Trivia : Any station (on mainland GB) and requiring two changes to reach London.

[Lee_Again]

I may have asked this before but it would have been a number of years ago.

I think Cardiff Bay, but are there any others.

 

[A S Leib]

The stations on the Barton-on-Humber line except Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes (and Barnetby?).

 

[Lampshade]

Stations between Bolton and Clitheroe, aside from Blackburn.

 

[Lee_Again]

The stations on the Barton-on-Humber line except Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes (and Barnetby?).

good shout. Any idea when the LNER to Grimsby will start?

 

[A S Leib]

good shout. Any idea when the LNER to Grimsby will start?

No idea.

Southport?

I think National Rail journey planners do, but I'd count Wigan Wallgate to Wigan North Western as one change rather than two. The Ormskirk branch will be accessible in one change once Avanti start calling at Liverpool South Parkway, but not Kirkby, Birkdale etc. I think the only one-change method from Meols Cop et al. to London will be if / when Lumo's Rochdale via Manchester Victoria service starts.

 

[Peter0124]

•Duke Street, Alexandra Parade and Barnhill
•Maryhill branch stations excluding Anniesland

 

[Bletchleyite]

I may have asked this before but it would have been a number of years ago.

I think Cardiff Bay, but are there any others.

Anywhere on the Merseyrail Northern Line other than the end stations that interchange with Northern.

In reality most people would walk across Liverpool from Central (unless you use the Wirral Line interchange escalator at Central and the lift at Lime St you probably walk further underground than between the two stations), but technically it's 2 changes.

 

[NIT100]

•Duke Street, Alexandra Parade and Barnhill
•Maryhill branch stations excluding Anniesland

A few late night services from Springburn to Balloch, allows change on to the Sleeper at Dalmuir or Dumbarton.

 

[Belperpete]

As you haven't limited it to stations on the national network, I suspect that there are quite a few. Stations on the F&WHR, Talyllyn, Rheidol, W&L for starters.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Stourbridge Town

 

[SuspectUsual]

Stourbridge Town

Realtime Trains | 1H14 0614 Stourbridge Junction to London Marylebone | 10/02/2025

Real-time train running information for 1H14 0614 departure from Stourbridge Junction to London Marylebone on 10/02/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Chiltern run Stourbridge Junction to Marylebone (link to example on RTT above)

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Marlow at peak times is a shuttle to and from Bourne End. Then it's a shuttle to Maidenhead for the Paddington services.

 

[Seagull2006]

Wrexham Central or Wrexham General?

 

[A S Leib]

As you haven't limited it to stations on the national network, I suspect that there are quite a few. Stations on the F&WHR, Talyllyn, Rheidol, W&L for starters.

Are there any tram / metro stops which need two changes? I don't think there's any in Nottingham, Edinburgh or Birmingham / Wolverhampton or on the Tyne and Wear Metro (or Glasgow Subway, if Glasgow Central to the closest station counts as one change), but I don't know if you can reach every Blackpool tram stop directly from Blackpool North, what serves Sheffield station, or which services apart from Ashton-under-Lyne and Bury serve Manchester Piccadilly.

Wrexham Central or Wrexham General?

There's a once a day Euston portion which attaches to a Holyhead service at Chester.

 

[sad1e]

Ince and Elton or Heysham port ?

 

[A S Leib]

Ince and Elton or Heysham port ?

The northbound evening Ince and Elton service goes through to Liverpool Lime Street and the Heysham service is from / to Lancaster.

 

[Taunton]

No idea.

The Ormskirk branch will be accessible in one change once Avanti start calling at Liverpool South Parkway, but not Kirkby, Birkdale etc.

But Avanti are not stopping at South Parkway so all the Mersey north side services need two changes to get a London train, as they always have.

 

[secretlondon]

Whitby

 

[The exile]

It’s an interesting to consider whether the fact that there are so few answers is a) positive - showing the high degree of connectivity on our network, b) a negative comment on the consequences of branch line closures, c) a negative comment on the dominance of London or a combination of any of them. Replace UK with Germany and London with Berlin - the list would, I think, be much longer. (Even the “3 changes” list would be quite long, I suspect)

 

[Springs Branch]

Stations between Bolton and Clitheroe, aside from Blackburn.

I was thinking of those stations too, but seems they have been discounted.

But I can't see how you get from, say, Darwen or Clitheroe to London without two changes - unless you accept the walk across Manchester between Victoria & Piccadilly as a valid option (without using tram, bus or train via Windsor Link / Ordsall Curve). Can anyone enlighten me?

 

[DelW]

It’s an interesting to consider whether the fact that there are so few answers is a) positive - showing the high degree of connectivity on our network, b) a negative comment on the consequences of branch line closures, c) a negative comment on the dominance of London or a combination of any of them. Replace UK with Germany and London with Berlin - the list would, I think, be much longer. (Even the “3 changes” list would be quite long, I suspect)

That's mainly a consequence of the federal/regional structure of German governance and society, as well as Berlin having been isolated from the west of the country for over four decades. Britain is focused on London not just politically (despite devolution) but also for international transport, because of its closeness to the continent, and the location of our biggest airport. I suspect that Frankfurt and Munich airports are probably busier and better connected than Berlin's.

 

[A S Leib]

Whitby

There's two trains per day in each direction between Whitby and Hexham via Newcastle.

The direct London to Middlesbrough service gets to Middlesbrough two and a half hours before the last Whitby train leaves, although the southbound direct service doesn't help Whitby.

 

[Rescars]

That's mainly a consequence of the federal/regional structure of German governance and society, as well as Berlin having been isolated from the west of the country for over four decades. Britain is focused on London not just politically (despite devolution) but also for international transport, because of its closeness to the continent, and the location of our biggest airport. I suspect that Frankfurt and Munich airports are probably busier and better connected than Berlin's.

Surely there are quite a lot of places which would need two changes to reach Heathrow.

 

[DelW]

Surely there are quite a lot of places which would need two changes to reach Heathrow.

Possibly, but that wasn't the point I was trying to make.

 

[Gloster]

It’s an interesting to consider whether the fact that there are so few answers is a) positive - showing the high degree of connectivity on our network, b) a negative comment on the consequences of branch line closures, c) a negative comment on the dominance of London or a combination of any of them. Replace UK with Germany and London with Berlin - the list would, I think, be much longer. (Even the “3 changes” list would be quite long, I suspect)

To put things in perspective, I believe that I am correct in saying that there were only ever two stations in mainland Britain that were three changes from London: Presteign and, from 1929, Forge Crossing Halt on the branch from Titley Junction. You would have to change at Newport, Hereford or Shrewsbury, and then Leominster and Titley.

 

[The exile]

That's mainly a consequence of the federal/regional structure of German governance and society, as well as Berlin having been isolated from the west of the country for over four decades. Britain is focused on London not just politically (despite devolution) but also for international transport, because of its closeness to the continent, and the location of our biggest airport. I suspect that Frankfurt and Munich airports are probably busier and better connected than Berlin's.

That and the continued running of branch line services no further than the main line junction (albeit less so than in the past). If that “main line” is itself only a secondary one the number of connections soon tots up!

 

[jfowkes]

Technically I guess the Eurotunnel Folkestone Termnal qualifies? To get to London by train you must:

1. Use the Le Shuttle bike service to cross to Coquelles.
2. Cycle to Calais
3. Get a train to Lille
4. Get a Eurostar to London (having booked your bike in advance, or dismantled/folded it).

 

[elltrain3]

Does the Island Line count? with a a change at Ryde Peir and then at Portsmouth Harbour? Technically your using a Boat not a train, but your still changing!

Edit: just seen the 'Mainland' part! Doh! thought I was on to something there!

 

[Topological]

I was thinking of those stations too, but seems they have been discounted.

But I can't see how you get from, say, Darwen or Clitheroe to London without two changes - unless you accept the walk across Manchester between Victoria & Piccadilly as a valid option (without using tram, bus or train via Windsor Link / Ordsall Curve). Can anyone enlighten me?

Is there a token Piccadilly train in the timetable? That is the only way I would think they could get to London in 1 connection.

Another Manchester case is the Stockport-Staylybridge line. Unless the parliamentary train runs in both directions, the stations on the line are only reachable from (or to) London with 1 change. In the opposite direction 2 changes would be needed.

 

[Springs Branch]

Stations between Bolton and Clitheroe, aside from Blackburn.

Is there a token Piccadilly train in the timetable? That is the only way I would think they could get to London in 1 connection.

I did wonder about some once-per-week rogue train running to or from Piccadilly, but can't find anything in the current timetable. Everything seems to go to Victoria, with most continuing to/from Rochdale.

Perhaps @Lampshade in post #3 was thinking of the DalesRail-type trains which historically used to serve Blackpool, Preston & Carlisle on weekends (but even that wouldn't help stations between Darwen & Hall i' th' Wood). These days the weekend trains doing the Clitheroe - Hellifield section run from Manchester Vic & Bolton.

So "stations between Bolton and Clitheroe, aside from Blackburn" is probably valid for this thread.