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Busiest routes around your area

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172212

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What are the busiest routes at your local train stations? If they are long distance services they are probably the busiest. My local station is Galton bridge, so the busiest service is probably the snow hill line
 
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user15681

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My local station is Sittingbourne. I'd say the busiest services are the morning peak services to London (Victoria/St Pancras Intl/Cannon St) and the evening peak services from London (Victoria/St Pancras Intl/Cannon St).

On hot days, in the summer and at weekends, the services to Ramsgate around 10/11am are always very busy - standing room only. It's quite funny because it's an 8 (or 12) coach train which divides at Faversham. The front 4 (or 8) coaches go to Ramsgate (and all the beaches) and the rear 4 coaches go to Dover Priory. The front 4 will always be standing room only, whilst the rear 4 are virtually empty. I assume this is because all the Londoners and people from inland are heading to the coast for the day. Return journeys around 5/6pm to London are just as busy on the same days.

Also, the town has 5 secondary schools, with an average of 1,000 pupils at each. A fair few of these come from surrounding towns (Faversham, Sheppey, Medway) and so from 7:45am-8:30am the station is quite busy with school kids. The same applies around 3:30pm-4:30pm.
 
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tsr

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One of my local stations is Redhill.

Some of the most well-patronised services are actually those to Reigate (the next station west) in the peak. Services run by FGW onwards to Reading via Guildford are busy at these times, too, often with schoolchildren, students and the general mix of commuters, but there is a slight lull at times between Dorking and North Camp.

London Victoria services are perhaps slightly busier than London Bridge services at present, although this very much varies and both routes are normally packed (fully seated, standing and not much room left) in the peak. Except in the school holidays and other times when lots of folks travel, you'll probably find a seat during other times of day.

The occasional peak service to Bedford, Luton or Brighton will be busy to very busy.

Services on the Tonbridge line are very quiet off-peak but can be considerably busier during peak hours, although you are probably going to get a seat without too much searching.

The DfT/Southern/whoever have a strange obsession with running to Horsham, so these services are often half-empty except during the peak, except for the front coach. However, services onwards to Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central will be busier, with a lot of passengers hopping between the usefully-placed and somewhat well-chosen stations en route (e.g. Gatwick Airport, Crawley, then further south, Chichester, perhaps, or the terminating stations).

Intermediate flows to different stations served are sometimes hard to judge on a day-to-day basis, but the staples of Gatwick Airport (except for FGW terminators, where this is a clear destination anyway), East Croydon, Clapham Junction, Three Bridges and so on are useful to passengers as interchanges and also as major employment and leisure areas.

Finally, a few stations such as Ore are served infrequently, so it is hard to establish how busy these could be, although early morning services can be surprisingly well used.

Late night services, likewise, can be full and standing.

The quietest times are often southbound around 11am and 3pm, and northbound at around 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.

All services have poor ticket checking, except for semi-fast and slow FGW services where this is a bit more prevalent. RPIs are not forgiving, but guards will sometimes sell you a ticket (do NOT take this for granted as penalty fares apply) - my point is that statistics may be skewed by this!
 

jopsuk

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The Cambridge-Kings Cross non-stop fast services- these can be 8-car and standing on weekends in the middle of the day
 

anthony263

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From Pyle the busiest services are the 07:10 departure to Pembroke Dock/Fishguard Hbr as well as the 07:31 & 08:10 departures to Manchester via Cardiff of course the 09:44 & 17:44 services to Cardiff are always packed.

In addition the most overcrowded train from Pyle has to be the 18:06 Milford Haven service which has been nicknamed the sardine express
 

causton

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My local station is Hatfield - with the main flows obviously towards London going southbound (although a lot getting off at intermediate stops, Potters Bar and Barnet etc - between Barnet and Alexandra Palace the trains off-peak are very quiet with nobody getting on or off!

Best chance for a quiet train - the all-stations services start one station north at WGC so will be inevitably empty, but will fill up soon enough! Other than that 11am-2pm is usually quiet, and there's probably an evening lull between 8-10pm, but if you want a quiet train and a table/set of seats to yourself avoid:
6-10am
3:30-7:30pm
10:30pm-end of service
 

tsr

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:lol: services at peaks are increased from 2TPH to 4TPH, from as early as 3pm at Hagley, both ways are rammed full of school children

Yes, I know the feeling. One particular highlight on the North Downs Line is the stretch between Guildford and Wokingham, which I shall let you imagine, as your description matches it quite well... Farnborough North is a blackspot for this (it has a number of schools nearby, as well as the rather good College of Technology).

Reigate also has an overhyped but rather popular college that sees a lot of students both from Dorking and other nearby stations (westwards) and also changing at Redhill from around the Coulsdon South (northwards) and Horley (southwards) areas.
 

172212

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Yes, I know the feeling. One particular highlight on the North Downs Line is the stretch between Guildford and Wokingham, which I shall let you imagine, as your description matches it quite well... Farnborough North is a blackspot for this (it has a number of schools nearby, as well as the rather good College of Technology).

Reigate also has an overhyped but rather popular college that sees a lot of students both from Dorking and other nearby stations (westwards) and also changing at Redhill from around the Coulsdon South (northwards) and Horley (southwards) areas.

:p not to forget 4pm journeys from Worcester foregate street, the 4:34 journey is about impossible to find a seat by yourself, if you're luckily you'll get a 172/2+172/2 diagram which is four coaches
 

dvboy

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What are the busiest routes at your local train stations? If they are long distance services they are probably the busiest. My local station is Galton bridge, so the busiest service is probably the snow hill line

i'd have said cross city line
 

172212

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He said "in your area".

If I have to choose services that call at my local station its a toss up between ATW and XC services in the peaks.

I didn't actually say in my area, I stated my local train station and the busiest service that runs through there.

Although the CrossCity line is pretty busy, 4TPH between Longbridge and New Street during the evening
 

LE Greys

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The Cambridge-Kings Cross non-stop fast services- these can be 8-car and standing on weekends in the middle of the day

Yes, these can be wedged solid. The Peterborough commuter fasts are just as bad, if not worse because they are 12-car, but that's only in the peaks.

Are they running the Beer Train as 12-car these days? I'm sure I saw three units arrive together last time I was at Cambridge.
 

jopsuk

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I've not used the beer train in a while, so no idea- but again, yes, those can be 8 carriage and full & standing.
 

alexf380

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My local station is Wallyford on the Edinburgh - North Berwick line. In the morning we have a train starting at Prestonpans (one stop east) going to Edinburgh at 08:11, A train from North Berwick to Glasgow Central at 08:16 then the next one isn't until 08:49. All three of these are normally sardine room only and in the evening it isn't much better.
 

gnolife

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My local station is Manchester Airport, served by 1 tph to Crewe, 2 stopping to Manchester, and hourly to Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Cleethorpes, Lancaster (continuing to Barrow and Glasgow or to Edinburgh), Blackpool, Liverpool and Southport. The busiest of these, from what I've seen, are the services to Cleethorpes (usually ditches most people at Sheffield), Blackpool (especially in summer) and Newcastle. The busiest in the area would be the Virgin services to Euston via Stoke on Trent, although the Arriva Trains Wales services to Llandudno and Carmarthen, and CrossCountry services to Bournemouth and Bristol TM often appear to be busier due to the lower capacity
 

LadyDeltic

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My local station is only served by Fife Circle services, plus two services between Glasgow and Kirkcaldy per day. The former service sees two trains run in each direction every hour and usually only reaches full capacity at peak time; the latter tends to be almost empty for much of the journey.

The nearest service that could be considered 'busy' is the Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow Queen Street service, which runs four times in each direction per hour and often approaches full capacity outside peak time.
 

Liam

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My local station is only served by Fife Circle services, plus two services between Glasgow and Kirkcaldy per day. The former service sees two trains run in each direction every hour and usually only reaches full capacity at peak time; the latter tends to be almost empty for much of the journey.

The nearest service that could be considered 'busy' is the Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow Queen Street service, which runs four times in each direction per hour and often approaches full capacity outside peak time.

Markinch is my local station and many evening services from Edinburgh, are rammed solid. I find the 1811 from Waverley (the first off peak service) full with many standing most evenings, perhaps that it is a XC from Plymouth doesn't help.

The morning services tend to be quieter, certainly until Inverkeithing.
 

172212

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London midland London Euston services can be busy, ridiculously, if you follow London midland on twitter all you will see are people complaining about the lack of coaches, I think LM are purchasing some new desiro units in the next 2 years to increase capacity on those routes
 

Badger

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From Wolverhampton station there are a few. Birmingham to Edinburgh/Glasgow, and XC's Manchester services, are typically rammed. The Arriva service from Birmingham International to Aberystwyth or Holyhead is incredibly packed at times.

Other than that, services are pretty respectable - the Walsall stopper, Wolverhampton to Euston, and Birmingham to Liverpool. The Birmingham to Shrewsbury LM service is hit and miss but not busy all of the time.

Edinburgh/Glasgow is presumably going to be solved by the introduction of Pendelinos (although I have caught a (9 coach) Pendelino going that way that's been standing room only); the XC services will hopefully be eased by the new carriages proposed. Not much can be done about the ATW services besides not putting a dogbox on Sundays.
 

LadyDeltic

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Markinch is my local station and many evening services from Edinburgh, are rammed solid. I find the 1811 from Waverley (the first off peak service) full with many standing most evenings, perhaps that it is a XC from Plymouth doesn't help.

The morning services tend to be quieter, certainly until Inverkeithing.

Hmm, perhaps it would be different for services to Markinch, seeing as it provides the fast service to Kirkcaldy as well as going on to Perth or Dundee. My Fife Circle service only covers the relatively small settlements on the coast (along with Inverkeithing and Kirkcaldy, of course, but there's the greater number of intermediate stops); consequently, the standing passengers on the peak services all tend to be gone by the time we get past Dalmeny. Certainly, I can understand why an XC would be mobbed!
 

172212

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From Wolverhampton station there are a few. Birmingham to Edinburgh/Glasgow, and XC's Manchester services, are typically rammed. The Arriva service from Birmingham International to Aberystwyth or Holyhead is incredibly packed at times.

Other than that, services are pretty respectable - the Walsall stopper, Wolverhampton to Euston, and Birmingham to Liverpool. The Birmingham to Shrewsbury LM service is hit and miss but not busy all of the time.

Edinburgh/Glasgow is presumably going to be solved by the introduction of Pendelinos (although I have caught a (9 coach) Pendelino going that way that's been standing room only); the XC services will hopefully be eased by the new carriages proposed. Not much can be done about the ATW services besides not putting a dogbox on Sundays.

The Walsall stopper is usually pretty well used when I travel on it. As well as the cambrain line and pendolino London service, not surprising as it lays over for like 30 minutes :lol:
 

anthony263

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From Wolverhampton station there are a few. Birmingham to Edinburgh/Glasgow, and XC's Manchester services, are typically rammed. The Arriva service from Birmingham International to Aberystwyth or Holyhead is incredibly packed at times.

Other than that, services are pretty respectable - the Walsall stopper, Wolverhampton to Euston, and Birmingham to Liverpool. The Birmingham to Shrewsbury LM service is hit and miss but not busy all of the time.

Edinburgh/Glasgow is presumably going to be solved by the introduction of Pendelinos (although I have caught a (9 coach) Pendelino going that way that's been standing room only); the XC services will hopefully be eased by the new carriages proposed. Not much can be done about the ATW services besides not putting a dogbox on Sundays.


The only way the overcrowding can be solved on the ATW services between Shrewsbury & Birmingham is for ATW to get additional class 158's which hopefully they will following EGIP in 2015/2016
 
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My local station is Cross Gates but obviously Leeds station isn’t very far away ;)

I used to lodge in a small village called Balne when I worked in Snaith and the house was very close to ECML which is obviously very busy. That level crossing in the village is down more than its up!
 

ReverendFozz

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On the routes near enough to me is the East Coast Mainline and the Durham Coast Line, the busiest section on the Durham Coast Line is probably between Sunderland and Pelaw
 
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