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Trivia - journey which requires the most changes

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mrcheek

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Barton on Humber - Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town - Lincoln Central
Lincoln Central - Nottingham
Nottingham - Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central - Cardiff Queen Street
Cardiff Queen Street - Cardiff Bay

Or Barton - Grimsby Town - Lincoln Central - Nottingham - Birmingham New Street - Smethwick Galton Bridge - Stourbridge Junction - Stourbridge Town

Barton to Cardiff Central can be done with changes at just Grimsby and Manchester Piccadilly.
 
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etr221

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Barton on Humber - Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town - Lincoln Central
Lincoln Central - Nottingham
Nottingham - Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central - Cardiff Queen Street
Cardiff Queen Street - Cardiff Bay

Or Barton - Grimsby Town - Lincoln Central - Nottingham - Birmingham New Street - Smethwick Galton Bridge - Stourbridge Junction - Stourbridge Town

Barton to Cardiff Central can be done with changes at just Grimsby and Manchester Piccadilly.
There seem - surprisingly - to be no through trains from Cardiff to northern England (Manchester or Sheffield). But Grimsby - Birmingham can be done with one change, another will get you to Cardiff C. And Grimsby to Stourbridge Jn with 2 - at Manchester and Leamington Spa
 

mrcheek

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There seem - surprisingly - to be no through trains from Cardiff to northern England (Manchester or Sheffield). But Grimsby - Birmingham can be done with one change, another will get you to Cardiff C. And Grimsby to Stourbridge Jn with 2 - at Manchester and Leamington Spa

Of course, I forgot, XC Covid timetable has removed the Cardiff-Manchester trains, and indeed the Bristol-Manchester ones
 

Alex365Dash

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I wonder if a journey starting from Aintree could produce a journey with a lot of changes, on the basis that Aintree is 2 changes away from Lime Street (Central & James Street) or 3 from Manchester Piccadilly (Central, Hunts Cross & Warrington Central.)

It's only one change to Lime Street (changing at Moorfields) or to Manchester it's 2 changes without the change at Warrington Central (there's an EMR train to Norwich from Hunts Cross/Liverpool South Parkway). If you want to try heading to Ryde St John's Road...

Aintree - Liverpool Central
Liverpool Central - Liverpool South Parkway
Liverpool South Parkway - Stockport
Stockport - Southampton Central
Southampton Central - Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour - Ryde Pier Head
Ryde Pier Head - Ryde St John's Road

There's another six change one. Did we ever actually manage to find a seven change route? (The counting in this thread is confusing!)
 

peters

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It's only one change to Lime Street (changing at Moorfields) or to Manchester it's 2 changes without the change at Warrington Central (there's an EMR train to Norwich from Hunts Cross/Liverpool South Parkway). If you want to try heading to Ryde St John's Road...

I forgot the fast trains now call at South Parkway. I was counting Hunts Cross as a change to the stopper and Warrington Central as a change to the express.
 

London Trains

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It's only one change to Lime Street (changing at Moorfields) or to Manchester it's 2 changes without the change at Warrington Central (there's an EMR train to Norwich from Hunts Cross/Liverpool South Parkway). If you want to try heading to Ryde St John's Road...

Aintree - Liverpool Central
Liverpool Central - Liverpool South Parkway
Liverpool South Parkway - Stockport
Stockport - Southampton Central
Southampton Central - Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour - Ryde Pier Head
Ryde Pier Head - Ryde St John's Road

Nope, that is only five changes as it can be done:

Aintree - Liverpool Central
Liverpool Central - Chester
Chester - Cardiff
Cardiff - Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour - Ryde Pier Head
Ryde Pier Head - Ryde St John's Road
 
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I think I have a seven? Although the fastest route is a nine.
Travel byLeavingFromToArriving
Train
11:58Wick [WCK]
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Inverness [INV]
16:16
Train
18:52Inverness [INV]
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Edinburgh [EDB]
22:28
Train
05:48Edinburgh [EDB]
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London Kings Cross [KGX]
10:40
Tube
10:50London Kings Cross [KGX]
clear.gif
London Waterloo [WAT]
11:18
Train
11:45London Waterloo [WAT]
clear.gif
Portsmouth & Southsea [PMS]
13:44
Bus
14:12Portsmouth & Southsea [PMS]
clear.gif
Southsea Hoverport [SHV]
14:20
Ferry
14:30Southsea Hoverport [SHV]
clear.gif
Ryde Hoverport [XRD]
14:40
Walk
14:45Ryde Hoverport [XRD]
clear.gif
Ryde Esplanade [RYD]
 

London Trains

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I think I have a seven? Although the fastest route is a nine.

Problem there is that the journey requires less changes if you just go to Portsmouth Harbour and use the ferry. Also Inverness to Euston can be done direct on the sleeper, so the journey would actually be:

Wick - Inverness
Inverness - Euston
Northern Line
Waterloo - Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour - Ryde Pier Head
Ryde Pier Head - Ryde Esplanade
 
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Slight abuse of the rules but the initial post specified "British Station", hence that would imply that Northern Irish Stations are fair game.

Hence, you could rack up a long series of changes from Glasgow Central > Ayr > Cairnryan > Belfast Port > Belfast Victoria Street/Central* > Any NI Destination

The shortest route between an Isle of Wight station and any NI station outside of Belfast could be as many as 9/10 changes.



*There's no obvious route between Belfast Port and the main terminals. This is potentially 2 changes?
 
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Mcr Warrior

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There seem - surprisingly - to be no through trains from Cardiff to northern England (Manchester or Sheffield).
Are there not regular through trains from Cardiff to Manchester via Hereford?
 

A Challenge

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Are there not regular through trains from Cardiff to Manchester via Hereford?
There are many, including Carmarthen to Manchester, but there are no through trains beyond Chester, and no trains from Chester to Cardiff Central I don't think.
 

AlbertBeale

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Slight abuse of the rules but the initial post specified "British Station", hence that would imply that Northern Irish Stations are fair game.

Hence, you could rack up a long series of changes from Glasgow Central > Ayr > Cairnryan > Belfast Port > Belfast Victoria Street/Central* > Any NI Destination

The shortest route between an Isle of Wight station and any NI station outside of Belfast could be as many as 9/10 changes.



*There's no obvious route between Belfast Port and the main terminals. This is potentially 2 changes?

Not so. Strictly, NI is not "British" - hence "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". NI is part of the UK, but not part of GB.
 

willgreen

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Not so. Strictly, NI is not "British" - hence "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". NI is part of the UK, but not part of GB.
Many in NI consider themselves British and it is part of the nation popularly known as 'Britain', even if it is not in Great Britain itself.
I didn't mean it to be included, though!
 
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Many in NI consider themselves British and it is part of the nation popularly known as 'Britain', even if it is not in Great Britain itself.
I didn't mean it to be included, though!
Yeah, that's the sense I meant it in. Not a political commentary or necessarily my view, just using the widest possible definition to stretch the rules a bit.
 

bussikuski179

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Of course, I forgot, XC Covid timetable has removed the Cardiff-Manchester trains, and indeed the Bristol-Manchester ones
Were there actually XC services on that route? There’s Cardiff-Nottingham and of course Manchester-South Wales via Cardiff, but that’s TfW, and I don’t think Cardiff-Nottingham trains would go via Manchester.
 

_toommm_

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Were there actually XC services on that route? There’s Cardiff-Nottingham and of course Manchester-South Wales via Cardiff, but that’s TfW, and I don’t think Cardiff-Nottingham trains would go via Manchester.

Cardiff to Manchester was once a day IIRC in each direction, via Bristol.
 

ABB125

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My suggestion is Chippenham to Redditch, changing at Swindon, Gloucester/Cheltenham, Worcester Shrub Hill/Foregate Street, Bromsgrove and Barnt Green. That's 5 changes, at certain peak times a change at Droitwich may be possible as well.
Not including changes, I reckon that's around a 2.5 hour journey, maybe 3.5 hours total?
 

30907

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My suggestion is Chippenham to Redditch, changing at Swindon, Gloucester/Cheltenham, Worcester Shrub Hill/Foregate Street, Bromsgrove and Barnt Green. That's 5 changes, at certain peak times a change at Droitwich may be possible as well.
Not including changes, I reckon that's around a 2.5 hour journey, maybe 3.5 hours total?
Would that be faster than:
Didcot, Oxford, New Street or
Temple Meads, Worcester, Bromsgrove, Barnt Green?
The fare is now routed VIA BRISTOL.
 

ABB125

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Would that be faster than:
Didcot, Oxford, New Street or
Temple Meads, Worcester, Bromsgrove, Barnt Green?
The fare is now routed VIA BRISTOL.
I don't know; via Oxford maybe, but I don't think via Bristol would be any faster since the Bristol-Worcester train is fairy slow.
 

_toommm_

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Would that have been faster than the more frequent services via the Marches?

About half an hour longer than the Marches route.
This is the schedule, with the normal Marches route that leaves half an hour later than this getting into Cardiff the same time as the XC route:

 

bussikuski179

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About half an hour longer than the Marches route.
This is the schedule, with the normal Marches route that leaves half an hour later than this getting into Cardiff the same time as the XC route:
That does then beg the question why they didn’t just go direct off of Parkway and went via Temple Meads instead. I’d guess that it was an extension of the regular Manchester to Bristol and thus they had to go via Temple Meads.
 

_toommm_

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That does then beg the question why they didn’t just go direct off of Parkway and went via Temple Meads instead. I’d guess that it was an extension of the regular Manchester to Bristol and thus they had to go via Temple Meads.

More than likely.
 

Llandudno

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There is a post under the EMR new timetable thread that indicates that three changes of train are needed to travel from Flitwick to Derby, with changes required at Bedford, Kettering and Leicester - yes, I suppose you could travel via London but that would probably cost twice as much!

Which GB mainland train journey would require the most changes of train to get from A to B via a route recommended n journey planners for which there is a fare available?

I think there are plenty of three change options requiring the use of four trains, but there must be one requiring the use of five trains somewhere?

Possibly Fazakerley to Stourbridge Town?
 

Jamesrob637

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Fazakerley to Liverpool
Liverpool to Birmingham (might require a change of station within Brum though)
Brum to Stourbridge Junction
Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town

So that's still only 4 trains and 3 changes!
 

scrapy

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Fazakerley to Liverpool
Liverpool to Birmingham (might require a change of station within Brum though)
Brum to Stourbridge Junction
Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town

So that's still only 4 trains and 3 changes!
Might be best if the OP says whether walking between stations is allowed. The Fazakerley to Birmingham leg of that trip would need 3 trains as you would need to do Fazakeley to Moorfields, Moorfields to Lime St, Lime St to Brum. alternate routes changing at combinations via Wigan or Chester would also require 3 trains.

I think this thread has been done before and the most changes required was Barton on Humber (or other stations on that line) to Cardiff Bay on the mainland
 

Llandudno

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Fazakerley to Liverpool
Liverpool to Birmingham (might require a change of station within Brum though)
Brum to Stourbridge Junction
Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town

So that's still only 4 trains and 3 changes!
No four changes, five trains, as you would need a Merseyrail train between Moorfields and Lime Street.
 

jopsuk

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not sure on the current timetable, but travelling Cambridge-Stirling it's often been the case that (for given departure times) changing at Ely, Peterborough and Edinburgh is common, sometimes adding in (or substituting for Edinburgh) a York change as well. Which is part is because the XC Stansted-Birmingham services didn't offer a good connection at Peterborough to Edinburgh services, whilst the LNER services to Stirling run London-York non stop.
 
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