Trivia: Journeys between stations that are quicker to walk

[Bletchleyite]

This will obviously be fewer than the cycling thread, but the one that springs to mind is Liverpool Lime St to Liverpool Central, where unless you use the lifts at both ends you will walk further through tunnels to change platforms than you will if you just walk between the two at street level (so unless it's utterly tipping down most people would just walk). Definitely quicker to walk unless you're very, very lucky with a train being there.

Any others? Obviously some on the Tube (e.g. the classic tourist hop from Leicester Square to Covent Garden), but on the mainline network?

 

[mmh]

Quite a lot where the stations aren't on a direct route, e.g. Catford and Catford Bridge or Whyteleafe and Upper Warlingham, but lots of those won't have standard fares between them. On a direct route, Glasgow Central to Argyle Street springs to mind, being underground from a large station like Lime Street.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Quite a lot where the stations aren't on a direct route, e.g. Catford and Catford Bridge or Whyteleafe and Upper Warlingham, but lots of those won't have standard fares between them. On a direct route, Glasgow Central to Argyle Street springs to mind, being underground from a large station like Lime Street.

The best one in the North West is probably between the Burscoughs, which would take a couple of hours via Preston and Wigan, but nobody in their right mind would do that (and I don't think there's a fare for it), like the cycling thread I'm more thinking of journeys that people might actually do. Most notably the Liverpool example causes itineraries across Liverpool to typically be about 15 minutes longer than they would otherwise be (because you get 2 interchange times plus the train journey for a trip that is barely any further than the concourse to P13/14 at Manc Picc[1]), which provides a great Delay Repay getout for TOCs.

[1] OK, it's a bit further than that, but for me it was always a reliable 10 minute connection across Liverpool provided the inbound was on time, and that included time for a wee before boarding Merseyrail. I think for me it's about 4-6 minutes walk.

 

[gingertom]

We have the 10 minute trek between Queen Street and Central in Glasgow. You could take a low level service to Partick (or Hyndland for a cross platform change) and get a citybound service to the other mainline terminal, but it is a time consuming process.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Up here in South Yorkshire Moorthorpe to South Elmsall.

 

[mmh]

Most notably the Liverpool example causes itineraries across Liverpool to typically be about 15 minutes longer than they would otherwise be (because you get 2 interchange times plus the train journey for a trip that is barely any further than the concourse to P13/14 at Manc Picc), which provides a great Delay Repay getout for TOCs.

Indeed, I've done Lime Street to Central on my way to Southport from London once. I doubt I'd ever do it again!

 

[PeterC]

I'd go for Stratford to Maryland and Stratford to Stratford Market from the town centre side of the station. Its probably marginal if starting from Westfield.

Staying on that side of London, Walthamstow Central to St James Street.

I am not sure about Victoria to Battersea Park, if you are at the coach station end of Victoria its possible easier to walk.

In central London Blackfriars (at least from the north bank entrance) - City Thameslink - Farringdon, Charing Cross - Waterloo East, Cannon Street - London Bridge

All those assume that you are starting and finishing in the street rather than changing trains at one or both ends.

 

[brad465]

How about New Beckenham to Beckenham Jct, which doesn't have a direct service despite having a spur connecting them on a through line, but even if it did is quite a short walk anyway?

 

[Esker-pades]

How about New Beckenham to Beckenham Jct, which doesn't have a direct service despite having a spur connecting them on a through line, but even if it did is quite a short walk anyway?

It's over half a mile and quite tedious. I did it once.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Upper Tyndrum to Tyndrum Lower is walkable in around 20 minutes. Doubt that this would be possible in less than this time by train having to change at Crianlarich.

 

[30907]

How about New Beckenham to Beckenham Jct, which doesn't have a direct service despite having a spur connecting them on a through line, but even if it did is quite a short walk anyway?

Along Copers Cope Road is a tedious 0.7miles/13min according to Googlemaps (down side to down side) so you couldn't have beaten a train!

 

[mmh]

How about New Beckenham to Beckenham Jct, which doesn't have a direct service despite having a spur connecting them on a through line, but even if it did is quite a short walk anyway?

It's over half a mile and quite tedious. I did it once.

I think it's one that used to have a once a day service. A few years ago, after there were no service trains, I was at Lower Sydenham, wanting to go to Elmers End but due to disruption the massively delayed next train was to Beckenham Junction. I got it just for the sake of it.

 

[vlad]

Guide Bridge and Ashton-under-Lyne are a couple of miles away from each other so you could walk it in half an hour if you're fit. However, the rail journey requires doubling back via Manchester and Stalybridge, which takes 51 minutes according to the timetable website I've just checked.

There may be others on radial lines with poor connections.

 

[xotGD]

If you consider starting and finishing at street level then quite a number of London Underground pairs would count. Especially if you don't walk on the escalators.

 

[brad465]

It's over half a mile and quite tedious. I did it once.

Along Copers Cope Road is a tedious 0.7miles/13min according to Googlemaps (down side to down side) so you couldn't have beaten a train!

I think it's one that used to have a once a day service. A few years ago, after there were no service trains, I was at Lower Sydenham, wanting to go to Elmers End but due to disruption the massively delayed next train was to Beckenham Junction. I got it just for the sake of it.

Oh right, jogging it might be a bit more competitive but that's not the subject means of travel here. My understanding is there used to be a CHX-Beckenham Jct service just after the morning rush hour as the Parlimentary train, nowadays that job is done by running a late service(s) towards Tonbridge via that route instead of via Chislehurst as normal. Sunday engineering work has also seen Hastings' services diverted that way.

If you consider starting and finishing at street level then quite a number of London Underground pairs would count. Especially if you don't walk on the escalators.

Geoff Marshall has done a few racing the tube videos on foot for that purpose, including a few Circle line pairs on the city side of the circle.

 

[trainmania100]

Coulsdon town to coulsdon south I would say, I haven't done it myself but probably is quicker, the tattenham corner services aren't that frequent ...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oh right, jogging it might be a bit more competitive but that's not the subject means of travel here.

I've certainly run from Morecambe to Lancaster to arrive prior to the next timetabled train (there are, or were at the time, a couple of longer gaps where the unit goes off to Heysham and back), but that wasn't really the intention of the thread as there'll be a load of such examples on less frequent routes. More interesting are routes where this would be the case as a matter of course, rather than just inconveniently having showed up in time to see the tail lights receding.

 

[Horizon22]

How about New Beckenham to Beckenham Jct, which doesn't have a direct service despite having a spur connecting them on a through line, but even if it did is quite a short walk anyway?

No timetabled one anyway but in disruption it can happen.

Not sure if we're included things like Waterloo and Waterloo East? Because if so it requires changes at about 3 different stations. Also Penge East / Penge West, Queenstown Road / Battersea Park and as already mentioned, Catford & Catford Bridge. All on different lines though

 

[flitwickbeds]

Hertford North to Hertford East

Helensburgh Central to Helensburgh Upper

Blackpool North to Blackpool South

Barton upon Humber to Hessle

Yeovil Junction to Yeovil Pen Mill

 

[brad465]

Yeovil Junction to Yeovil Pen Mill

There is a direct service between these two (introduced a few years ago), albeit only a handful of times a day, and given the length of the spur the train when it runs must be quicker.

 

[John Griffiths]

Windsor and Eton Riverside to Windsor and Eton Central. But which rail route is quickest - via Staines, Reading and Slough or via Waterloo and Paddington?

 

[yorkie]

Radyr to Coryton is the one I usually post when this crops up, having walked it myself!

 

[brad465]

Depending on walking speed, Dunton Green to Bat & Ball maybe a good shout, but only in that direction on the current timetable, where the train is 31 min, which a brisk walker might be able to compete over the 2 mile distance (for the record the return journey is 17 min due to a better connection at Sevenoaks).

 

[satisnek]

Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town is borderline. For some reason (or maybe it's just me!) the branch train doesn't connect with arrivals from the south, typically departing a minute beforehand. So if you add up the 9 minutes spent waiting, the duration of the journey itself and then the time it takes to walk to the High Street, that's around a quarter of an hour, which is roughly the walking time to the same point. Back in the days when the service ran at 15 minute intervals and you just missed it, it was certainly quicker to walk

 

[alangla]

There’s loads around Glasgow, whether you’d be making legit journeys between them is a different matter. As a quick list & depending on train times in some cases:
Coatbridge Sunnyside to Central or Whifflet
Charing Cross to Anderston
Queen Street to Argyle Street
Jordanhill to Anniesland (I think!)
Clydebank Central to Singer
Cambuslang to Kirkhill
Clarkston to Williamwood
Pollokshaws West to East or Shawlands
Pollokshields West to East
Crossmyloof to Maxwell Park
There’s probably plenty of others.

 

[adrock1976]

There’s loads around Glasgow, whether you’d be making legit journeys between them is a different matter. As a quick list & depending on train times in some cases:
Coatbridge Sunnyside to Central or Whifflet
Charing Cross to Anderston
Queen Street to Argyle Street
Jordanhill to Anniesland (I think!)
Clydebank Central to Singer
Cambuslang to Kirkhill
Clarkston to Williamwood
Pollokshaws West to East or Shawlands
Pollokshields West to East
Crossmyloof to Maxwell Park
There’s probably plenty of others.

I would also add Springburn to either Ashfield or Bishopbriggs, as there are no direct trains between them therefore would involve going via Glasgow Queen Street.

Also Maryhill to Westerton too, especially when the Maryhill Park line trains are cancelled or reduced in frequency and Coatbridge Central to Gartcosh as no passenger trains normally use the left hand side of the triangle at Gartsherrie Yard.

 

[Metal_gee_man]

Wrexham General to Wrexham Central 3 minutes by train only 3 times a day, so I guess walking would be much quicker

 

[Springs Branch]

The classic in the north-west is New Mills Central & New Mills Newtown, where rail geography means you need to travel via Manchester Piccadilly, versus a 15 min walk.

Hyde North & Flowery Field is another example: Well under 10 mins to walk via a residential street and footpath, versus typically 22 to 42 mins by train via Guide Bridge.

Looking at other likely candidates in the north-west, where two stations in the same locality are across the "Y" of a junction, I was surprised how many can have relatively quick train journeys (with a bit of planning) despite not being arranged as connections.

Even the unpromising combination of Giggleswick to Settle can be done in 17 mins via Long Preston (but only once per day), compared to 22 mins on foot.
Not so lucky on the reverse trip however. Settle to Giggleswick takes between 2½ and 4¼ hours by train.

Others like:
- Rose Hill to Marple,
- Euxton B.L. to Buckshaw Parkway
- Burnley Barracks to Burnley Manchester Rd
- Westhoughton to Daisy Hill
can be quicker, or comparable in time, by train despite needing to change.

 

[John Hunt]

Acton Main Line (first stop out of Paddington) to Acton Central (North London Line) is quicker by bus or walking. If you know the area and cut through the back streets, walking is as quick as the bus. Many years ago, I lived and worked in that area and remember the Wall's ice cream factory over the road from Acton Main Line.
Dread to think how long it would take by rail.

 

[plugwash]

Guide Bridge and Ashton-under-Lyne are a couple of miles away from each other so you could walk it in half an hour if you're fit. However, the rail journey requires doubling back via Manchester and Stalybridge, which takes 51 minutes according to the timetable website I've just checked.

IIRC In the non-covid timetable it's possible to do it with one change at stalybridge, but only once per week in each direction.

The problem is IIRC the only passenger trains that use the staylybridge to guide bridge line are the TPE expresses (which don't stop at guide bridge) and the reddish south parliamentary (which only runs once a week in normal times and I believe is suspended at the moment as part of covid service reductions)