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Alternate Routes to the Norm Involving one TOC

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Mutant Lemming

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I was wondering how many city to city journies could be made using one operator that isn't one of those you would normally associate with the journey.
For example -
London to Liverpool would usually be a non stop trip by Virgin or possibly with a change at Stafford made wholly by London Midland. Those both being pretty much the normal route.
An alternate route involving one operator would be via Sheffield and involve East Midlands trains.
Are there many instances (London-Crewe/Stoke/Manchester also being possibles by EMT) where a journey can be made from one city to another using the services of one operator which isn't either a straightforward route or an obvious alternative (i.e. London-B'ham Virgin/Chiltern) ?
 
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SprinterMan

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London - Norwich.
Normal is GA.
COULD be done EMT.
St Pancras-Nottingham
Nottingham-Norwich

Plymouth - Reading
Normal is with FGW.
COULD be done XC.
Plymouth - Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street - Reading

Leeds - Newcastle
Normal is XC/TPX/EC (limited service)
COULD be done Northern.
Leeds - Carlisle (via S&C)
Carlisle-Newcastle

Liverpool - Southport
Normal is Merseyrail.
COULD be done Northern.
Liverpool Lime Street - Wigan North Western
Wigan North Western - Wigan Wallgate (Walk)
Wigan Wallgate - Southport

Adam :D
 

Eagle

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Bournemouth to Taunton with XC (as opposed to SWT and FGW) is another good one.

Also Doncaster to Selby with TPE, or Birmingham to Manchester with ATW (this last one is a direct train once a day :P)
 

SprinterMan

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Tamworth - Birmingham New Street
Normal is XC.
COULD be done LM.
Tamworth - Lichfield Trent Valley
Lichfield Trent Valley - Birmingham New Street

Adam :D
 

Eagle

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Manchester to Glasgow with XC (instead of TPE).

Edinburgh to Newcastle with TPE (instead of XC/EC).

And best of all...

Doncaster to York with Grand Central. :D
 

SprinterMan

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Hull - Doncaster
Normal is HT/Northern/EC (limited service)
COULD be done TPX.
Hull - Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly - Doncaster

Adam :P
 

Eagle

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Clapham Junction to West Croydon with LO via Willesden (instead of Southern via Balham).

Peterborough to Bedford with FCC via London (instead of XC and EMT via Leicester).

Shrewsbury to Hereford with LM via Birmingham (instead of ATW via Ludlow).

Coventry to Leamington with LM via Smethwick (instead of XC via Kenilworth).
 

reb0118

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Edinburgh - Carlisle


Normally direct with Virgin or TPE but can be done with Scotrail via Glasgow & the GSW line.

(If we include the through Glasgow - Newcastle services that are shewn as Scotrail in the southbound direction then we could say Edinburgh - Newcastle)
 

Eagle

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Edinburgh - Carlisle


Normally direct with Virgin or TPE but can be done with Scotrail via Glasgow & the GSW line.

(If we include the through Glasgow - Newcastle services that are shewn as Scotrail in the southbound direction then we could say Edinburgh - Newcastle)

Dunbar–Newcastle is better :P
 

150222

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Leeds to Manchester.

Norm TPE.
Could be Northern
Leeds to Man Vic via Bradford/Brighouse or (and this could also be done on EMT) Leeds to Sheffield & Sheffield to Man Picc.
 

SprinterMan

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Alnmouth - Retford
Normal is EC.
COULD be done Northern.
Alnmouth - Newcastle
Newcastle - Carlisle
Carlisle - Leeds
Leeds - Sheffield
Sheffield - Retford

Blaenau Ffestiniog - Porthmadog
Normal is Ffestiniog Railway
COULD be done ATW.
Blaenau Ffestiniog - Llandudno Junction
Llandudno Junction - Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury - Porthmadog

Adam :D
 

Eagle

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It is a stopper and takes much longer! (Well over half an hour).

So is going from Liverpool to London with LM (in fact, it takes an hour and a half longer), but that's not an eccentric route.

Considering the popularity of the Liverpool to London route LM only, and Leeds to Manchester route Via Hebden Bridge tickets, they're hardly abnormal.
 

SprinterMan

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Chester - Ellesmere Port
Normal is Merseyrail via Hooton.
COULD be done Northern.
Chester - Manchester Piccadilly via Northwich
Manchester Piccadilly - Salford Crescent
Salford Crescent - Manchester Victoria
Manchester Victoria - Earlestown
Earlestown - Warrington Bank Quay
Warrington Bank Quay - Ellesmere Port
 

Eagle

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Or Chester to Manchester via Crewe with VT or ATW, which could be done using an Any Permitted Manchester-Chester ticket.

Liverpool to Manchester with VT is (assuming the standard hourly pattern) only possible with a change at London Euston. Same goes for Liverpool to Chester, or Liverpool to Warrington/Wigan/Preston.
 

pemma

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Liverpool to Manchester with VT is (assuming the standard hourly pattern) only possible with a change at London Euston.

However, it is possible with a change at Crewe first thing in the morning (around 05:30), the time people who be more likely to take an abnormal route as the TPE, EMT and Northern services via Warrington won't have started.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
That is normally quicker than via Altrincham or Frodsham though :P

It's not quicker than via Frodsham by the time you need to change at Crewe, unless you're referring to the fact via Frodsham is only hourly, so if you've missed a train then it's quicker via Crewe than waiting for the next direct service.
 

SprinterMan

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It's not quicker than via Frodsham by the time you need to change at Crewe, unless you're referring to the fact via Frodsham is only hourly, so if you've missed a train then it's quicker via Crewe than waiting for the next direct service.

Yeah, that what I meant thanks, that is what happened to me when I was doing the line. :D
 

Ivo

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Peterborough to Ely with FCC and not XC
Southampton to Reading with SWT or FGW and not XC
Hull to Scarborough with TP and not NT
Cardiff to Taunton with XC and not FGW
Aberdeen to Inverness with EC and not SR
 

tsr

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Between the parallel lines
Gatwick Airport - Guildford using Southern only
Bletchley - Bedford without using LM
Hayes & Harlington - Reading without using FGW

We could do some really weird ones with different Tube lines.
 

Eagle

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Cardiff to Taunton with XC and not FGW

Ah, but the shortest route with XC is the same as the shortest route with FGW.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Good luck getting away from Bletchley without using LM!

Which reminds me, there is a fare from Brighton to Bedford, route Southern & LM only (as opposed to the normal London not Und).
 
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