Trivia: stations from which one can depart on a direct train in opposite directions to the same town/city

[Purple Train]

I can think of two - Exeter St Davids (to London, via Reading and via Honiton) and Oxford (to London, via Reading and via Bicester Village). Are there any others, or indeed any that aren't to London?

 

[dodecahedron67]

Leeds to York (Harrogate, Direct, Castleford)

 

[Efini92]

Birmingham new st

 

[Rob F]

Nottingham to Peterborough and, in the past, to London.

 

[steamybrian]

Stations around the Kent Coast to London such as Dover, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate, etc.

 

[snowball]

Stations on the Cathcart Circle to Glasgow Central
Stations on the Fife circle to Edinburgh
Rochdale to Manchester Victoria if you count Metrolink

Are there regular trains south from Newcastle via both King Edward and High Level Bridges?

The big loop in the Tyne Wear metro map

Can you get both ways to Manchester from stations in the Blackburn/Accrington area?

 

[PBarnesHST]

Does Leicester count since you can go south via Market Harborough or go north via Melton Mowbray and Corby

 

[snowball]

Edinburgh to Manchester?

 

[Lewlew]

Fareham - SWR in one direction via Eastleigh and Southern in the other via Havant

 

[yorkie]

Are there regular trains south from Newcastle via both King Edward and High Level Bridges?

Both bridges are indeed used on a regular and timetabled basis, so yes Newcastle does count.

Another one would be Sheffield, where some trains (most commonly due to engineering work) go via Woodhouse/Beighton/Barrow Hill on their way to/via Chesterfield; an example of a regular service in the current timetable is the 0752 from Sheffield to St Pancras.

Edinburgh to Manchester?

Yes, Edinburgh certainly counts.

(Not just to Manchester, but various other places such as Birmingham and London, on a regular timetabled basis, and less frequently to various destinations via the Edinburgh suburban lines when engineering works occurs)

Does Leicester count since you can go south via Market Harborough or go north via Melton Mowbray and Corby

Are there trains that do that? I can't see any

Rochdale to Manchester Victoria if you count Metrolink

Rochdale counts for National Rail services, as it's the starting point for trains to Clitheroe via Manchester & Blackburn as well as a calling point on trains to Blackburn in the (more direct) opposite direction.

 

[snowball]

Can you count from James Street, Liverpool, to stations on the Wirral, because you can go either direct or round the Loop first?

Similarly from any Merseyrail station on the Wirral to any station on the same branch and further from Liverpool?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Fareham - SWR in one direction via Eastleigh and Southern in the other via Havant

Same goes for Cosham and Portchester. Plus Eastleigh and Southampton Airport Parkway in peaks.

Those on the Kingston/Hounslow loops too.

 

[Whistler40145]

Manchester Piccadilly Platform 13 to Chester via Stockport and Northwich, Platform 14 via Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay

 

[Ken H]

...

Can you get both ways to Manchester from stations in the Blackburn/Accrington area?

Yes. Not the same fares though.

 

[Purple Train]

Same goes for Cosham and Portchester. Plus Eastleigh and Southampton Airport Parkway in peaks.

Those on the Kingston/Hounslow loops too.

Can you count from James Street, Liverpool, to stations on the Wirral, because you can go either direct or round the Loop first?

Similarly from any Merseyrail station on the Wirral to any station on the same branch and further from Liverpool?

Stations on the Cathcart Circle to Glasgow Central
Stations on the Fife circle to Edinburgh
Rochdale to Manchester Victoria if you count Metrolink

Are there regular trains south from Newcastle via both King Edward and High Level Bridges?

The big loop in the Tyne Wear metro map

Can you get both ways to Manchester from stations in the Blackburn/Accrington area?

I wasn't particularly thinking of lines that operate as a loop, such as the Fife circle or Cathcart circle, or indeed Merseyrail and Tyne & Wear - just completely separate routes, such as Leeds to York and Edinburgh to Manchester.

 

[ServerHoster]

Chester to Liverpool

 

[Purple Train]

Liverpool Lime Street to Ellesmere Port might count - last time I checked there was the Merseyrail service round the loop, and the first train of the day via Helsby and Ince & Elton, operated by Northern. Does that service still run?

 

[Mikey C]

Stations around the Kent Coast to London such as Dover, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate, etc.

And the southeast London loop trains that leave Cannon Street and use the Crayford Spur to go between North Kent and Dartford Loop lines

Plus in London, there are also the Thameslink trains via Sutton both ways, and the Southwestern one which loop via Richmond and Kingston both ways

 

[Rescars]

I wasn't particularly thinking of lines that operate as a loop, such as the Fife circle or Cathcart circle, or indeed Merseyrail and Tyne & Wear - just completely separate routes, such as Leeds to York and Edinburgh to Manchester.

That's a shame. I was going to suggest the Circle Line from Edgware Road (City of Westminster) to say Monument or Liverpool Street (City of London)

 

[swt_passenger]

Plus Eastleigh and Southampton Airport Parkway in peaks.

What final destination are you referring to here please?

 

[IceBlue]

Manchester Piccadilly Platform 12 to Chester via Stockport and Northwich, Platform 13 via Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay

I think you mean platform 14 (towards Oxford Rd), not 13 which is towards Stockport/MIA

Likewise you've got Leeds from Platform 1 (onwards to Hull via Guide Bridge) or Platform 13 (onwards to Redcar via Ordsall Curve and Ashton under Lyme).

 

[Whistler40145]

I think you mean platform 14 (towards Oxford Rd), not 13 which is towards Stockport/MIA

Likewise you've got Leeds from Platform 1 (onwards to Hull via Guide Bridge) or Platform 13 (onwards to Redcar via Ordsall Curve and Ashton under Lyme).

My apologies, the heat has got to me

 

[Neo9320]

I’ve done Derby-Sheffield in both directions. During the remodel the trains went via long Eaton way. Very unnerving the first time I thought I’d got on the wrong train!

 

[Parallel]

Westbury - You can travel to London Paddington via Pewsey and Newbury, or southbound via Salisbury on the infrequent SWR service.

I think there are a couple of trains a day from Yeovil Pen Mill that go to Salisbury (or even London?) that go via Westbury, or via Yeovil Junction.

 

[Peter0124]

Motherwell to Glasgow Central:
go south-west via Hamilton, or north via Bellshill or Whifflet, or even North-West via the WCML on TPE services.

 

[Bill57p9]

Birmingham to Cheltenham Spa (and further south): I am not convinced that it is still the case, but certainly in the late 90s there were trains (usually loco hauled) the used the Camp Hill line rather than via University.

Chester to Shrewsbury, via Wrexham or Crewe. Again, I am not convinced that anything is scheduled via the latter these days.

Motherwell to Glasgow Central:
go south-west via Hamilton, or north via Bellshill or Whifflet, or even North-West via the WCML on TPE services.

Which has prompted me to think of Whifflet to Glasgow Central either southbound via Motherwell or northbound via Bailleston.

And in the same area, Motherwell to Edinburgh, either via Shotts (if anything is still routed that way) or Carstairs

Anniesland to Glasgow Queen Street, via Possilpark or Partick

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

What final destination are you referring to here please?

Correction, not Southampton Airport (Parkway), just Eastleigh, and the peak Southern services via Hedge End

 

[mlambeuk]

Blackburn to Manchester Victoria
Sunderland to York/ London Kings Cross

 

[TheSel]

Liverpool Lime Street to Ellesmere Port might count - last time I checked there was the Merseyrail service round the loop, and the first train of the day via Helsby and Ince & Elton, operated by Northern. Does that service still run?

There is still a Helsby to Liverpool Lime Street service operated by Northern, yes. 2F17, 1910 ex Ellesmere Port. Link here (courtesy of Real Time Trains) informs us that it was operated by 150120 last Friday (15/7/22).

 

[HST43257]

Not sure if it counts since 13/14 are only just the same station but Man Picc to Huddersfield/Leeds