Trivia: rail replacement services providing direct services that otherwise couldn't be done by rail

[heart-of-wessex]

Is this quite common in some areas I wonder?

I noticed on my running board for the 6th March, as I'm doing Andover - Woking rail, that my schedule is Whitchurch, Overton, Basingstoke, Guildford and Woking. The '159' service that I'm covering wouldn't normally do Guildford, and there isn't a direct train service normally between Basingstoke and Guildford.

I also happened to Notice on Realtimetrains today that Southampton- New Milton are doing Brockenhurst, Lymington Town, Lymington Pier and New Milton. You wouldn't be able to get a direct service from Southampton to Lymington on the train, nor would you be able to do Lymington to New Milton direct.

I'll be interested to see what other examples there are if you know of any please do share!

Note I am on about direct rail replacement services between two points which by train you would need to change trains at least once

 

[Mag_seven]

Swindon to Pewsey. When the line through Pewsey is closed Pewsey is served via a non stop bus from Swindon. Traveling from Swindon to Pewsey by train involves a change at Reading.

 

[A0wen]

Bus replacements between Northampton and Wellingborough, usually when there is disruption on one of the lines.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Last week’s Brighton work saw a direct replacement between Seaford and Uckfield.

GWR have run services between Slough and Hillingdon.

Willesden Junction and North Acton are often linked by replacement buses if engineering work is taking place on the respective parts of the Central and Bakerloo lines.

Stonebridge Park is often the starting point for Jubilee Line replacements heading to Stanmore.

If the Uxbridge branch of the Met Line is closed the replacement buses will call at West Ruislip for Central and Chiltern Line services.

 

[richw]

When the Newquay branch line gets rail replacement it’s normally operated from St Austell as opposed to Par.

 

[The Planner]

Rugby - Kettering
MK - Bedford
Wilmslow - Macclesfield
MK - Stanmore

 

[yorksrob]

Appleby - Penrith while the North part of the S&C was closed.

 

[pemma]

I think RRB shuttles have run between Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Central before.

 

[Peter0124]

Newton to Uddingston/Bellshill/Shotts was possible on a RRB

 

[NSE]

East Grinstead line RRB’s frequently go to Purley

 

[swt_passenger]

I’ve seen an SWT Alton to Winchester RRB in the fairly recent past.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Hillingdon - Various Chiltern stations
Beaconsfield/High Wycombe - Amersham
Aylesbury Vale Parkway - Bicester North/Village

 

[Alex365Dash]

Last week’s Brighton work saw a direct replacement between Seaford and Uckfield.

During the Horley blockade on the 5th/6th February, Southern ran rail replacement buses between Three Bridges and East Grinstead. To get between these normally, you'd have to change at East Croydon (or you'd be better off getting a local Metrobus service).

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Swindon to Pewsey. When the line through Pewsey is closed Pewsey is served via a non stop bus from Swindon. Traveling from Swindon to Pewsey by train involves a change at Reading.

GWR have done RRBs from Swindon to Charlbury/Kingham on occasion, too.

 

[Bletchleyite]

When the S&C was closed due to a landslip a while back, some of the stations were connected by RRB to Penrith, as the road layout doesn't suit an end to end service. This was probably, for many, more use than the railway.

 

[Class 170101]

Newbury Park to one of Shenfield / Ingatestone / Chelmsford / Witham / Marks Tey / Colchester
Billericay or Wickford to one of Chelmsford / Witham / Marks Tey / Colchester.
Ipswich to Stansted Airport
Newmarket to Cambridge North as buses to Cambridge is so difficult now

GWR have run services between Slough and Hillingdon.

Chiltern have also used Hillingdon as well.

 

[richw]

When the Looe branch line is replaced by bus, the buses serve the actual villages of St keyne (wishing well) and Duloe (causeland) rather than stations some distance from the two villages. Buses can’t get to actual stations.

 

[BJames]

Bush Hill Park to Cheshunt (on a Seven Sisters-Cheshunt RRB). Normally requires change at Edmonton Green.

 

[Dai Corner]

Public transport blogger Roger French took the Seaford-Uckfield RRB a few days ago

A rail replacement ride round

Sunday 27th February 2022 In last Tuesday’s blog about the Brighton Main Line blockade I mentioned a rail replacement bus was providing a direct journey between Seaford and Uckfield. As that …

busandtrainuser.com

I wasn’t expecting many, if any, passengers to take the bus with me to Uckfield so was surprised to see a passenger already sitting on the bus as I came out of the station at Seaford and finding it parked up on layover.

No one else joined us and we left a couple of minutes early at 10:33, passing by the bus stop for Bishopstone also two minutes early at 10:36 and leaving Newhaven Town four minutes early at 10:41. I’m pretty sure those few minutes ahead of schedule didn’t result in any would be passengers being left behind. We made even better progress along the A26 skirting Lewes through the Cuilfail Tunnel and on to Uckfield. We passed a double decker heading south on the 10:35 Uckfield to Seaford journey which had no passengers on board.

We arrived at the bus stop for Uckfield station 14 minutes ahead of schedule at 11:09 giving plenty of time for my fellow passenger to wait for the 11:33 train to East Croydon and London.

 

[brewer85]

On London Underground, during closures of the Edgware branch of the Northern Line, rail replacement buses tend to start from Finchley Road.

 

[greyman42]

St. Neots to Bedford.

 

[JonathanH]

It is common to serve Selhurst on buses between West or East Croydon and Norwood Junction and Amberley between Norwood Junction and Crystal Palace.

On the Henley branch, Shiplake is served after Wargrave and Henley-on-Thames for obvious reasons.

 

[Kite159]

Ipswich to Stansted Airport springs to mind as one RRB I've used.

 

[JonathanH]

Ipswich to Stansted Airport springs to mind as one RRB I've used.

Yes, they used to do Chingford to Stansted Airport as well but that won't happen again.

In January, I rode Audley End to Cambridge North missing out Cambridge such that it was necessary to catch a train back into Cambridge.

 

[A Challenge]

We've had Alton to Winchester to cover for other closures, but I seem to remember Farnborough to Alton sometimes being used instead of Brookwood when the Alton line is shut

 

[Taunton]

Used to be that when the GE main line inwards from Shenfield was closed, there were multiple bus routes from stations on the Southend Victoria line down to the LTS line (Wickford to Pitsea; Billericay to Laindon, etc). Later they moved on to rail to Shenfield, then nonstop buses to Newbury Park on the Central LIne, as described above.

 

[Galvanize]

Orpington-Sevenoaks via St Mary Cray and Swanley. There may have been one for the Swanley-Rochester route available from Orpington, but it was over 10 years ago.

 

[30907]

It is common to serve Selhurst on buses between West or East Croydon and Norwood Junction and Amberley between Norwood Junction and Crystal Palace.

Anerley, I hope

Sticking in South London, when the Catford Loop is blocked the RRB runs Herne Hill-Denmark Hill (all stations) - Beckenham Hill-Beckenham Jn while "main line" replacements also run on from Herne Hill to DMK.
Ravensbourne has to be served from Beckenham Jn as well, as do Clock House onwards on the Hayes line.
Orpington to St Mary Cray has certainly been done in the past (beaten to it!).

 

[Kite159]

Lowestoft - Great Yarmouth I've seen in the past when the line between Reedham & Lowestoft has been closed. Extra trains from Yarmouth towards Norwich.

Replacement buses for when Gospel Oak - Barking call at LU stations which are not served by the trains. Finsbury Park, Seven Sisters. Not sure if it's the same with the North London Line when it's closed if the buses divert along the route (i.e. Kentish Town)

 

[mmh]

It is common to serve Selhurst on buses between West or East Croydon and Norwood Junction and Amberley between Norwood Junction and Crystal Palace.

Norwood Junction to Selhurst direct was possible a couple of times a day about 30 years ago - there were peak trains that ran through the depot.