Journeys between stations that are quicker to cycle

[PTR 444]

With cycling becoming ever more popular, I am wondering how many pairs of stations there are in the UK which are quicker for an average person to cycle between over getting the fastest train. For the purposes of this thread, only stations that people would consider making a legitimate journey between are valid. That excludes silly examples like the two St Budeaux stations and any other towns that have separate stations on different lines.

 

[TheDavibob]

Aside from a horrible roundabout at the Trent Valley end, the two Lichfield stations are eminently cycleable, with the road broadly paralleling the railway line. The train is scheduled for a leisurely 4 minutes, and Google suggests a 6 minute cycle from the end of the drive at Trent Valley on the town side, to outside City station. Given Google normally runs at about 20kph for cycling, somebody who was that way inclined could probably race and beat the train, though the traffic lights at Tesco and Tamworth Street, and the aforementioned horrible roundabout, might make the difference.

[NB: I've done this route on foot to pick up my bike from City when the Cross City line has been kaput, so I've had to make a return journey to Trent Valley via Tamworth and the reclaim my bike from City, but I'm not sure I've ever cycled it.]

 

[mmh]

Depends who the cyclist is surely? Chris Boardman would beat the train into town for me, but I wouldn't.

 

[David Goddard]

Geoff Marshall and Vicky Pipe tried this between Liskeard and Coome Junction Halt, with one on foot. Cant remember the outcome but I think the train lost.

 

[Ianno87]

With cycling becoming ever more popular, I am wondering how many pairs of stations there are in the UK which are quicker for an average person to cycle between over getting the fastest train. For the purposes of this thread, only stations that people would consider making a legitimate journey between are valid. That excludes silly examples like the two St Budeaux stations and any other towns that have separate stations on different lines.

Top Gear did the London challenge in about 2007 where Richard Hammond (cycling) beat The Stig (on Public Transport, albeit with several legs) from Kew Bridge to City Airport.

Probably quite a few Tube examples.

 

[Bletchleyite]

With cycling becoming ever more popular, I am wondering how many pairs of stations there are in the UK which are quicker for an average person to cycle between over getting the fastest train. For the purposes of this thread, only stations that people would consider making a legitimate journey between are valid. That excludes silly examples like the two St Budeaux stations and any other towns that have separate stations on different lines.

Cycling is very often faster than going by bus, and I've beaten buses by bike on many occasions. I doubt there are many if any examples by train, even very close together and with slowish trains (e.g. Aughton Park-Town Green on Merseyrail, or I half recall there are stations on the Wirral Line that are even closer together). Where the bike wins out is that you can go when you want - if when you want to go is 1 minute after the last train with the next one in 59 minutes, the bike will clearly win.

A professional racer on a £10K road bike might be able to beat much of Merseyrail, I suppose

Top Gear did the London challenge in about 2007 where Richard Hammond (cycling) beat The Stig (on Public Transport, albeit with several legs) from Kew Bridge to City Airport.

Probably quite a few Tube examples.

It's connections that slow train journeys down - there are a few changes on that one. Is that part of the question, or are we talking single-leg? There will be many examples if connections are allowed, you just need to pick a bad connection. One example might be Croston-Kirkham and Wesham if you follow what the timetable says (61 minute wait at Preston) but in reality it's a through train.

 

[David Goddard]

Probably quite a few Tube examples.

Definitely if you measure from the entrance on the street of one station to the entrance on the street to the next, in so avoiding the time taken to enter, go down to platform, wait for train and then come back up and exit at the other end. Would also work for a distance of two or more stations (Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road for example).

 

[CaptainHaddock]

With cycling becoming ever more popular, I am wondering how many pairs of stations there are in the UK which are quicker for an average person to cycle between over getting the fastest train. For the purposes of this thread, only stations that people would consider making a legitimate journey between are valid. That excludes silly examples like the two St Budeaux stations and any other towns that have separate stations on different lines.

Are you restricting it to stations that have a direct service between them?

If not, an extreme example is that if you were wanting to travel from Barton on Humber to Hessle, it would be quicker to cycle over the Humber Bridge than take a train journey changing at Habrough, Doncaster & Hull!

 

[John Hunt]

Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria must be a contender. 11 mins by train, 15 mins walk.

 

[PTR 444]

Are you restricting it to stations that have a direct service between them?

Not necessarily. I’m only excluding examples where the stations are less than a mile apart from each other and on different lines, such as the two St Budeauxs.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Somewhere on the Far North line to somewhere on the Kyle line looks likely - the connection at present (for a journey starting now) is about 2 hours.

 

[Nottingham59]

Sturry to Herne Bay is 45 mins by train and 30 minutes by bike. NR says one change with a 4 min wait at Ramsgate, but I think that may be changing back onto the same train. There must be plenty of places where the train goes round a loop that you can cut the corner by bike, especially in the London suburbs

 

[CaptainHaddock]

On the Furness coast Askam to Dalton in Furness; 3 miles by road but 12 miles and 25 minutes by rail.

 

[Nottingham59]

The four miles from Dronfield to Dore and Totley takes 24 min by bike, but 25 mins by the only direct train (at 0714h), which has to go into Sheffield and back out again.

 

[Mikey C]

Depends who the cyclist is surely? Chris Boardman would beat the train into town for me, but I wouldn't.

But that would only apply outside of towns

If cycling through a busy town centre through traffic and pedestrian lights, the Olympic cyclist would be reduced to mere mortal speeds for much of the journey

 

[Shimbleshanks]

There was a period of time when I would see my other half to the Underground station in London and then I would cycle to our destination. With a few exceptions (South Kensington to Victoria and any journey involving the Victoria Line), I would get there many minutes before she did on the Underground.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

There was a period of time when I would see my other half to the Underground station in London and then I would cycle to our destination. With a few exceptions (South Kensington to Victoria and any journey involving the Victoria Line), I would get there many minutes before she did on the Underground.

Why didn't you buy her a bike?

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Why didn't you buy her a bike?

Too idle, feared of traffic...

 

[A0wen]

Ipswich to Derby Road - Google Maps reckons 13 mins to cycle and NR 13 mins by train.

 

[telstarbox]

There was a period of time when I would see my other half to the Underground station in London and then I would cycle to our destination. With a few exceptions (South Kensington to Victoria and any journey involving the Victoria Line), I would get there many minutes before she did on the Underground.

If we're counting the Underground, than most journeys on the Morden branch of the Northern line would be competitive from street level to street level.

 

[alangla]

Any of the central Glasgow combos where you’d otherwise have to go via Partick or walk across town. Something like High Street to Exhibition Centre would be a legit journey, either via Partick, walking from Queen Street to Argyle Street (much quicker than Central) or just walking from Charing X

 

[Mikey C]

If we're counting the Underground, than most journeys on the Morden branch of the Northern line would be competitive from street level to street level.

You'd have to be a fit cyclist to beat the Northern Line from Golders Green to Hampstead, though that might depend on how long you have to wait for the lift!

 

[SteveM70]

Somewhere on the Far North line to somewhere on the Kyle line looks likely - the connection at present (for a journey starting now) is about 2 hours.

Tain to Golspie is 17 miles by road but takes an hour by train because of the huge inland detour around the Dornoch Firth. I’d back myself to beat the train. I wonder if this is the longest journey by direct train where cycling could be quicker?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've created a related thread about journeys that are quicker to walk, which must be fewer but there are definitely some.

Trivia: Journeys between stations that are quicker to walk

This will obviously be fewer than the cycling thread, but the one that springs to mind is Liverpool Lime St to Liverpool Central, where unless you use the lifts at both ends you will walk further through tunnels to change platforms than you will if you just walk between the two at street level...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Ianno87]

Tain to Golspie is 17 miles by road but takes an hour by train because of the huge inland detour around the Dornoch Firth. I’d back myself to beat the train. I wonder if this is the longest journey by direct train where cycling could be quicker?

That should definitely be a cycle challenge - get back on a train at Golspie that you got off at Tain.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I'm not sure whether it's what the O.P. intended, but many journeys between the Northamptonshire stations. Perhaps the extreme example is Northampton - Wellingborough (ca 10 miles, over 2 hours by trains). Any combinations between Wellingborough/Kettering/Corby and Northampton/Long Buckby; and King's Sutton to any of them!

When the Selective Prices Manual was introduced, the Northampton edition included the memorable entry 'Wellingborough; Re-book London'.

 

[Killingworth]

The four miles from Dronfield to Dore and Totley takes 24 min by bike, but 25 mins by the only direct train (at 07.14h), which has to go into Sheffield and back out again.

A close run thing bearing in mind hills, traffic and fitness of the cyclist.

The only return 17.31 from Dore & Totley departs Dronfied 17.54, 23 minutes. (WTT says 17.32 and that's when it left tonight, arriving Dronfield 17.54).

 

[RSimons]

I was reliably informed that a group of cyclists waved off the last train from Carmarthen and met it as it arrived in Aberystwyth.

 

[aliceh]

Totton to Redbridge, but most people would get a bus rather than a train into Southampton Central and back out.

A slightly more sensible one might be Lymington Town to Sway. Though the journey times by rail are quicker, you'd likely have a good 15 minutes wait at Brockenhurst. Bitterne to Swaythling must have a similar situation too.

 

[topydre]

Google maps estimates the bike ride from Strood (SOO) to Rochester (RTR) to be 4 minutes, with National Rail Enquiries giving a rail travel time of 3 minutes. After going through the ticket barriers and subways, the train would easily take longer even if it arrived at the platform at the exactly correct moment.