shut down the MML south of there.

Hitchin/Stevenage-Luton would probably load fairly well (the 100/101/102 bus routes are always very busy) but would be a nightmare to build, since it cuts through the eastern edge of the Chilterns, the whole lot in the Green Belt. Reinstating Welwyn-Luton might be more likely, but not much, whilst the link farther north between Bedford and Cambridge is probably scuppered as well.

 

[Chris M]

London City Airport to Canary Wharf.
A service does occasionally run during engineering works, but nothing regularly which has always surprised me.