Are there any true non-stop expresses left in the UK?

[Mogz]

Even the Flying Scotsman in its current incarnation stops at Newcastle.

I remember 10 years ago even the 0700 Liverpool-Euston service which was advertised as non-stop from Liverpool used to stop to pick up in Runcorn.

Are there any true non-stop expresses left on the UK railway today?

 

[DarloRich]

i say: no, not in the style of them olden days. There may be more long distance non stop running say Crewe > Euston/York > Kings Cross than in the olden days.

 

[JonathanH]

What is a 'true non-stop express'? A train which runs non stop from its origin to its destination on a major route?

I'd argue that quite a few of the trains on Intercity routes are non-stop expresses to their first stop.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you mean very long non-stop runs, the need for crews to have a rest and/or use the toilet would preclude them. Steam was rather different in both regards.

 

[Jurg]

Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town

 

[6Gman]

Even the Flying Scotsman in its current incarnation stops at Newcastle.

I remember 10 years ago even the 0700 Liverpool-Euston service which was advertised as non-stop from Liverpool used to stop to pick up in Runcorn.

Are there any true non-stop expresses left on the UK railway today?

No, because the market has changed.

 

[O L Leigh]

If you mean very long non-stop runs, the need for crews to have a rest and/or use the toilet would preclude them.

Depends on the relevant TOC's conditions. I believe my employer permits 3.5 hours non-stop driving (that's driving without stopping as opposed to time in charge of the train without relief or a break, which is 4.5 hours).

There's a lot of pressure on TOCs from local authorities and community groups to stop and serve their areas, together with more and more stations popping up in new locations requiring service. I doubt we'll ever see long-distance expresses ever again.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There's a lot of pressure on TOCs from local authorities and community groups to stop and serve their areas, together with more and more stations popping up in new locations requiring service. I doubt we'll ever see long-distance expresses ever again.

And also because a standard Takt is easier to plan, simpler to understand and provides far better connectivity.

 

[DarloRich]

If you mean very long non-stop runs, the need for crews to have a rest and/or use the toilet would preclude them. Steam was rather different in both regards.

*Cough* Tender Corridor *Cough*

 

[Bletchleyite]

*Cough* Tender Corridor *Cough*

I've heard of coach drivers changing over on the move in recent years, but I doubt you'd get that on a Pendolino

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

If none of the request stops had to made there could be some long non-stop runs in Wales, but after a while the train would have to go slowly to avoid being too early

 

[DarloRich]

I've heard of coach drivers changing over on the move in recent years, but I doubt you'd get that on a Pendolino

Just set it on autopilot

 

[Mojo]

Pre-Covid Timetables didn't West Coast have a non stop service from both Birmingham and Manchester (or was it Stockport?) to London in the morning.

 

[Starmill]

There are some additional services on 23rd December from London Euston to either Preston or Glasgow Central which run non-stop to Wigan North Western.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are some additional services on 23rd December from London Euston to either Preston or Glasgow Central which run non-stop to Wigan North Western.

In the past the Royal Scot used to call at Preston only, I think. Did one ever run non-stop from Glasgow to London?

 

[Trackman]

Pre-Covid Timetables didn't West Coast have a non stop service from both Birmingham and Manchester (or was it Stockport?) to London in the morning.

There was pre-covid a Piccadilly-Euston non-stop

 

[jfollows]

I think you'll find that there was a Stockport-Euston non-stop, which ran both pre-Covid and after the resumption of more regular services this year, although it no longer runs and won't do so again for a while.
There was no Piccadilly-Euston non-stop ever, that I can remember. (OK, not since 1977, which is probably the extent of my memory, except on special occasions of course)
The Runcorn-Euston non-stop ran today (https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y30562/2020-12-17/detailed) and may continue to do so.

 

[johntea]

Wasn't there at one point in the timetable an East Coast service that ran from Leeds to London Kings Cross with just a stop in Wakefield Westgate?

 

[whoosh]

Wasn't there at one point in the timetable an East Coast service that ran from Leeds to London Kings Cross with just a stop in Wakefield Westgate?

Yes, and in the other direction (which I caught by mistake on a Sunday evening once, with no way of getting back to my intended station!).

 

[Western Lord]

The last really long distance non stop express in the UK was the Elizabethan from Kings Cross to Edinburgh, with crews changing over half way via the corridor tender. This ended in 1962 when the Deltics took over. With modern multiple unit trains, I see no practical reason why a similar non stop run couldn't happen with a crew change on the move half way but no doubt all sorts of modern regulations would prevent it.
Population density in the UK works against such non stop runs and the development of places like Peterborough, Reading, Swindon, Milton Keynes etc. means that they are usually too important to miss.
This is the opposite of what has happened in aviation, when long distance routes to Australia and the far east used to be multi stop affairs but now we have a non stop flight to Australia and the industry would like to eliminate as many en-route stops as possible. On these very long haul services, of course, crews change over "on the move"!

 

[Clip]

Does the Cambridge cruiser still run in these times non stop?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does the Cambridge cruiser still run in these times non stop?

Yep:

Realtime Trains - 1454 Ely to London Kings Cross

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Clip]

Cool. Do I win a prize for that then?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Cool. Do I win a prize for that then?

I dunno, it's only a 50 minute run, I'd imagine you will find others around the South East, where practice is almost universally to operate services like "fast to X then all stations to Y" because the game is maximising capacity/speed to London rather than connectivity?

If you mean planned train services which only call at two stations, the origin and terminus, you can chuck in short ones like Crewe-Chester or even the Stourbridge Shuttle

 

[Mollman]

In the past the Royal Scot used to call at Preston only, I think. Did one ever run non-stop from Glasgow to London?

The 90s Royal Scot was Preston, Oxenholme & Carlisle. More recently Virgin had the 16:30 off Euston which I think was Preston and Carlisle only.

 

[sprinterguy]

Pre-Covid Timetables didn't West Coast have a non stop service from both Birmingham and Manchester (or was it Stockport?) to London in the morning.

Yes, the 07:30 Birmingham New Street - London Euston used to be non-stop. Was my regular commute at one point a few years ago. Often caught out the odd passenger wanting Coventry.

 

[Clip]

I dunno, it's only a 50 minute run, I'd imagine you will find others around the South East, where practice is almost universally to operate services like "fast to X then all stations to Y" because the game is maximising capacity/speed to London rather than connectivity?

If you mean planned train services which only call at two stations, the origin and terminus, you can chuck in short ones like Crewe-Chester or even the Stourbridge Shuttle

Does time denote what is or isn't an express?

Non stop between start and finish is what should be the only criteria I reckon

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does time denote what is or isn't an express?

Non stop between start and finish is what should be the only criteria I reckon

In which case all aboard the Stourbridge Shuttle Express!

 

[SynthD]

There’s stopping expresses to Cardiff, subsidised by the Wales government.
Euston to Warrington?

You could reword the question as what’s the furthest first stop from each capital city major termini.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I was on a TGV once which was non-stop Paris-St Raphael (by-passing Marseille), a distance of about 900km (560 miles).
From memory that was 6 hours (the LGV finished at Valence in those days - late 90s).
Coming back the run was spoilt by an SNCF signaller's lunchtime strike so we had an hour stopped at Toulon.
These days the Nice TGVs call at Toulon anyway which reduces the non-stop runs to 5 hours.
They must be double crewed I expect.