Trivia: Journeys between stations that are quicker to walk

[bishdunster]

Dorchester South to Dorchester West.

 

[xotGD]

South Shields to North Shields (bring your own canoe!).

 

[thejuggler]

Heath High Level to Heath Low Level in Cardiff.

 

[Richard Scott]

Unless you got lucky with connection would imagine Cardiff Central to Cardiff Bay is quicker to walk. Whether it's preferable would be another question!

 

[J-P_L]

Not mainline but on the T&W metro Haymarket to Monument (by the time you’ve gone down to the platforms, waited for the train and come back up the other side).

 

[whittlesfordok]

Sanderstead to Purley Oaks but they not on the same line 10 minute walk

 

[Jamesrob637]

Levenshulme to Mauldeth Road if the connection in Piccadilly is long - walkable in 20min. Think the recommended connection time in Piccadilly is 10 minutes anyway, plus the 5min journey each way, most of which is on the same stretch of line!

How about the St Budeaux stations in my former home city? They're 10 seconds apart!

 

[Lloyds siding]

The best one in the North West is Wigan Wallgate to Wigan North Western. National Rail refuses to provide a possible journey by train, but points out that walking takes 1 minute.
Walton to Rice Lane on Merseyrail is more realistic, it takes 5 minutes to walk, but with good connections takes 10 minutes by train ( National Rail also quotes 40 minutes for the rail journey...and a fare of £25.20! This is a Lancashire Day Ranger provided by GWR! It should be £2.10 from Merseyrail).

 

[PeterC]

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.

The time from street to platform on the tube makes walking a serious option for many central London journeys. For example I would walk from Marylebone to Baker Street to catch the Circle or H&C but would take the quite short escalator down to the Bakerloo Line if I wanted the Jubilee from Baker Street.

 

[PeterC]

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.

I think the question is about station pairs with a direct service.

 

[mjmason1996]

If Lime Street to Central isn't quicker walking, Central to lime Street definitely would be!

 

[Bletchleyite]

If Lime Street to Central isn't quicker walking, Central to lime Street definitely would be!

Indeed, though in practice the choice would be "changing at Moorfields or continuing to Central and walking" from most of the Northern Line. If coming from the south that would be more pronounced, though.

Most people would continue to Central and walk. Though the connection at Moorfields isn't too bad - there is a direct route from the Northern to the Wirral Line without going up onto the concourse or using the lift, whereas when going from Lime St to Central you either have to go up top and back down or use the lift, as the Northern to Wirral Line escalator at Central is down only (which is sensible, as it eases Northern->Wirral connections for going onto the Wirral).

 

[gordonthemoron]

Newark Northgate to Castle (or vice versa)? Haymarket to St James on the T&W Metro, via Monument and change rather than via the coast which is definitely longer?

 

[rower40]

Peartree to Willington can take 4h40 by train. Google maps says 1h54 walking.
AND if you miss the 0744 departure, the next one is at 1619.

 

[Flange Squeal]

For direct services, here are a couple of examples on South Western Railway.

Barnes Bridge to Mortlake
15 min walk vs 40 min train

Earlsfield to Wandsworth Town
30 min walk vs 50 min train

That said though, these are a bit extreme as they are near the divergence/convergence of ‘loop’ services that run Waterloo to Waterloo via Hounslow or Kingston respectively. Therefore, quicker options by a passenger insisting on a train (over walk/bus/cycle) are available by travelling in the other direction and changing at Barnes or Clapham respectively.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

The Talyllyn Railway usually holds an annual Race the Train event. Not walking, but on foot. Not sure who wins but I guess some of the better runners might beat the one-hour timing of the train over about ten miles, although it is a difficult cross-country course.

Race the Train - Talyllyn Railway

www.talyllyn.co.uk

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Talyllyn Railway usually holds an annual Race the Train event. Not walking, but on foot. Not sure who wins but I guess some of the better runners might beat the one-hour timing of the train over about ten miles, although it is a difficult cross-country course.

Race the Train - Talyllyn Railway

www.talyllyn.co.uk

I do this most years (though it's off this year). It's hard to beat the train on the original 14 mile race (because long sections of the return half of the out-and-back route are narrow single track with no passing places you have to run the first half very fast to get ahead), but quite easy to beat it on the 10K version which is basically just the return "half" of the route.

It's an excellent event and well worth taking part.

 

[rg177]

Newark Northgate to Castle (or vice versa)? Haymarket to St James on the T&W Metro, via Monument and change rather than via the coast which is definitely longer?

Northgate to Castle and v/v is possible in 9 minutes on the first and last Lincoln-Nottingham services of the day. See https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W88928/2020-07-17/detailed

Haymarket to St James depends on how generous the timings are. If you're a pretty brisk walker though, walking would certainly be faster over all other than the most perfectly timed Monument connection.

 

[WymoWanderer]

Hertford North to Hertford East whilst isn't a short walk, is quite a journey by train.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I do this most years (though it's off this year). It's hard to beat the train on the original 14 mile race (because long sections of the return half of the out-and-back route are narrow single track with no passing places you have to run the first half very fast to get ahead), but quite easy to beat it on the 10K version which is basically just the return "half" of the route.

It's an excellent event and well worth taking part.

Ah, it's only 10km (about 6.2 miles) long? (I thought it was longer) In which case it would be quite possible for even a weekend jogger to beat the train, at least one-way.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ah, it's only 10km (about 6.2 miles) long? (I thought it was longer) In which case it would be quite possible for even a weekend jogger to beat the train, at least one-way.

There are several races so you can choose what suits.

14 miles (out and back)
10K (most of the "back" part of the 14 miles)
5 miles
5K

They're at different times so if you're really mad you can do more than one. The shorter ones have you bussed out or for a small extra fee you can ride the train out instead.

It's a really good and well run event.

 

[mrcheek]

St Albans Abbey to St Albans is a nice walk. Would take ages by train

The same can be said for Enfield Town to Enfield Chase

 

[mrcheek]

also Southend to Southend Victoria. Ill probably think of some more later. I actually often do these journeys, arrive at one station, take a short walk, then leave by another station on another line

Dorchester South to Dorchester West
Conway to Deganwy. Or either station to Llandudno Junction if you dont want to wait for a connecting train.

 

[Kilopylae]

Exeter St Thomas to Exeter Central is timetabled as ten minutes plus a deceptively long walk at Central, and it's only 0.8 miles on foot, so I'd fancy my chances against the train entrance-to-entrance even if you timed it so you turned up when a train was just coming

 

[urbophile]

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.

Which is why it would be a no-brainer to install a travelator between the two, which might have to cut through Wetherspoons' beer cellar but should be technically feasible.

 

[MadMac]

No longer exists, but I was told that it was possible to get off a train at Dunfermline Upper. walk to Dunfermline Lower (now Dunfermline Town) and catch the same train!

 

[Tetchytyke]

St Budeaux Ferry Road to St Budeaux Victoria Road?

(Does the direct train between the two still run?)

 

[ExpressTrain]

Apart from matchdays when there are more trains, a journey between Birmingham Moor Street to Bordesley requires a doubleback at Small Heath by train, thus making walking quicker. National Rail enquires gives a time of 26 mins, compared to walking which takes 18 mins according to google.

 

[vlad]

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.

If you're set on getting that train then it's definitely quicker to walk unless the train is due.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Probably not quicker to walk, but I was surprised that walking from Belfast Great Victoria Street to Botanic seemed to be only a few minutes slower than the train when I did it last February. If I'd got a move on when walking there might only have been a couple of minutes in it.