[trivia] Longest difference in travel times between two stas by car/train

[infobleep]

What is the biggest difference in travel time between two stations by train vers going by car.

So where train is much faster than car between two places and where is the car much faster than the train?

For example Haywards Heath to East Grinstead takes 1 hour 22 minutes by train but 22 minutes by car according to Google.

Conversely Guildford to Dorking Deepdene is 16 minutes by train but 31 minutes by car according to Google.

 

[moogal]

Do the stations have to be on the same line? I'd imagine you'd get quite a big difference for stations where the route between them involved (say) heading into London and back out again!

 

[SS4]

Birmingham Snow Hill to Birmingham Moor Street is 1 minute by train and 8 minutes by car

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Can I be the point to point out the classic Kyle of Lochalsh to Mallaig?

 

[northwichcat]

Haven't we done this before?

 

[Holly]

London to Vladivostok
About two weeks by train, at least a year by car.

 

[Mag_seven]

Haven't we done this before?

Yes:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2119912

 

[Liam]

Largs-Wemyss Bay. 15 minutes by car, 1h30-2h by train.

Merthyr Tydfil-Rhymney. 13 minutes by car, 2h20+ by train.

 

[soil]

This should be limited strictly to direct trains. Otherwise it's just silly.

 

[sk688]

Stratford to Kings Cross - 7 min by Train , 45 min By car

Harrow To Euston - 12 min by Train , 40 by Car

St Pancras to Ebbsfleet - 15 min by Train , 1h by Car

 

[infobleep]

Do the stations have to be on the same line? I'd imagine you'd get quite a big difference for stations where the route between them involved (say) heading into London and back out again!

No they don't have to be on the same line, as motorists don't use just one road.

 

[alastair]

Barmouth to Morfa Mawddach 4 mins by train, 26 mins by car

 

[infobleep]

Haven't we done this before?

If so didn't come across it.

 

[infobleep]

Yes:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2119912

But I'm also asking about short journey by train and long journey by car.

 

[infobleep]

This should be limited strictly to direct trains. Otherwise it's just silly.

I quiet like silly but then I enjoy Monty Python and that was full of irrelevance at times.

 

[soil]

Newark Castle to Sileby 64 minutes by train, 30 minutes by car.

 

[gg1]

On the assumption travel on preserved railways isn't allowed:
Minfford to Blaenau Ffestiniog - 22 minutes by road, 7 hours 35 minutes by rail

 

[tsr]

What is the biggest difference in travel time between two stations by train vers going by car.

So where train is much faster than car between two places and where is the car much faster than the train?

For example Haywards Heath to East Grinstead takes 1 hour 22 minutes by train but 22 minutes by car according to Google.

Conversely Guildford to Dorking Deepdene is 16 minutes by train but 31 minutes by car according to Google.

There are loads of examples in Surrey and Sussex where the (timetabled!) train times will always beat the car, so long as you're vaguely near the station. Others in that area include Redhill-Tonbridge (as low as 20 minutes on the train, but likely to be at least double that by car, and much longer with replacement buses like there are today). We discussed Horley-Gatwick on another thread very recently, and you could also have journeys like Redhill-East Croydon.

On the other hand, journeys to or from the East Grinstead and Uckfield lines to stations on the surrounding rail routes can be exceptionally long - another example, like your Haywards Heath one, is Three Bridges-East Grinstead.

 

[richw]

Redruth to Tiverton parkway is typically just under 3 hours by train, but driveable in 90 mins.

 

[soil]

Redruth to Tiverton parkway is typically just under 3 hours by train, but driveable in 90 mins.

It's 113 miles. Not possible in 90 minutes unless breaking the speed limit by quite some margin.

 

[3141]

Train journeys under the Thames in East London will mostly be quicker than going between the same stations by car.

 

[infobleep]

On the assumption travel on preserved railways isn't allowed:
Minfford to Blaenau Ffestiniog - 22 minutes by road, 7 hours 35 minutes by rail

U actually long for the day when the Bluebell Railway is able to run to Haywards Heath and I can get a train to East Grinstead and go shopping.

 

[sk688]

Tbh , most Tube services in Central London will be quicker by Tube rather than the car

 

[richw]

It's 113 miles. Not possible in 90 minutes unless breaking the speed limit by quite some margin.

96.7 mins at 70mph. It's almost all dual carriageway. 84.75 mins at 80mph. Let's face it many drive at 80mph and it's hardly speeding by a great margin. Devon and cornwall speed partnership only issue penalties for over limit plus 10%. At 10% over the limit (77mph) it will take 88 minutes.

 

[kieron]

Can I be the point to point out the classic Kyle of Lochalsh to Mallaig?

Even the Mallaig-Fort William section (which you'll need either way, as neither cars nor trains cope well with the Sound of Sleat) is quicker by car according to a route planner, at 59 minutes as opposed to 83 by DMU.

And I know the original post specified using a car, but I notice that there was a rail replacement bus at 9am yesterday from Taynuilt to Tulloch to make up for the sleeper being diverted to Oban. This was scheduled to take 85 minutes to get to Fort William, as opposed to the 136 minutes it would take using the 9:20am train and changing at Crianlarich.

 

[soil]

96.7 mins at 70mph. It's almost all dual carriageway. 84.75 mins at 80mph. Let's face it many drive at 80mph and it's hardly speeding by a great margin. Devon and cornwall speed partnership only issue penalties for over limit plus 10%. At 10% over the limit (77mph) it will take 88 minutes.

Well it's 6 minutes onto the dual carriageway, and 2 minutes off at the other end. Plus 110 miles @ 77mph = 1 hr 34 minutes total. Plus in reality if you set your cruise control to 77mph (which might be an indicated 80mph), you are going to average less than that due to traffic, lane hoggers, etc.

 

[richw]

Well it's 6 minutes onto the dual carriageway, and 2 minutes off at the other end. Plus 110 miles @ 77mph = 1 hr 34 minutes total. Plus in reality if you set your cruise control to 77mph (which might be an indicated 80mph), you are going to average less than that due to traffic, lane hoggers, etc.

From where I lived it was under 1 minute on to the dual carriageway. I used to live at the top of Close Hill. 50 metres or so from Avers roundabout.

If I was taking the train I would have walked to Redruth station, which was around a 20 minute walk to add to the train journey time.

I had driven to Tiverton parkway on a couple of occasions due to needing The 0602 from Tiverton for an early arrival into London. I hate driving into London so Tiverton was always the good place to leave the car. At 4am I didn't have traffic to worry about and may well have slipped over limits.

 

[Liam]

What's the quickest time by train between Ash Vale and North Camp or Farnborough North to either Frimley of Farnborough main?

 

[robbeech]

I'm guessing Edenbridge to Edenbridge Town isn't acceptable as I don't think there are any fares for it.

 

[joncombe]

Barton-upon-Humber to Hessle. 12 minutes by car, around 3 hours by train.