• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Trivia: Stations that are at least two or more changes away from London

Status
Not open for further replies.

MK Tom

Established Member
Joined
31 Aug 2011
Messages
2,421
Location
Milton Keynes
I visited the Barton on Humber line earlier this week and it occurred to me that you need to make two changes to get from stations on that line to London. How many places are there in the UK where this is the case? Stations on the national network where two or more changes of train are required to reach London.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

ValleyLines142

Established Member
Joined
25 Jul 2011
Messages
6,844
Location
Gloucester
I visited the Barton on Humber line earlier this week and it occurred to me that you need to make two changes to get from stations on that line to London. How many places are there in the UK where this is the case? Stations on the national network where two or more changes of train are required to reach London.

This has been discussed plenty of times before.

Whitby (and subsequent Esk Valley Line stations) and Cardiff Bay all came up.
 

class387

Established Member
Joined
9 Oct 2015
Messages
1,525
What would be the closest station to London where this is necessary?
 

A0wen

On Moderation
Joined
19 Jan 2008
Messages
7,450
Most of Mersyrail's Northern Line (only Moorfields is one change away).

You sure about that?

Surely you can get to Liverpool South Parkway from the Northern Line stations and there's a direct LNW service from South Parkway to Euston.
 

30907

Veteran Member
Joined
30 Sep 2012
Messages
17,866
Location
Airedale
I was thinking North Clydeside, but even the Springburn branch stations can be reached by doubling back off the sleeper at Dalmuir.
 

si404

Established Member
Joined
28 Dec 2012
Messages
1,267
I was thinking North Clydeside, but even the Springburn branch stations can be reached by doubling back off the sleeper at Dalmuir.
doesn't the Highland Sleeper stop at Queen's Street low level now? I believe all Scotland is within one change thanks to the sleeper.

The Wigan-Kirkby intermediate stations, the Bolton-Blackburn intermediate stations and those up to Clitheroe are all, I believe, two changes unless there's some once a day workings that rule them out.
 

si404

Established Member
Joined
28 Dec 2012
Messages
1,267
Enough do to make it worthwhile trying to do something to remove one of those changes.
Is it not the high usage that turns the line into two shorter shuttles so as to have higher frequency?
 

lxfe_mxtterz

Member
Joined
3 Mar 2018
Messages
817
Location
Sarahdale (West of Emmerdale)
If I'm not mistaken, all stations on the Borderlands line, except Wrexham General, Shotton and Bidston, are two changes away from London. That is, unless you catch the one-a-day Virgin Trains service to Wrexham General.
 

lxfe_mxtterz

Member
Joined
3 Mar 2018
Messages
817
Location
Sarahdale (West of Emmerdale)
The Wigan-Kirkby intermediate stations, the Bolton-Blackburn intermediate stations and those up to Clitheroe are all, I believe, two changes unless there's some once a day workings that rule them out.
On Summer Sundays, you can catch the DalesRail (Blackpool North to Carlisle) service from Preston to stations on the Clitheroe line, thus taking it down to only one change. Although, I believe this service only runs once per day! :)
 

Ianno87

Veteran Member
Joined
3 May 2015
Messages
15,215
doesn't the Highland Sleeper stop at Queen's Street low level now? I believe all Scotland is within one change thanks to the sleeper.

The Wigan-Kirkby intermediate stations, the Bolton-Blackburn intermediate stations and those up to Clitheroe are all, I believe, two changes unless there's some once a day workings that rule them out.

Wigan-Kirkby you just change (between stations) at Wigan.

Bolton-Blackburn one *might* argue you can walk from Manchester Victoria to Piccadilly
 

si404

Established Member
Joined
28 Dec 2012
Messages
1,267
Wigan-Kirkby you just change (between stations) at Wigan.

Bolton-Blackburn one *might* argue you can walk from Manchester Victoria to Piccadilly
I don't believe out of station interchanges count.

There might be the odd train that extends from these stations to Yorkshire (which is what removes the stops between Wigan and Southport), killing it, but I don't think there is.
 

61653 HTAFC

Veteran Member
Joined
18 Dec 2012
Messages
17,623
Location
Another planet...
You sure about that?

Surely you can get to Liverpool South Parkway from the Northern Line stations and there's a direct LNW service from South Parkway to Euston.
But from the Kirkby and Ormskirk branches, you have to change onto an ex-Southport service in town to get to South Parkway. Ormskirk itself of course is only one change, at Preston.
 

Marton

Member
Joined
9 Nov 2008
Messages
663
Direct service to & from Newcastle. AM service from Darlington.

But it leaves long before the first arrival from KX. A long night on Darlo station.

Sunday is possible.

It’s also possible with a Change At Hartlepool rather than Newcastle. Not sure if it’s a permitted route though.
 

AndrewE

Established Member
Joined
9 Nov 2015
Messages
5,063
On Summer Sundays, you can catch the DalesRail (Blackpool North to Carlisle) service from Preston to stations on the Clitheroe line, thus taking it down to only one change. Although, I believe this service only runs once per day! :)
I would be surprised if it runs once a year! Every time I have planned to use it it has been cancelled... (although it seems it ran last Sunday.) We had a thread about it, I think.
 

snookertam

Member
Joined
22 Sep 2018
Messages
774
Ayr-Stranraer line. Either change required at Ayr then Glasgow Central, or at Kilmarnock then Carlisle.
 

MarlowDonkey

Member
Joined
4 Apr 2013
Messages
1,094
Marlow (one change off peak, 2 changes in both peaks).

If they can find the money and get the design right, there's talk of putting in more point work at Bourne End, so that trains from Marlow can reach the other platform. It should be possible as old photographs of the station from the 1950s show access to the Branch from the north on the southbound platform. This was not much later rationalised.

If this is done, then the half hourly peak service can be run without passengers having to change trains at Bourne End.

Whilst branch lines still exist, branches from branches as with Marlow from what was the Wycombe branch are now very few.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top