causton
Established Member
When the St Albans Abbey line is shut buses usually extend to St Albans City. It's faster than the walk, or the usual train route via London
When the St Albans Abbey line is shut buses usually extend to St Albans City. It's faster than the walk, or the usual train route via London
Ok so there's thread on the most ridiculous through trains, and I thought I wonder how many rail replacement routes or diversions that are quicker than the normal routes, but only run now and again as it only runs because of engineering work.
A couple I can think of:
Rail Replacement bus from Newbury Park to Ingatestone/Wickford. There's no direct rail service and by train would normally involve taking the Central to Stratford then GA up to Ingatestone/Wickford.
I have never seen the timetable but it wouldn't surprise me if the Slough to Windsor and Eton Central was quicker by rail replacement bus.
It's the opposite, not only is the rail service quick and direct, but due to the convoluted nature of the road network it's a very long way round by bus to get over the Thames bridge and would take far longer. In fact, the non-competitiveness of the regular bus service is a significant part of how this rail service remains. It must be one of the busiest short shuttles in the country, sometimes 3-car units with standing passengers.I have never seen the timetable but it wouldn't surprise me if the Slough to Windsor and Eton Central was quicker by rail replacement bus.
Ingatestone to Newbury Park is quicker by coach if the A12 is OK. Just 30 minutes this morning. Highlights were Chocolate Easter eggs being given to passengers, and our coach driver wearing pink bunny ears! Seemed to be appreciated by most.
That's a very big if. I think passengers appreciate rail replacement as they get to travel for free because tickets aren't checked !
During blocks of the Swindon-Chippenham-Bath-Bristol TM line, diversions often run Swindon-Bristol Parkway-Bristol TM. It's appreciably faster.
Yes, I think it's 80 mins to Temple Meads with a stop at Parkway. May happen before the wires are up all the way.Is it still planned to make this a regular route for Bristol to London services once the wires are up?
The X6 bus is about 8 minutes faster between Bradford and Huddersfield than the train. This is because of the ludicrous amount of time the train waits in the platform at Halifax. Not sure whether this will improve with the new franchises or will stops at the new stations at Low Moor and Elland simply take up the slack?
When (as today) the Catford Loop is closed there is a connecting bus twice an hour from Beckenham Jn to Ravensbourne, taking 2-3 minutes. Normally that journey involves a change at Shortlands and takes 19 minutes (not that anybody would do it under normal circumstances).
If the Liverpool - Norwich gets diverted via Chat Moss at short notice it won't (usually) call anywhere, however if its diverted for engineering works, then Newton-le-Willows is used as a railhead for buses to Warrington Central and thence onto Widnes.Sheffield to Liverpool on EMT was was a journey I did quite regularly. Once the station at Warrington Central was closed due to a security incident, and the train diverted via Chat Moss. It still stopped at least at St.Helens Junction I believe, but it felt quite a bit quicker. I don't know if it is supposed to be but I often found the normal route often seemed to crawl behind a stopping service all the way.