TRIVIA: Less obvious places where you can change trains

[Llandudno]

University can also be handy for avoiding changing at Birmingham New St for changes between the XC Nottingham to Cardiff trains and WMR cross city or Hereford trains. When heading north it gives you a headstart at finding a seat on the XC service compared to changing at New Street.

Similarly, if you are heading to Sheffield and onwards via EMR, change at Oxford Road rather than Piccadilly if you are coming from Chester, Preston etc to have a better chance of getting a seat.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

I remember changing at Northallerton rather than York when travelling from Newcastle to Manchester (en route to Little Sutton). I did this because I knew the Middlesbrough - Manchester Airport train would be quiet at Northallerton but would become seriously overcrowded at York due to the usual multiple Saturday TPE cancellations (including my intended NCL - LIV working) which is why I was on an LNER train in the first place. I was right - my train did become ram-jam full at York.

On a previous occasion, I travelled from Darlington to York & Manchester changing at Thornaby as main line services were halted for 3 hrs due to a fatality at Durham. This was on my own initiative, no advice being forthcoming from the staff at Darlington.

Twenty-five or more years ago, when Northern had a number of U-shaped routes, I used to change at Earlestown when travelling from Ellesmere Port to Manchester & beyond. I would inevitably miss the minus 1 minute connection so head for the local chippy for steak pudding, chips, peas and gravy while I waited for the best part of an hour.

 

[WesternBiker]

I travel from Wimbledon to Farnborough regularly: the recommended change on journey planner is Weybridge, which is a convenient same platform change but is a bit windswept, especially in winter: but one can change at Walton-on-Thames on most services or, better still, Surbiton. It might be a cross platform change, but there are toilets, waiting room and (when open) a buffet on the same platform: and on the return leg, a more frequent connecting service.

 

[Statto]

Lea Green, if you want to make a journey like Leeds to Huyton.

Heaton Chapel, if you want to make a journey like Southport to Hazel Grove and don't want to have to walk between platforms 1 and 0 at Stockport.

Manchester Piccadilly platforms 13 and 14. The 10 minute interchange requirement at Piccadilly, means a change at Oxford Road is advised by journey planners instead, even if you're changing between trains that will use the same platform at Piccadilly and a change at Oxford Road requires using the stairs or lifts.

Add in Newton Le Willows too, this is also useful interchange station to & from TfW Llandudno service, to TPE

Stafford is another which can be a useful interchange, i've often changed here rather than at Crewe.

 

[JonathanH]

Passengers travelling between East Croydon and Guildford who want to avoid stairs may well be advised to change at Reigate instead of Redhill. It doesn't work in the opposite direction though.

 

[plugwash]

since it's a complete pain to get to.

It's a complete pain for interchanging passengers, and for passengers arriving/departing from the Edgely side. For passengers arriving/departing from the Grand Central side it's arguablly more conviniant than the other platforms.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Cross-Country advertise various alternatives to Birmingham New Street - https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.u...nections/making-your-train-connections-easier. I'm sure I've seen that map as a poster on trains before. I've defintiely used Cheltenham to change before.

One I've noticed recently is that National Rail Enquiries recommends changing trains at Thornaby rather Middlesbrough when heading to the Esk Valley line. I don't suppose it makes a huge difference though Thornaby is probably mildly easier as the interchange is 'flat' rather than having to go up/down stairs, though it's unusual in requiring you to cross the station car park.

The ORR estimate interchange numbers. In the last 'full' year of rail travel (18-19), these were the ones that they estimated had more than 0 but fewer than 10 passegeners changing trains

Thornford	7
Higham	6
Stockton	6
Chatham	4
Huntingdon	3
Stratford-Upon-Avon	3
Appleby	1
Burnley Central	1
Pontefract Baghill	1
Thetford	1

For Burnley not-very-Central, it's because it's a trek from the only other station you'd be interchanging to (Burnley Manchester Rd/BMR). And, for everything but the York to Blackpool service, it's usually easier to stay on the Preston - Colne (the only service to Burnley Central) 2 stops down to Rose Grove and change on the nice wide empty island platform there. Even in the York direction, it's only 1 stop, 3 mins or so on the Clitheroe to Kirkbys to BMR.

 

[norbitonflyer]

From Edinburgh to Alloa, one would normally change at Stirling, but I would use Larbert to pay my respects at the memorial to the Royal Scots Regiment who boarded there in 1915 on the first leg of their journey to the Dardanelles, that was abruptly cut short at Quintinshill.

 

[A S Leib]

Cross-Country advertise various alternatives to Birmingham New Street - https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.u...nections/making-your-train-connections-easier. I'm sure I've seen that map as a poster on trains before. I've defintiely used Cheltenham to change before.

One I've noticed recently is that National Rail Enquiries recommends changing trains at Thornaby rather Middlesbrough when heading to the Esk Valley line. I don't suppose it makes a huge difference though Thornaby is probably mildly easier as the interchange is 'flat' rather than having to go up/down stairs, though it's unusual in requiring you to cross the station car park.

The ORR estimate interchange numbers. In the last 'full' year of rail travel (18-19), these were the ones that they estimated had more than 0 but fewer than 10 passegeners changing trains

Thornford	7
Higham	6
Stockton	6
Chatham	4
Huntingdon	3
Stratford-Upon-Avon	3
Appleby	1
Burnley Central	1
Pontefract Baghill	1
Thetford	1

Huntingdon might be due to unscheduled LNER calls and people subsequently changing there instead of Peterborough or Stevenage, and maybe the Thetford one's somebody going from Eccles Road or Harling Road to Peterborough.