Journeys between stations that are quicker to cycle

[telstarbox]

I think that one would depend on the two sets of traffic lights.

 

[PTR 444]

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.

Likely the same for Soton Ctl to Woolston as well, knowing the dog-leg route that the direct railway takes.

 

[andythebrave]

Fort William to Kyle of Lochalsh would be an easy win for the bicycle even with multiple stops and taking it easy. If ferries were permitted then Mallaig to Kyle would be a pushover.

 

[topydre]

Morfa Mawddach - Barmouth = 10 minutes by bike (google maps estimate) vs 11-13 minutes by train
(though Barmouth - Morfa Mawddach is only 4 minutes tbf)

(due to the high density of request stops, single line and consequent padding at passing loop stations, there's a few combinations on the Cambrian Coast Line where the bike is nearly faster than the train in one direction)

 

[Mathieu]

Fort William to Oban is a close one with it being almost the same amount of time

 

[JeffH16]

I reckon i could beat a train from Exeter Central to Exeter St Davids, but the train would win the other way...

 

[AlbertBeale]

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).

Within central London, with stations close together, a bike is far more likely to be faster on journeys not between adjacent stations, since the train has the intermediate stop(s). Eg the Central Line can probably do Tottenham Court Road to Holborn a bit quicker than I can cycle it, but I might just beat it TCR to Chancery Lane even with my old sit-up-and-beg bike. I must get a stopwatch and try it!

Similarly, with mainline trains, If the traffic lights are in my favour, I'm sure I could beat a train from Farringdon to Blackfriars, given the stopping time at City Thameslink.

 

[ashkeba]

There are a few with changes at Ely and elsewhere.

Littleport to Shippea Hill or back is one and even better by bike at times with no trains!

Dullingham to Waterbeach, Thetford to Bury St Edmund and King's Lynn to Spalding are ones which are faster by bike sometimes but not others.

King's Lynn to Sheringham may be faster by bike for a fast cyclist against one of the occasional 4 hour train itineraries.

 

[ashkeba]

Foxton to Shelford or Whittlesford are usually faster by bike.

Cambridge North to Huntingdon would be faster by bike with a weak favourable wind or better.

 

[Bald Rick]

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.

The Stig, not being versed in use of public transport, didn’t go the quickest route.

 

[Midnight Sun]

Corby-Stamford (17.6 miles) by bike (1hour)

Bus 2 Hours 13 mins

Train via Oakham (Once a day) 1 hour 34 mins

Train via Leicester 2 hour 10 mins

 

[Bald Rick]

I’d back myself to beat Chiltern’s direct services from Warwick to Stratford on Avon, and back almost anyone to beat the train Kilgetty to Pembroke.

 

[Mikey C]

Within central London, with stations close together, a bike is far more likely to be faster on journeys not between adjacent stations, since the train has the intermediate stop(s). Eg the Central Line can probably do Tottenham Court Road to Holborn a bit quicker than I can cycle it, but I might just beat it TCR to Chancery Lane even with my old sit-up-and-beg bike. I must get a stopwatch and try it!

Similarly, with mainline trains, If the traffic lights are in my favour, I'm sure I could beat a train from Farringdon to Blackfriars, given the stopping time at City Thameslink.

It would also depend on the time of day. Cycling along Oxford Street between TCR and Marble Arch at 7am on a Sunday would be incredibly quick, whereas the same journey at 4pm on a Saturday would be much slower, with Oxford Street full of jammed buses AND all the pedestrian lights being used.

 

[ashkeba]

There are some whole categories:

MML stations Hendon to Bedford to the nearest ECML station seem faster by bike.

MML Hendon to Harlington to the nearest WCML (St Albans is nearest to Kings Langley not Watford).

Buxton to stations on the Matlock branch.

Cycleways on former railways may be good in general but I only found this and Huntingdon so far that succeeds.

 

[LexyBoy]

NRE says 32 minutes for Reading-Henley which certainly takes me less than half an hour by bike.

Blaenau Ffestiniog - Porthmadog also, but possibly only in that direction unless you insist on National Rail only!

 

[ashkeba]

Adlington to Wilmslow.

Which aren't city approaches or junctions facing away from the two stations? Those are most I find.

 

[randyrippley]

I've not looked at the timings, but I reckon there's a fair chance that a fit cyclist could do it between the two Yeovil Stations.
If Yeovil Town still existed then between that and either of the other two should have been possible

 

[Ianno87]

It's easily possible to outcycle Metrolink from Manchester City Centre to Langworthy.

 

[SteveM70]

Blaenau Ffestiniog - Porthmadog also, but possibly only in that direction unless you insist on National Rail only!

I suspect there are some downhill bits of Blaenau to Llandudno Junction where heading north a bike might keep pace with the train

 

[faltskog36abba]

Manchester Victoria to Salford Central.

 

[miami]

Trams and tubes are too easy

London Bridge - Liverpool Street walk vs tube

Even running mansion house to cannon street:

I consider the following to be reasonable journeys, with the train not taking much longer than a bus.

Buxton to Macclesfield, 1h6 on Bike (longer on the way back), but by train it's 1h20-1h30

Wrexham to Whichurch (1h20) vs train (1h30-2h to central. Best I see even for General is 1h23)

Amersham-Beaconsfield (1h30 vs 35 on a bike). Indeed I suspect many London radial routes would be similar.

You could give Newquay to Truro a good go (1h29), most trains seem about 1h30 or longer.

Irlam to Altrincham - 40 minutes on bike, over an hour on train, and over 50 minutes even with the tram. No bus service either.

Altrincham-Birchwood, faster by bike, and certainly a journey that people have done (I did myself many times as a kid, albeit via metro through Manchester)

Most of these journeys are serviced by a faster bus though. Altrincham-Birchwood and Irlam isn't though.

Once you factor in waiting for the train and getting to/from the station though many journeys become faster by bike than train.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Burton-on-Trent to Tutbury & Hatton.

Train is typically 36 minutes (30 if you're lucky) with a change at Derby. It's 4.9 miles, so that would typically be 25 minutes' cycling.

I actually used to do this quite often when I was based in Burton - not so much for the time saving as for the cost saving. When I had to go up to Ellesmere Port for work, a SVR from Burton was £50; from Tutbury & Hatton it was £20. Can you guess which of the two fares is set by CrossCountry?

 

[miami]

Wow, £2 a mile to take the train from Burton to Tutbury! £10.60 for a single.

 

[Townsend Hook]

I‘d suggest travelling from Whitwell or Creswell to Kiveton Park, Shireoaks or even Retford. With the current timetable, there’s usually around a 50 minute connection at Worksop when connecting from the Robin Hood line onto the Sheffield-Lincoln line.

 

[4COR]

I think Hurst Green to Caterham would be reasonable for a half decent cyclist (maybe even from Lingfield). Even with the change at Upper Warlingham/Whyteleafe, 29 min is the best rail journey I can see and it's 6.something miles by bike.

Not the nicest cycle along the A25 and A22 but the bus from Oxted to Caterham might not be much quicker either, and you have to do the other part some way

 

[mike57]

Two in my area that come to mind, Whitby to Scarborough, around 4 hours and nearly 130 miles by train, or cycle on the old railway track which is about 19 miles and traffic free for the most part.

Barton on Humber to anywhere on the North Bank, cycling over the Humber Bridge. Many years ago I was working near Immingham, to get some exercise I used to park at the North side of the Humber Bridge once a week and cycle the rest of the way.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I’d back myself to beat Chiltern’s direct services from Warwick to Stratford on Avon

It's 9.6 miles, and the train does it in between 19 (the RSC 11pm non-stop service!) and 33 minutes. Average is about 27 minutes. Don't know about you, but I don't fancy my odds of averaging 17.5-21mph over country roads with some towns on either end, not to mention negotiating J15 on the M42 with my body and bike intact afterwards...

Of course the train frequency "leaves something to be desired", so the GJT is rather lower by bike

 

[Bald Rick]

It's 9.6 miles, and the train does it in between 19 (the RSC 11pm non-stop service!) and 33 minutes. Average is about 27 minutes. Don't know about you, but I don't fancy my odds of averaging 17.5-21mph over country roads with some towns on either end, not to mention negotiating J15 on the M42 with my body and bike intact afterwards...

Of course the train frequency "leaves something to be desired", so the GJT is rather lower by bike

Reckon I could do it. On a good day I can average 18mph down little country lanes with lots of junctions for 2 hours. For half an hour I’d be closer to 20mph, especially on those roads (I’ve cycled Most of it before). Would need to have the lights in favour of course.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Reckon I could do it. On a good day I can average 18mph down little country lanes with lots of junctions for 2 hours. For half an hour I’d be closer to 20mph, especially on those roads (I’ve cycled Most of it before). Would need to have the lights in favour of course.

Is that on an e-bike or pedal power only? You must be a bit fitter than me

 

[Bald Rick]

Is that on an e-bike or pedal power only? You must be a bit fitter than me

Pedals only!

I’d much prefer Kilgetty to Pembroke though, much nicer part of the world and an easier ask. And a proper answer to the question, none of this changing trains nonsense.