Trivia: most important station without a direct service to London

rratgerg · 5 Dec 2016

What is the most important station on the national network without a direct service to London?

We can loosely define "importance" in terms of number of services originating at that station, number of departing/arriving services and/or number of passengers.

My suggestion: Manchester Airport

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najaB · 5 Dec 2016

rratgerg said:
What is the most important station on the national network without a direct service to London?

I'd say that Glasgow Queen Street trumps Manchester Airport (19M v 3M passengers annually).

Kite159 · 5 Dec 2016

najaB said:
I'd say that Glasgow Queen Street trumps Manchester Airport (19M v 3M passengers annually).

And a lot more services than Manchester Airport

rratgerg · 5 Dec 2016

najaB said:
I'd say that Glasgow Queen Street trumps Manchester Airport (19M v 3M passengers annually).

I thought the sleeper stops there but it just passes through?

Manchester airport the second then?

Kite159 · 5 Dec 2016

rratgerg said:
I thought the sleeper stops there but it just passes through?

Manchester airport the second then?

Stops to pick up passengers heading towards Fort William and sets down only. So where it has a 'direct' service passengers for Glasgow can't use it

2nd is Liverpool Central, Manchester Oxford Road 3rd

najaB · 5 Dec 2016

rratgerg said:
I thought the sleeper stops there but it just passes through?

I would say that the sleeper doesn't count as it is running as a 'day train' to/from Edinburgh at Queen Street. You can't select Queen Street as a destination when buying a Sleeper ticket.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Cardiff Queen Street might give Manchester Airport a run for its money on passenger numbers.

47271 · 5 Dec 2016

Annually Manchester Victoria also has around double the number of passengers as Airport and isn't far behind Oxford Road, so does that make it fourth?

LNW-GW Joint · 5 Dec 2016

Cardiff Queen St must be another (that's 2 Queen Streets

).
Bolton and Huddersfield must come reasonably high up.

61653 HTAFC · 5 Dec 2016

LNW-GW Joint said:
Cardiff Queen St must be another (that's 2 Queen Streets ).
Bolton and Huddersfield must come reasonably high up.

This. Both Queen Streets along with Liverpool Central and Manchester Victoria may lack London services but there are other stations within a 15-20min walk which do provide trains to the smoke. Huddersfield, Bolton, Middlesbrough and Blackburn would be the obvious cases along with arguably Birkenhead Hamilton Square.

adrock1976 · 5 Dec 2016

A wildcard here that I am going to suggest: Llandrindod Wells.

This is because it is the administrative centre and county town of Powys.

Due to its geographical location, there is more chance of my team Aston Villa winning the European Cup by 2030 than there being a direct train introduced between Llandrindod Wells and London.

On a serious side, I would suggest Falmouth as the original intention of the Great Western Railway was to have the main line running from London, Exeter and Plymouth to Falmouth as its Cornish terminal point. This was to connect with the former steam packet ships at Falmouth.

notlob.divad · 6 Dec 2016

Belfast?, Certainly the biggest capital in the UK that doesn't have direct rail access.

theageofthetra · 6 Dec 2016

Bromley North?

AlterEgo · 6 Dec 2016

rratgerg said:
What is the most important station on the national network without a direct service to London?

London Victoria.

Waterloo has a loop service back to Waterloo.

Wait, is that not in the spirit of the question? :lol:

postye · 6 Dec 2016

AlterEgo said:
London Victoria.

Waterloo has a loop service back to Waterloo.

Wait, is that not in the spirit of the question?

London Victoria has a direct service to London Bridge

swt class 450 · 6 Dec 2016

I would suggest maybe Rye?

bradders1983 · 6 Dec 2016

There was an episode of Coronation Street a few years ago where a character left on a direct train to London Euston...from Manchester Victoria. In a two-car Pacer

najaB · 6 Dec 2016

bradders1983 said:
There was an episode of Coronation Street a few years ago where a character left on a direct train to London Euston...from Manchester Victoria. In a two-car Pacer

What crime had they committed to deserve such treatment?

IKB · 6 Dec 2016

najaB said:
What crime had they committed to deserve such treatment?

Agreeing to appear in a dire soap !!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

theageofthetra said:
Bromley North?

Used to have! Now a little used backwater.

jhy44 · 6 Dec 2016

If we look at actual Towns, Burton-on-Trent is a pretty large standalone town without a train to London anymore.

NSE · 6 Dec 2016

It always surprises me there isn't at least one token service operated through to Newmarket. It's the same as the Lowestoft argument I guess, as it would need 8/10/12 carriages from Cambridge onwards. Of course nowhere near as important as Manchester Airport or Glasgow Central. Mind you, I suppose Manchester Airport does have direct flights to Heathrow which does provide somewhat of a service to London haha!

DasLunatic · 6 Dec 2016

NSE said:
It always surprises me there isn't at least one token service operated through to Newmarket. It's the same as the Lowestoft argument I guess, as it would need 8/10/12 carriages from Cambridge onwards. Of course nowhere near as important as Manchester Airport or Glasgow Central. Mind you, I suppose Manchester Airport does have direct flights to Heathrow which does provide somewhat of a service to London haha!

The problem with that is a rather large one - the OHLE doesn't reach Newmarket. When GA's Stadtlers come into use, there may be a service from London to Cambridge/Lowestoft/Felixstowe via Ipswich - but we'll have to wait and see. The three unit split at Ipswich may be a problem, though...

Parallel · 6 Dec 2016

bradders1983 said:
There was an episode of Coronation Street a few years ago where a character left on a direct train to London Euston...from Manchester Victoria. In a two-car Pacer

Off topic but a few years ago GWR (or FGW as it was then) sent a 143 from Paignton to Paddington via Bristol to cover for a failed HST. Apparently a 150 was bolted on at Bristol but control wouldn't let it go any further than Swindon because it would've caused chaos on the fast lines, though the crew were up for taking it to Paddington! :lol:

NSE · 6 Dec 2016

DasLunatic said:
The problem with that is a rather large one - the OHLE doesn't reach Newmarket. When GA's Stadtlers come into use, there may be a service from London to Cambridge/Lowestoft/Felixstowe via Ipswich - but we'll have to wait and see. The three unit split at Ipswich may be a problem, though...

No thats what I mean about being the same problem as Lowestoft. Having to use a DMU means Passengers waiting at Cambridge for the London train, and rather than having a 12 coach peak working roll out the depot, it would be a 3 car 170 roll off the Newmarket branch. Not big enough.

theageofthetra · 7 Dec 2016

IKB said:
Agreeing to appear in a dire soap !!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Used to have! Now a little used backwater.

Little used! So busy in peak we now have double manning to give a 2 min turnaround in morning and evening.

bradders1983 · 7 Dec 2016

najaB said:
What crime had they committed to deserve such treatment?

Not sure

probably because they find it easier to get filming permissions to use Victoria rather than Piccadilly. It left from one of the bay platforms at Victoria in the direction of Rochdale/Ashton...

Thebaz · 7 Dec 2016

Felixstowe?

Okay, so it's not so important. Not anymore anyway!

DasLunatic · 7 Dec 2016

Thebaz said:
Felixstowe?

Okay, so it's not so important. Not anymore anyway!

Felixstowe does see services to London - I think there's a late morning intermodal train from Felixstowe to Wembley Depot...

najaB · 7 Dec 2016

DasLunatic said:
Felixstowe does see services to London - I think there's a late morning intermodal train from Felixstowe to Wembley Depot...

Cheeky. I think the context makes it clear the OP meant passenger services.

SeanG · 7 Dec 2016

bradders1983 said:
Not sure probably because they find it easier to get filming permissions to use Victoria rather than Piccadilly. It left from one of the bay platforms at Victoria in the direction of Rochdale/Ashton...

That would be a logical route, looping round East Manchester to Stockport. Sounds like a logical service

adrock1976 · 7 Dec 2016

DasLunatic said:
Felixstowe does see services to London - I think there's a late morning intermodal train from Felixstowe to Wembley Depot...

Obviously for those born before 1965, Wembley is actually in Middlesex.

Trivia: most important station without a direct service to London

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