• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

(TRIVIA) Most indirect through train

Status
Not open for further replies.

Old Yard Dog

Established Member
Joined
21 Aug 2011
Messages
1,466
Which is the most indirect through train that a "normal" passenger might reasonably be expected to stay on to get from A to B?

I am discounting circular services like Blackburn to Blackburn via Bolton, Manchester and Rochdale - or services via the Cumbrian coast as the WCML provides a more sensible route for non-enthusiasts.

A strong candidate has got to be Holyhead to Maesteg (257mi 52ch by rail, 189.5 miles by road)

Liverpool to Edinburgh via York (322 mi 56 ch) is also very indirect compared with 247mi 18ch via Carlisle and 221.3 mi by road. The fares reflect this - £113.90 off-peak SVR via York and £86.80 via Preston). George Hudson has a lot to answer for.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

plugwash

Established Member
Joined
29 May 2015
Messages
1,549
How are we defining most indirect? is it the overall length of the detour? or the length of the detout in proportion to the passenger's journey?

Stockport to Manchester Airport is about 7 miles by road, I don't have a track atlas handy, but I am pretty sure it's more than double that by train.
 
Last edited:

bobbyrail

Member
Joined
25 Dec 2018
Messages
101
How about Craven arms to Swansea

Most direct route is via the HoW line but that takes apx 3hrs 43 mins
Going around via Hereford it's only 2 hrs 37 mins

For the journeys i looked at the prices were exactly the same.
 

Ianno87

Veteran Member
Joined
3 May 2015
Messages
15,215
Cambridge to Birmingham is 145 miles by rail compared to 100 by road.
 

158747

Member
Joined
5 Aug 2010
Messages
330
Location
Trowbridge
Weston Super Mare to Cardiff Central, about 59 miles by rail, about 15 miles direct across the Bristol Channel.
 

mlambeuk

Member
Joined
19 Feb 2013
Messages
228
Location
York
Leeds to Manchester Victoria via the Caldervale line
Sheffield to York via the Dearne Valley.
Summer Saturdays. London to Scarborough.
 
Last edited:

alangla

Member
Joined
11 Apr 2018
Messages
1,178
Location
Glasgow
In time terms, any west of Scotland to south of Birmingham XC service- you can generally save 2 hrs going via Preston. In the days of through services to/from the South Coast you could probably save more going VT to London then Southern/SWT.
 

GlosRail

Member
Joined
18 May 2012
Messages
156
Bristol Temple Meads to Stansted? 252 miles by train via Birmingham. 160 miles by motorway and shorter as the crow flies.
 

Kite159

Veteran Member
Joined
27 Jan 2014
Messages
19,155
Location
West of Andover
A couple years ago before the timetable changed, you used to get Lincoln - Adwick/Scunthorpe services which went via Sheffield, compared to changing at Retford for Doncaster.

Maybe the saturdays Waterloo - Weymouth via Salisbury & Yeovil [compared to the 'direct' Weymouth trains]
 

John C

Member
Joined
3 Dec 2011
Messages
171
EMR Leeds to London St Pancras in particular the service that’s goes via Nottingham compared to the faster LNER Kings Cross services
 

John C

Member
Joined
3 Dec 2011
Messages
171
Leeds to Huddersfield via Halifax, since the December timetable change this direct journey is only possible on a Sunday with the exception of the weekday 05:01 off Leeds and 22:49 off Huddersfield. This is compared to the more direct route via Dewsbury.
 

John C

Member
Joined
3 Dec 2011
Messages
171
Stockport to Manchester Airport, this is a 17 mile journey by rail with a journey time of 35 minutes on TPE, by car this is only 8.5 miles circa 12 minutes and between 17-20 minutes on the X30 or 199 bus.
 

Llama

Established Member
Joined
29 Apr 2014
Messages
1,955
Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe via Manchester Airport. 75 1/4 miles, direct route via Runcorn is 35 1/4 miles.
 

Johnny Lewis

Member
Joined
9 Jan 2011
Messages
330
Location
York
From May, if travelling from Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central, there's a direct train at 16.12, arriving into Glasgow at 19.38.

If you just miss it, fear not - there's another direct train to Glasgow Central a mere 12 minutes later, at 16.24. This one arrives into Glasgow Central slightly later - at 21.54! An extra 2 hours and 4 minutes journey time, because it runs via Newcastle and Edinburgh!

This latter train must certainly be a strong contender for most indirect service.
 

alistairlees

Established Member
Joined
29 Dec 2016
Messages
3,724
There's just been a similar thread. Anyway, Exmouth to Starcross (as mentioned on the other thread) would be hard to beat - 1.52 miles as the crow flies (according to Google Maps); 19.775 miles (19 miles 62 chains) according to Railmiles. That's an 'indirectness factor' of 13.01.
 

tpjm

Member
Joined
25 Jan 2019
Messages
484
Location
The North
From May, if travelling from Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central, there's a direct train at 16.12, arriving into Glasgow at 19.38.
Not convinced about that. No path to get it back off Polmadie and there's also a class 5 to take something onto Craigentinny shortly after it arrives at EDB. Probably only fair to compare actual operating services.
 

thenorthern

Established Member
Joined
27 May 2013
Messages
4,102
As a Sunderland fan I am reminded that until 2005 it was possible to get from Stadium of Light Metro station to St James' Park Metro station although such a journey was very long and it was easier to change at Monument Metro station.

South Shields to North Shields is quite a long one on the metro and it's much easier to get the ferry.
 

MotCO

Established Member
Joined
25 Aug 2014
Messages
4,085
How about Earlsfield to Clapham Junction via Kingston & Richmond? Or is that not allowed on a Earlsfield to Clapham Junction ticket?
 

transmanche

Established Member
Joined
27 Feb 2011
Messages
6,018
Which is the most indirect through train that a "normal" passenger might reasonably be expected to stay on to get from A to B?

I am discounting [...] services via the Cumbrian coast as the WCML provides a more sensible route for non-enthusiasts.

Liverpool to Edinburgh via York (322 mi 56 ch) is also very indirect compared with 247mi 18ch via Carlisle and 221.3 mi by road.
Surely, if you discount journeys via the Cumbrian Coast, then you also have to discount Liverpool to Edinburgh via York for the same reason? It's not a "through train that a 'normal' passenger might reasonably be expected to stay on" for the entire route, especially as there are alternative direct trains via Carlisle.

(In the same vein, I would discount the old W&B London Waterloo to Manchester Piccadilly (via Salisbury, Bristol & Shrewsbury) service. It was never intended to be used as a general service for end-to-end journeys.)
 

Flying Snail

Established Member
Joined
12 Dec 2006
Messages
1,625
Surely, if you discount journeys via the Cumbrian Coast, then you also have to discount Liverpool to Edinburgh via York for the same reason? It's not a "through train that a 'normal' passenger might reasonably be expected to stay on" for the entire route, especially as there are alternative direct trains via Carlisle.

If cheap Advances are offered then it will be used, as are a number of other cheaper longer services such as WMT Liverpool-Euston vice Avanti or Waterloo-Exeter instead of Paddington.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top