Examples of skip stop/express services on the Tube (or DLR & LO too)

[NorthKent1989]

Aside from the Met line fast and semi fast peak time services to Amersham/Chesham, the non stop run between Finchley Road and Wembley Park and the Piccadilly line non stop run between Hammersmith and Acton Town

What other skip stop/express services has the tube ran in the past? I know that the District line ran such services until 1960s

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Don't certain southbound services skip West India Quay on the DLR?

 

[MarlowDonkey]

What other skip stop/express services has the tube ran in the past?

Didn't the Piccadilly do this with some lesser used stations in the 1930s? The now closed Down Street comes to mind.

 

[Ianno87]

Didn't the Piccadilly do this with some lesser used stations in the 1930s? The now closed Down Street comes to mind.

Turnham Green being only served at certain times would be a modern example.

Similarly Cannon Street not being served on Sundays.

 

[MikeWh]

Some Overground trains skip London Fields and Cambridge Heath.

 

[TFN]

Don't certain southbound services skip West India Quay on the DLR?

Bank to Lewisham DLR trains skip West India Quay indeed.

 

[duncanp]

Between Stratford and Canning Town, the Jubilee line only stops at West Ham, whereas the DLR makes several stops (eg Abbey Road, Star Lane.. etc)

And National Rail runs non stop between Beckenham Junction and Birkbeck, whilst the parallel Tramlink has additional stops at Beckenham Road and Avenue Road.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

There were fiendishly complicated "non-stopping" patterns on the District line from early days - best looked at in the magnificent works of M A C Horne -so trains would proudly display "Ealing - Non Stop" - but in reality just failed to call at a few "minor" stations , partly down to timetabling and saving a few mins to get across a flat junction in a critical moment in the timetable. The Met likewise.

Of course in today's railway there is a complex non-stopping in the high peak on the Met - I noted a "fast Amersham" the other day , something that used to be very regular and off peak as well as high peak.

 

[steamybrian]

Between Stratford and Canning Town, the Jubilee line only stops at West Ham, whereas the DLR makes several stops (eg Abbey Road, Star Lane.. etc)

And National Rail runs non stop between Beckenham Junction and Birkbeck, whilst the parallel Tramlink has additional stops at Beckenham Road and Avenue Road.

Between Stratford and Canning Town the Jubilee line trains do not run on the same track as DLR trains.
Similarly NR trains between Beckenham Jn and Birkbeck do not run on the same tracks as Croydon Tramlink services.

 

[MikeWh]

Between Stratford and Canning Town the Jubilee line trains do not run on the same track as DLR trains.
Similarly NR trains between Beckenham Jn and Birkbeck do not run on the same tracks as Croydon Tramlink services.

If we're going to go to that much detail then the same could be said of the Met line trains not using the same tracks between Finchley Road and Wembley Park.

 

[matt_world2004]

Piccadilly line in West London is effectively s skip stop service for the district line

Metropolitan between Wembley Park and Baker Street is a skip sto service for the jubilee.

Between Stratford and Canning Town the Jubilee line trains do not run on the same track as DLR trains.
Similarly NR trains between Beckenham Jn and Birkbeck do not run on the same tracks as Croydon Tramlink services.

A non stopping train does not need to run on the same tracks. Otherwise most trains on the GWML would not be considered non stopping

 

[pelli]

Depending on how far apart you allow the "parallel" tracks to be, you might argue:
* The Northern Line Bank Branch is an express service between Euston and Camden Town, while the Northern Line Charing Cross Branch stopping service calls intermediately at Mornington Crescent.
* The Piccadilly Line Terminals (1)23&5 Branch is an express service between Hatton Cross and Heathrow Terminals 2&3, while the Picadilly Line Terminals 4&(1)23 Branch stopping service calls intermediately at Heathrow Terminal 4 in one direction (apart from when it's closed for Covid).
* The Hammersmith&City or Circle Line is an express service between Edgware Road and Baker Street, whereas the Bakerloo Line stopping service calls intermediately at Marylebone. (You might exclude this based on the official Tube map showing the two Edgware Road stations as being completely distinct.)
* [Added in edit:] The Northen Line and Central Line are express services from Bank/Monument to Moorgate and Liverpool Street, as compared with the Circle Line stopping service via Aldgate.
* The Hammersmith&City, Circle, or District Line from Edgware Road to Paddington or Baker Street direct is an express service, as compared with the Circle Line stopping service via Aldgate.
* Potentially similar shenanigans on the Central Line Hainault Loop, going one stop from the split point at Leytonstone either direct or the long way round the loop (not sure if services are/were running all the way round?).

 

[AlbertBeale]

Depending on how far apart you allow the "parallel" tracks to be, you might argue:
........
* The Hammersmith&City or Circle Line is an express service between Edgware Road and Baker Street, whereas the Bakerloo Line stopping service calls intermediately at Marylebone. (You might exclude this based on the official Tube map showing the two Edgware Road stations as being completely distinct.)
........

Well, the two Edgware Road stations are distinct!

Also, didn't the Central Line (as it now is) try a complicated skip-stop service in an attempt to speed up journeys in the days of the Twopenny Tube?

 

[duncanp]

Piccadilly line in West London is effectively s skip stop service for the district line

Metropolitan between Wembley Park and Baker Street is a skip sto service for the jubilee.


A non stopping train does not need to run on the same tracks. Otherwise most trains on the GWML would not be considered non stopping

The express services on the New York subway use this principle. A typical station (eg 33rd Street on the 6 train) has four tracks running through it, but only the outer two have adjacent platforms. The express services use the centre tracks, and ths stopping services use the outer tracks.

My criteria for defining a skip stop service in London is whether the services use the same rail corridor (eg. tunnel, cutting or embankment) between the stations concerned.

Using this definition, for example, you could argue that C2C provides an express service between Upminster, Barking and West Ham, whereas the District Line serves all stops.

 

[Mojo]

The express services on the New York subway use this principle. A typical station (eg 33rd Street on the 6 train) has four tracks running through it, but only the outer two have adjacent platforms. The express services use the centre tracks, and ths stopping services use the outer tracks.

Another principle is the skip-stop pattern. This was far less common though. An example being the MFL in Philadelphia which stopped this last year. They had a handful of stations at the suburban ends of the line designated as either “A” or “B” in that order (ie. there would never be two stations with the same letter in a row). At peak hours on weekdays trains would be advertised as calling at A stations or B stations. I however believe this method was come up with as a way of better distributing peak hour traffic flows rather than as a way of providing a faster service such as the reason for the fast trains on the Met etc.

 

[Dstock7080]

Turnham Green being only served at certain times would be a modern example.

Similarly Cannon Street not being served on Sundays.

Think we’re talking about open stations which are non-stopped.
Cannon Street wasn’t served as it was closed; at one time M-Fri after 1930 and all weekend. Other District stations closed at least one day at weekends, even in early-80s were Ravenscourt Pk, West Brompton, Temple.

 

[matt_world2004]

The express services on the New York subway use this principle. A typical station (eg 33rd Street on the 6 train) has four tracks running through it, but only the outer two have adjacent platforms. The express services use the centre tracks, and ths stopping services use the outer tracks.

My criteria for defining a skip stop service in London is whether the services use the same rail corridor (eg. tunnel, cutting or embankment) between the stations concerned.

Using this definition, for example, you could argue that C2C provides an express service between Upminster, Barking and West Ham, whereas the District Line serves all stops.

C2C is a skip stop of the district /H&C line

 

[NorthKent1989]

Didn’t Northern line trains skip Mornington Crescent en route Edgware?

 

[duncanp]

Some London Midland services run fast between Watford Junction and Euston, or only stop at Harrow & Wealdstone, whereas London Overground serves all stops on this route.

 

[Dave W]

Finsbury Park-Kings Cross-Green Park on the Victoria rather than the Piccadilly?

... I am surely pushing the definition too far.

But stood at the bottom of the southbound platform stairs at Finsbury Park studying the route maps, it would certainly feel that way, no? 10 stops to Green park on the Piccadilly, 6 on the Victoria. 4/2 to Kings Cross.

 

[rebmcr]

Finsbury Park-Kings Cross-Green Park on the Victoria rather than the Piccadilly?

... I am surely pushing the definition too far.

But stood at the bottom of the southbound platform stairs at Finsbury Park studying the route maps, it would certainly feel that way, no? 10 stops to Green park on the Piccadilly, 6 on the Victoria. 4/2 to Kings Cross.

I don't think it's much of a push. I recall one of the intentions by the Victoria line designers was to relieve the Piccadilly line.

Similarly, the choice of Elizabeth line stations along Oxford Street was to encourage passengers away from the busiest Central line stations, sort of like the American A-train/B-train patterns described above by Mojo.

 

[NorthKent1989]

Finsbury Park-Kings Cross-Green Park on the Victoria rather than the Piccadilly?

... I am surely pushing the definition too far.

But stood at the bottom of the southbound platform stairs at Finsbury Park studying the route maps, it would certainly feel that way, no? 10 stops to Green park on the Piccadilly, 6 on the Victoria. 4/2 to Kings Cross.

Not at all

I agree with this, the Victoria line is essentially an express tube line for other lines, namely the Piccadilly line and the West End branch of the Northern Line, the latter was supposed to have an express service but it got absorbed into the Victoria line.

Likewise CrossRail is going to really be an express Central line between Stratford and Ealing Broadway, you could even include Thameslink being an express Bank branch of the Northern line, as it parallels the line from Elephant & Castle/London Bridge to Kentish Town

 

[mike57]

The Northern line had express services before WW2, cant for the life of me find the reference or link

 

[trebor79]

I'm pretty sure the Central Line used to run non-stop through St Pauls and Chancery Lane at times - certainly can remember this about 20 years or so ago. They do seem like very quiet stations even now.

 

[rebmcr]

The Northern line had express services before WW2, cant for the life of me find the reference or link

You may be recalling the never-realised plans for additional express tunnels beneath the existing ones, with platform tunnels already built underneath major stations. These platforms were converted into bomb shelters during WWII.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Another principle is the skip-stop pattern. This was far less common though. An example being the MFL in Philadelphia which stopped this last year. They had a handful of stations at the suburban ends of the line designated as either “A” or “B” in that order (ie. there would never be two stations with the same letter in a row). At peak hours on weekdays trains would be advertised as calling at A stations or B stations. I however believe this method was come up with as a way of better distributing peak hour traffic flows rather than as a way of providing a faster service such as the reason for the fast trains on the Met etc.

The NY Broadway Local - the 1 train had a partner on the same tracks - the 9 train , which skipped calls to give a faster overall journey on the long haul down the island. (or more likely to control peak loadings)

 

[mike57]

The Northern line had express services before WW2, cant for the life of me find the reference or link

Found this https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/posters/item/2004-18632-part-80
and this https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/posters/item/2004-18632-part-81

So certainly running in 1920

And also this from 1911

B/W print of poster "Theatre non-stop" unknown, 1911. | London Transport Museum

b/w print

www.ltmuseum.co.uk

 

[richardcoughla]

I'm pretty sure the Central Line used to run non-stop through St Pauls and Chancery Lane at times - certainly can remember this about 20 years or so ago. They do seem like very quiet stations even now.

Chancery Lane definitely was non-stopped. I do remember on boxing days loads of stations was closed around the same time until recently I believe.

 

[NorthKent1989]

I'm pretty sure the Central Line used to run non-stop through St Pauls and Chancery Lane at times - certainly can remember this about 20 years or so ago. They do seem like very quiet stations even now.

I’ve heard of Chancery Lane being skipped at times, I even saw a video on YouTube of the Central line 1962 stock trains passing through Chancery Lane with passengers on board, the footage was from the early 1990s too.

 

[AM9]

The Northern line had express services before WW2, cant for the life of me find the reference or link

You might have heard of the 'Northern Line nine-car experiment'. In this, some trains on Edgware line services were extended to 9 cars to increase train capacity by about 23%. The idea was that the majority of the surface stations had platforms long enough for all nine-cars to be accessed but those in the deep stations were strictly 7-cars only. So trains were run with certain stops in the centre including the front eight cars and other stops served by the rear seven cars. This meant that different parts of the same train skipped some stations, (they actually stopped but for those passengers, the cars were in the tunnels).
For a full explanation, here is an article written at the time.