Direct journeys in one direction only

[Eagle]

05.35 Salisbury to Salisbury (outer circle): only direct service between Salisbury and Chandler's Ford.
06.12 Totton to Romsey (via Eastleigh)

Also Redbridge and Millbrook have two morning services to Weymouth, but no mainline trains stop in the other direction.

 

[SprinterMan]

Holyhead - Maesteg is only possible direct in one direction.
http://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/C36169/2012/11/12

I think there is also a single train from Windermere to Barrow-in-Furness which operates via Morecombe with no return.

The Barrow-Windermere train is doesn't go via Morecambe, although there is an early morning TPX train that does.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/schedule/G05030/2012-11-12/
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/schedule/G04228/2012-11-12/

Adam

 

[ashworth]

0707 Monday to Fridays - Mansfield Woodhouse to Norwich. No return through train.

 

[EltonRoad]

I few I can think of in Scotland are:

1) the 1715 Kyle of Lochalsh to Elgin has no corresponding direct train from Elgin. I guess this is effectively two services in one - Kyle to Inverness and Inverness to Elgin, run by the same unit.

2) The morning commuter service from Arrochar and Tarbert to Glasgow QS at 0710 has no specific return working, although there is an evening departure from Glasgow up the West Highland Line.

3) The Highland Sleeper acts as a commuter train from Kingussie northwards up to Inverness. There is no corresponding southbound working, other than by units.

There used to be other examples e.g. morning direct train from Great Yarmouth to London, no longer runs but had no return working, and ditto the Harrogate to King's X service but now has a return train.

I assume the reason behind most of these services is to do with peak time commuter flows and positioning of units.

 

[Chapeltom]

Buxton to Barrow in Furness - Around 1522 departure M-F

Chinley to Norwich - 1708 service, no return journey
Chinley (and the Hope Valley stations) to Hunts Cross - 0703 from Chinley - Monday to Friday only

 

[Ivo]

There is a peak service in each direction between Bristol and London which operates via the B&H instead of Swindon. The PM journey's calling pattern is far slower than the AM journey, giving several examples of journeys being possible in one direction only (there may be mistakes in the prose however)...

BRISTOL to LONDON: Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Pewsey, Hungerford, Newbury, Thatcham, Theale, Reading
LONDON to BRISTOL: Twyford, Reading, Theale, Thatcham, Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford, Bedwyn, Pewsey, Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon, Bath Spa

Twyford: All stations beyond Bedwyn
Kintbury: All stations beyond Pewsey
Bedwyn: All stations beyond Pewsey
Bath Spa: Since the AM service is the only service all day to not stop here, the entire B&H counts (as does Twyford I believe)!

 

[Eagle]

Twyford: All stations beyond Bedwyn
Kintbury: All stations beyond Pewsey
Bedwyn: All stations beyond Pewsey

Speaking of Bedwyn... it only has to/from the west:

• An 0646 arrival from Frome, calling at Westbury and Pewsey
• A 1330 departure to Taunton, calling at Pewsey, Westbury and Castle Cary
• A 1332 arrival from Paignton, calling at Torquay, Torre, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Exeter, Tiverton, Taunton, Castle Cary, Westbury and Pewsey
• An 1824 departure to Bristol, calling at Pewsey, Trowbridge, Bradford and Bath
• A 1924 departure to Frome, calling at Pewsey and Westbury
• A 1936 departure to Exeter, calling at Pewsey, Westbury, Castle Cary, Taunton and Tiverton

So lots of asymmetrical services there.

 

[MCR247]

Is there still an early morning XC Nottingham to Bournemouth? I think that one might be a one-way journey for Nottingham.

As if I forgot about that!

 

[bicbasher]

From December, passengers from West Croydon will be able to go direct to Highbury and Islington on London Overground's East London line after 2139, but not in the other direction.

 

[AlexS]

1F34, the 0730 Walsall to Liverpool Lime Street?

Also 2R92, the 2100 Spalding to Nottingham via Manton Junction?

 

[Eagle]

1F34, the 0730 Walsall to Liverpool Lime Street?

And the 05.15 and 06.15 Northampton to Walsall.

The 07.07 Coventry to Wolverhampton is the only service between local stations either side of Birmingham. (And one of the rare instances of a 323 at Coventry.)

 

[MK Tom]

Speaking of Northampton, there's no northbound Virgin service there but there are two southbound services, one in the morning and one in the evening. I have no idea if it's possible to get a Virgin-only ticket to Northampton but if it were you'd have to go to Rugby and change in order to get there on it!

 

[Eagle]

I have no idea if it's possible to get a Virgin-only ticket to Northampton...

It is not.

 

[12CSVT]

3) The Highland Sleeper acts as a commuter train from Kingussie northwards up to Inverness. There is no corresponding southbound working, other than by units.

How long has this been the case ?

I've always been under the impression that the northbound sleeper was set-down only at Scottish stations.

 

[EltonRoad]

Not long, less than a year? If you check the local timetable the 0719 Kingussie to Inverness is actually the Sleeper. It came about after a local unit got transferred to another service I think. (It also means the Sleeper now stops at Carrbridge which it never used to.)

 

[Trainfan344]

Was going to say Lowestoft to Harwich International, as couldn't find mention in the timetable of a return service, but a quick search of the NRE reveals one train in the opposite direction in the evening.

 

[dvboy]

I was going to say Wolverhampton to Four Oaks but it appears there is a return journey also.

 

[Coolguy22468]

Belper is served by a single train to Sheffield in the morning but there is no return.

Carstairs is also served by 1 virgin and 1 Transpennine express train each day.

 

[Eagle]

Carstairs is also served by 1 virgin and 1 Transpennine express train each day.

Which connect into each other. I believe that in the days of VXC it was two portions joining at Carstairs.

 

[telstarbox]

Which connect into each other. I believe that in the days of VXC it was two portions joining at Carstairs.

Is it around 2030 to enable an Edinburgh-Manchester journey?

Also - Hazel Grove is served by one Nottingham-Liverpool service in the morning (around 0820?) only.

 

[Eagle]

Yep. Also odd in that it's one of the few trains that's strictly pick-up only at Haymarket.

 

[The 39 Steps]

The 0554 Buxton to Clitheroe and 1709 Clitheroe to Rochdale Monday to Saturday trains are unique single direction services.

 

[greatkingrat]

I've had a play around with the ATOC timetable data and these are the most common "one-way" services that do not have a corresponding return journey.

Four Oaks -> Redditch (26)
Bridgend -> Aberdare (15)
Merthyr Tydfil -> Bridgend (15)
Selby -> Wakefield Westgate (12)
Scunthorpe -> Lincoln Central (9)
Lincoln Central -> Adwick (7)
Hull -> Sheffield (6)
Liverpool Lime Street -> Stalybridge (6)
Ilford -> Liverpool Street (5)
Streatham Hill -> London Bridge (5)
Liverpool Lime Street -> Preston (4)
London Victoria -> Selhurst (4)
Surrey Quays -> Dalston Junction (4)
Taunton -> Bristol Temple Meads (4)
Thorpe Bay -> London Fenchurch Street (4)

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I'm certain there are journeys from Preston-Lime St (one in the morning definitely) and from Manchester Airport-Windermere, which splits from an Edinburgh service.

 

[greatkingrat]

There are several trains from Preston to Lime St but none of them start at Preston, they all come from Blackpool North. You are right about Manc Airport - Windermere, I missed the return journey because of the way the splitting trains are shown.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

There are several trains from Preston to Lime St but none of them start at Preston

What about the 0904 PRE-LIV then?

 

[greatkingrat]

That is a weird one. Officially it is down as 0904 Preston - Liverpool South Parkway 1027. Not sure why it isn't two separate trains.

http://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/G12951/2012/11/20