Longest railway journey on a single train in the UK

[Vespa]

What would be considered the longest distance single railway journey from point A to point B without changing train ?

It would interesting to ride in such a way you can see most of the country without getting out of your seat.

 

[43066]

XC Aberdeen to Penzance?

 

[Towers]

Wasn’t the Highland Chieftan the longest journey?

 

[Intercity110]

either aberdeen-penzance or the caledonian highland sleeper?

 

[Choo choo 66]

UK wise yes Aberdeen-Penzance (think it is starting again in May timetable change)
If you go into mainland Europe there are many much longer journeys

 

[hexagon789]

XC Aberdeen to Penzance?

Should be when it resumes in May -

752mi 60ch

Wasn’t the Highland Chieftan the longest journey?

A mere 570 mi and 33 chains

either aberdeen-penzance or the caledonian highland sleeper?

752mi 60ch for the former and 567mi 44ch for the latter. (It is shorter to Euston from Inverness than King's Cross but the available route is faster via Edinburgh and the ECML.)

 

[class ep-09]

That may be a topic for International Transport , but what is / was a longest journey on one train by country ( currently and historically )?

 

[Watershed]

Depends on whether you're counting distance or time. The longest distance service that runs regularly is Aberdeen to Penzance - currently Saturdays only, but resumes running Mondays-Saturdays from the May timetable change.

Occasionally engineering works mean that the train travels over an even longer distance than normal, and upcoming ones mean that there is, unusually, a northbound Penzance to Aberdeen service too, running via Toton, Doncaster and Leeds.

The longest service by journey duration is, however, the Caledonian Sleeper's Fort William portion whenever it runs via the East Coast Mainline. This results in an earlier departure from, or later arrival at, London Euston as the train reverses at Wembley Yard. Journey times average around 14 hours - about 45 minutes longer than the standard Aberdeen to Penzance timing.

I think this qualifies as the longest "regularly scheduled" service on the basis that ECML diversions are generally planned on an LTP basis for weeks at a time, rather than just ad-hoc.

 

[GardenRail]

XC Aberdeen to Penzance?

On a Voyager...... God, no.

 

[liamf656]

Crosscountry are running a Penzance to Aberdeen service, but only on Saturday 27th May, 3rd and 10th June. This is due to the Erewash diversions

Realtime Trains | 1S43 0633 Penzance to Edinburgh | 10/06/2023

Real-time train running information for 1S43 0633 departure from Penzance to Edinburgh on 10/06/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Techniquest]

I'd absolutely do it in First Class, it would be a consideration in Standard as long as I had a good supply of food and drink with me. I'd also need a decent hotel before and after the journey, as well as a good bit of exercise immediately before/after the journey.

This actually sounds like a good plan, I'll have to investigate some time off and book it soon!

 

[Kite159]

Crosscountry are running a Penzance to Aberdeen service, but only on Saturday 27th May, 3rd and 10th June. This is due to the Erewash diversions

Realtime Trains | 1S43 0633 Penzance to Edinburgh | 10/06/2023

Real-time train running information for 1S43 0633 departure from Penzance to Edinburgh on 10/06/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Although it won't run on the 3rd June due to the strike

 

[penguin8967]

The Aberdeen-Penzance service on 29th April got diverted via Severn Tunnel Junction, only adding on around 15 miles though (but also meaning it passed through 3 countries!)

 

[james60059]

That may be a topic for International Transport , but what is / was a longest journey on one train by country ( currently and historically )?

I would have thought the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok is (or was?) the longest journey (5753 miles)

 

[zwk500]

I would have thought the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok is (or was?) the longest journey (5753 miles)

This thread has been split to be specifically UK, the other half is in International transport.

 

[D6130]

I'd absolutely do it in First Class, it would be a consideration in Standard as long as I had a good supply of food and drink with me. I'd also need a decent hotel before and after the journey, as well as a good bit of exercise immediately before/after the journey.

If doing a first class All Line Rover, how about 08 20 Aberdeen-Penzance, then straight onto the Night Riviera to Paddington?....although if the CrossCountry were to be delayed, you might have to bale at another Cornish station.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I'd absolutely do it in First Class, it would be a consideration in Standard as long as I had a good supply of food and drink with me. I'd also need a decent hotel before and after the journey, as well as a good bit of exercise immediately before/after the journey.

This actually sounds like a good plan, I'll have to investigate some time off and book it soon!

I also want to do this, and if you win the weekdays only Seatfrog - which I believe is a fixed £5 regardless of journey for XC though I might be wrong - first class for even cheaper! In standard it’d probably be a drag for me.

 

[Techniquest]

If doing a first class All Line Rover, how about 08 20 Aberdeen-Penzance, then straight onto the Night Riviera to Paddington?....although if the CrossCountry were to be delayed, you might have to bale at another Cornish station.

I had booked a hotel in Aberdeen specifically to do the 0820 to Penzance last year, then discovered it wasn't running. Mind you, it led to an awesome day mostly on ScotRail HSTs which worked out well!

If I was doing the 0820 throughout, I would stay in a hotel in Penzance. I'd not want to jump straight off one train and onto the next like that. I'd be needing some serious exercise between trains to do that!

I also want to do this, and if you win the weekdays only Seatfrog - which I believe is a fixed £5 regardless of journey for XC though I might be wrong - first class for even cheaper! In standard it’d probably be a drag for me.

Wow, I've never used Seatfrog but for that purpose I'd have to investigate it!

 

[eastwestdivide]

What do we reckon to another thread on "what only seems like the longest journey..." ?

 

[SteelWeelApeal]

If doing a first class All Line Rover, how about 08 20 Aberdeen-Penzance, then straight onto the Night Riviera to Paddington?....although if the CrossCountry were to be delayed, you might have to bale at another Cornish station.

Having of course got to Aberdeen on the sleeper from London beforehand

 

[43066]

What do we reckon to another thread on "what only seems like the longest journey..." ?

Good idea. I’ll start: a 360 from anywhere to anywhere.

 

[MotCO]

Taking it literally about not changing train, how many circuits of the Circle Line could you do in a day from when the train left the depot to when it returned at night? (I realise that the Circle Line is no longer circular!) It will probably win on length of time, but probably not on distance due to the low speeds achieved, based on the rough calculations below.

Wikipaedia quotes the old Circle Line as being 12.89 miles long and took a minimum of 51 1/2 minutes, Let's round it up to 13 miles and 60 minutes. Assuming a start at 06.00 and finish at 23.30, this means 17 1/2 hours at 13 miles each lap equals only 227 miles. This means it would exceed the Aberdeen - Penzance train on time, but hardly scratch the surface with regards to distance.

 

[12LDA28C]

Depends on whether you're counting distance or time.

Clearly this thread is concerned with timetabled service trains but I've certainly done some charter trains that have been booked to take 15 hours plus to reach their destination although the distance involved was less than 600 miles.

Having of course got to Aberdeen on the sleeper from London beforehand

Back in the days of LHCS on CrossCountry services I would do a week's All-Line Rover and stay on the move the whole time, using Sleeper services overnight (although always in seated accommodation). It was possible to do over a thousand loco-hauled miles a day.

 

[D7666]

Taking it literally about not changing train, how many circuits of the Circle Line could you do in a day from when the train left the depot to when it returned at night? (I realise that the Circle Line is no longer circular!) It will probably win on length of time, but probably not on distance due to the low speeds achieved, based on the rough calculations below.

Wikipaedia quotes the old Circle Line as being 12.89 miles long and took a minimum of 51 1/2 minutes, Let's round it up to 13 miles and 60 minutes. Assuming a start at 06.00 and finish at 23.30, this means 17 1/2 hours at 13 miles each lap equals only 227 miles. This means it would exceed the Aberdeen - Penzance train on time, but hardly scratch the surface with regards to distance.

cue someone else to work this out for the Glasgow subway.

 

[mm333]

I tried to do Aberdeen-Penzance in 2019, but waves coming over the Dawlish sea wall meant that Voyagers were being terminated at Exeter so we had to board a GWR HST for the rest of the journey. If I tried to do it again, I'd do it in First Class rather than Standard. Especially as we were an hour late and so I got a 100% delay repay refund.

 

[Some guy]

Realtime Trains | 1V56 0748 Glasgow Central to Penzance | 01/07/2023

Real-time train running information for 1V56 0748 departure from Glasgow Central to Penzance on 01/07/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

There’s a new close challenger to the Aberdeen Penzance only 10 minutes shorter at 13 hours 5 minutes

 

[jrail1992]

Re: Glasgow Subway, it's 6.5 miles so rough calculation, 752.5÷6.5=116 (rounded up). Do any of the Subway units do 116 trips around the loop in a day?