Direct services with low passenger numbers

[wilbers]

Can’t imagine many people choose to spend 5 hours on a 156 between Whitby and Carlisle.

There has been at least one this year.

Remarkably cheap ticket.

Join me on a journey between Whitley on Englands Eastern coast to Carlisle on the West Coast Mainline. Taking in 3 stunning lines, the seat Valley Line, the Durham Coast Line and the Tyne Valley line is this Northerns longest direct route. With stunning scenery along the way this is a fabulous trip to make.

 

[D1537]

I wonder how much traffic there is on a flow like Lea Green to Chester-le-Street - and that's an hourly service.

 

[Class15]

Can’t imagine many people use the DC/Lioness line all the way from Euston to Watford, but it probably doesn’t qualify as there are lots of people use other trains between those two stations.

Wonder how many people go from Wilmslow to Tenby?

 

[DanNCL]

I wonder how much traffic there is on a flow like Lea Green to Chester-le-Street - and that's an hourly service.

I strongly suspect similar is the case for every station west of Leeds with a direct service from Chester-le-Street. Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows in particular must be low, probably the odd one when there’s a big cricket match on in Chester-le-Street but that’ll be it.

East Linton and Reston to Chester-le-Street on the once daily one way only service could possibly be zero with them being fairly new stations. Likewise East Linton and Reston to Newton-le-Willows and Lea Green on the same service!

 

[warwickshire]

Helsby to either Ince, Stanlow and Thornton or Ellesmere Port.

 

[Spartacus]

Carlisle - Nottingham on a 158 must be one.

For a while there was a sole Northern Leeds - Halifax service via Dewsbury, but there was no direct ticket available! The only one you could get was via Leeds! There's no longer this train but when there's rail replacement the Northern one is usually Halifax to Leeds & vice versa, despite the lack of a train.

 

[A S Leib]

Can’t imagine many people use the DC/Lioness line all the way from Euston to Watford,

There probably are some tourists who know that the Leavesden studio bus leaves from Watford Junction rather than Watford (Met), but not enough to know that the LNR services exist (especially before getting to Euston) and are considerably faster. I suspect Watford High Street to Euston by Overground's more common; even if changing at Watford Junction or Bushey's quicker, there's a better chance of a seat that way.

 

[Falcon1200]

I need will take a look at the data, but there must be a lot where a direct service exists but it is quicker to walk.

A good point; The same would apply to Cathcart Circle services, for example between Pollokshields East and West.

 

[The exile]

Can’t imagine many people use the DC/Lioness line all the way from Euston to Watford, but it probably doesn’t qualify as there are lots of people use other trains between those two stations.

Wonder how many people go from Wilmslow to Tenby?

With Tenby being a resort at least there is a reason to do so that might have general appeal.

 

[xotGD]

I strongly suspect similar is the case for every station west of Leeds with a direct service from Chester-le-Street. Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows in particular must be low, probably the odd one when there’s a big cricket match on in Chester-le-Street but that’ll be it.

East Linton and Reston to Chester-le-Street on the once daily one way only service could possibly be zero with them being fairly new stations. Likewise East Linton and Reston to Newton-le-Willows and Lea Green on the same service!

Someone travelling from Chester-le-Street to Chester or beyond may change at Lea Green or Newton-le-Willows.

 

[A S Leib]

I strongly suspect similar is the case for every station west of Leeds with a direct service from Chester-le-Street. Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows in particular must be low, probably the odd one when there’s a big cricket match on in Chester-le-Street but that’ll be it.

Chester-le-Street's probably better for Beamish than Newcastle if coming from places with a direct service, but I suspect the vast majority of visitors go by car.

 

[dk1]

Chester-le-Street's probably better for Beamish than Newcastle if coming from places with a direct service, but I suspect the vast majority of visitors go by car.

I’ve always caught the train to Durham then bus.

Only been to Chester-Le-Street once and that was to tick the Spoon. Good to see the train service improvement.

 

[Acfb]

I suggested Dove Holes to Middlewood before as there is only a few direct services a day but I suspect a journey like South Gyle to Edinburgh Gateway would have practically no passengers. Both stations have just over 200K journeys a year but mainly serve different ends of the Gyle Shopping centre/Edinburgh Park area and there's very few services that stop at both stations.

 

[cjw714]

The once a day Exmouth to Cardiff must have quite a few of these anomalies. It stops everywhere on the Avocet Line and I can't see there being much demand from any of these stations to anywhere north of Exeter, especially given the services runs quite late in the evening.

Less of a cheat are the regular Penzance to Cardiff services as again I can't see there being much demand from deepest Cornwall for the likes of Patchway or Severn Tunnel Junction.

 

[xotGD]

There must be plenty of adjacent station pairs in urban areas where the only people getting on at one and baling at the next are cranks scratching units/stations.

 

[dk1]

There must be plenty of adjacent station pairs in urban areas where the only people getting on at one and baling at the next are cranks scratching units/stations.

We get a few Berney to Buckenham on Sundays.

 

[D1537]

I wonder how many people actually use heavy rail from Edinburgh to Haymarket? The tram is cheaper and more frequent, and you can't even buy e-tickets for the journey (it's restricted to paper ones to cut out short-faring).

 

[cjw714]

There must be plenty of adjacent station pairs in urban areas where the only people getting on at one and baling at the next are cranks scratching units/stations.

Not urban but Exton and Lympstone Commando are about 650 metres apart and serve very different clienteles.

 

[A S Leib]

I wonder how many people actually use heavy rail from Edinburgh to Haymarket? The tram is cheaper and more frequent, and you can't even buy e-tickets for the journey (it's restricted to paper ones to cut out short-faring).

Having an advance ticket via Berwick to / from Waverley and wanting the flexibility of Waverley or Haymarket would explain buying a Waverley to Haymarket ticket even if that's not the entire journey. Waverley's the fourth most common destination from Haymarket, with 56,000 passengers per year, after Glasgow Queen Street and Central and Livingston North.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I suspect a journey like South Gyle to Edinburgh Gateway would have practically no passengers. Both stations have just over 200K journeys a year but mainly serve different ends of the Gyle Shopping centre/Edinburgh Park area and there's very few services that stop at both stations.

28 Northbound services calling at both stations today (Sunday), another 39 each weekday starting tomorrow (Monday) and 37 on Saturday. Not exactly "very few". Similar numbers if travelling in the opposite direction.

 

[Acfb]

28 Northbound services calling at both stations today (Sunday), another 39 each weekday starting tomorrow (Monday) and 37 on Saturday. Not exactly "very few". Similar numbers if travelling in the opposite direction.

I wasn't sure how many stopped at both stations. I've never had any reason to use South Gyle but I've used Edinburgh Gateway a few times to travel to Perth/stations in Fife.

 

[Iskra]

Doubt many people will travel the full length on the one 7am train a day from Gloucester to Stansted Airport - as well between Ashchurch for Tewkesbury or Worcestershire Parkway and Coleshill Parkway, Stamford, March or Ely

I suspect that probably happens more than you think, if someone needs a cheap low cost flight to an obscure place, then Stansted is probably the place to catch it from...

 

[DanNCL]

Someone travelling from Chester-le-Street to Chester or beyond may change at Lea Green or Newton-le-Willows.

Newton-le-Willows yes, Lea Green no. But the number of people making such journeys will be very low, its almost entirely local demand to/from Chester-le-Street.

 

[rocrat]

1R80 Eccles Road or Harling Road to Liverpool Lime Street (any stations beyond Peterborough really...) would probably be good contenders!

 

[xotGD]

Newton-le-Willows yes, Lea Green no. But the number of people making such journeys will be very low, its almost entirely local demand to/from Chester-le-Street.

Sorry, yes.

I've just checked on Fastjp, and changing at Newton-le-Willows is the suggested routing.

 

[dk1]

1R80 Eccles Road or Harling Road to Liverpool Lime Street (any stations beyond Peterborough really...) would probably be good contenders!

Back in the day that service used to round Ely West Curve. It allowed it to depart around XX:57 like most other Thetford & Ely only services. Might help again now as it’s a dreadfully poor runner punctuality wise.

 

[LowLevel]

1R80 Eccles Road or Harling Road to Liverpool Lime Street (any stations beyond Peterborough really...) would probably be good contenders!

Any stations beyond Thetford really! They're used by a handful of local passengers either from Norwich or local trips in the area bounded by Attleborough and Thetford and that's about it.

 

[dk1]

Any stations beyond Thetford really! They're used by a handful of local passengers either from Norwich or local trips in the area bounded by Attleborough and Thetford and that's about it.

But it’s all about historical franchise agreements. These must be obeyed regardless of how obscure or irrelevant they are.

 

[rocrat]

Back in the day that service used to round Ely West Curve. It allowed it to depart around XX:57 like most other Thetford & Ely only services. Might help again now as it’s a dreadfully poor runner punctuality wise

I'd be really quite happy if there were more services that bypassed Ely, even if it's my favourite station! Anything else improve capacity would be great and would hopefully mean during Ely disruption, the EMR services would be more likely to still run...

If LNER reintroduced the Thetford to London via Peterborough open return tickets, it wouldn't disadvantage London-bound EMR passengers either!

 

[The exile]

I wonder how many people actually use heavy rail from Edinburgh to Haymarket? The tram is cheaper and more frequent, and you can't even buy e-tickets for the journey (it's restricted to paper ones to cut out short-faring).

Anyone coming to Haymarket from the south on a train that doesn’t run through?