Trivia: Stations more than one change from London

[eh_oh]

Maybe it's my london-brain getting to me but I can't think of any stations (NR) where you can't get to London in one change or less.

What stations are there where this is the case?
All services taken should be at least 1 tpd.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Barton-on-Humber line stations will require a change at Habrough and then again somewhere else.

 

[MadMarsupial]

Maybe it's my london-brain getting to me but I can't think of any stations (NR) where you can't get to London in one change or less.

What stations are there where this is the case?
All services taken should be at least 1 tpd.

Stourbridge Town?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Stourbridge Town?

Do Chiltern no longer run to Stourbridge Junction?

 

[PGAT]

Do Chiltern no longer run to Stourbridge Junction?

They still do

 

[eh_oh]

Do Chiltern no longer run to Stourbridge Junction?

They do - 0614 in the morning and 3 trains back from MYB in the evening

 

[PTR 444]

Island Line?

 

[Gloster]

Barnhill, Alexandra Parade and Duke Street on the Springburn branch?

Cardiff Bay?

Kelvindale and possibly stations Maryhill to Ashfield?

And what about most of the stations on the Bidston-Wrexham Central line?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

They do - 0614 in the morning and 3 trains back from MYB in the evening

I suppose a follow-up question is whether there's a journey on the branch early enough to connect with that early departure.

Going back a few years to when the Cardiff Bay branch was just a shuttle from Queen Street, that would have qualified. Similarly prior to (a) Grand Central's West Riding services; and (b) the Wakefield Kirkgate to Knottingley service being extended to Leeds via Wakefield Westgate: Streethouse, Featherstone and Pontefract Tanshelf would have required two changes.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Cardiff Bay?

Think there's a late evening service (SuX) from Cardiff Bay that continues to Cardiff Central. Bit of a wait for the first service to London Paddington, mind.

 

[PTR 444]

Hall-i-th-wood, Bromley Cross, Entwistle, Darwen

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I suppose a follow-up question is whether there's a journey on the branch early enough to connect with that early departure.

0550 and 0600 departures from Stourbridge Town should get you to Stourbridge Junction in time for the 0614 to London Marylebone.

Hall-i-th-wood, Bromley Cross, Entwistle, Darwen

Could you add on Ramsgreave & Wilpshere, Langho, Whalley and Clitheroe to that list?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

And what about most of the stations on the Bidston-Wrexham Central line?

One change from Wrexham General (or Chester in the case of Shotton).

 

[Gloster]

One change from Wrexham General (or Chester in the case of Shotton).

Yes, I have now looked it up. I didn’t realise that a London service had been reinstated.

 

[PTR 444]

0550 and 0600 departures from Stourbridge Town should get you to Stourbridge Junction in time for the 0614 to London Marylebone.


Could you add on Ramsgreave & Wilpshere, Langho, Whalley and Clitheroe to that list?

Yes you could

Do any Merseyrail Kirkby or Ormskirk trains run south of Liverpool Central? If not, you can add Kirkdale - Aughton Park/Kirkby to the list.

I think Southport - Westhoughton and Kirkby - Swinton also count, unless you consider the two Wigan stations to be so close that they count as a single interchange.

 

[RailWonderer]

Whitby? Middlesborough and York.
Edit: Just seen the LNER 07:08 from Middlesborough (with a very long ECS move to do it https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G63420/2023-08-17/detailed#allox_id=2)

A lot of stations (on the WHL, FNL in Scotland for example) have only a few tpd to London from Inverness and Aberdeen but you normally cannot get there in less than 2 changes without a long wait time from those stations either.

 

[D6130]

Whitby? Middlesborough and York.

There are a couple of LNER Middlesbrough-Kings Cross through services each weekday.

 

[Esker-pades]

Barnhill, Alexandra Parade and Duke Street on the Springburn branch?

Strictly speaking, no. One could do it with one change at Dalmuir onto the Caledonian Sleeper.

 

[Gloster]

Strictly speaking, no. One could do it with one change at Dalmuir onto the Caledonian Sleeper.

I wasn’t sure about the pattern of services in Glasgow. However, as I don’t think that there is anything that runs direct from London to Queen Street nowadays, I think you would still have to make a second change either there or Anniesland to get to Kelvindale and the other stations between Maryhill and Ashfield.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I think Southport - Westhoughton and Kirkby - Swinton also count, unless you consider the two Wigan stations to be so close that they count as a single interchange.

They are so incredibly close that they are basically one.
Also Ince-Swinton is all accessible from
1. The once a morning Leeds train that starts at North Western
2. All the Leeds trains since Leeds has LNER to London
Westhoughton is accessible from North Western on Sundays.

 

[D6130]

However, as I don’t think that there is anything that runs direct from London to Queen Street nowadays, I think you would still have to make a second change either there or Anniesland to get to Kelvindale and the other stations between Maryhill and Ashfield.

Being very pedantic, the Highlander portion of the Caledonian Sleeper stops at Queen Street Low Level....but, as it's a pick-up only stop Northbound and set-down only Southbound, your point stands.

 

[cadder toad]

Robroyston has no direct trains to Edinburgh for a London connection but its possible to join the sleeper at Falkirk Grahamston where trains from Robroyston terminate.

 

[greyman42]

I wasn’t sure about the pattern of services in Glasgow. However, as I don’t think that there is anything that runs direct from London to Queen Street nowadays, I think you would still have to make a second change either there or Anniesland to get to Kelvindale and the other stations between Maryhill and Ashfield.

How is London to Maryhill more than one change?

 

[InkyScrolls]

Maybe it's my london-brain getting to me but I can't think of any stations (NR) where you can't get to London in one change or less.

What stations are there where this is the case?
All services taken should be at least 1 tpd.

It is your London brain - there are loads!

 

[Gloster]

How is London to Maryhill more than one change?

I may be wrong as my researches have been limited to looking at maps. However, I think that all the stations Maryhill to Ashfield and Kelvindale are only served by a Queen Street-Anniesland shuttle. If you accept #21, then there are no direct trains to Queen Street from London, while I don’t think you have any trains from London to Anniesland.

 

[greyman42]

I may be wrong as my researches have been limited to looking at maps. However, I think that all the stations Maryhill to Ashfield and Kelvindale are only served by a Queen Street-Anniesland shuttle. If you accept #21, then there are no direct trains to Queen Street from London, while I don’t think you have any trains from London to Anniesland.

London to Glasgow Central. One change from Central to Queen Street or is there some rule on changing terminals?

 

[southern442]

London to Glasgow Central. One change from Central to Queen Street or is there some rule on changing terminals?

I would imagine that walking from Queen Street to Central does not count as simply 'changing trains'.

 

[Shotton]

Technically, Maryhill and Possilpark and Parkhouse can be done with one change from London - taking the sleeper to Garelochead or Helensburgh Upper, and then changing there for the one daily Southbound train originating in Oban which calls at these stations. The other stations between Anniesland and Queen Street indeed seem impossible without transferring.

I wonder if there are any other stations where it is possible to get to/from London with one change in only one direction...

 

[Llanigraham]

I regularly travel from the Cambrian to London, and back, with only one change.

 

[urbophile]

Yes you could

Do any Merseyrail Kirkby or Ormskirk trains run south of Liverpool Central? If not, you can add Kirkdale - Aughton Park/Kirkby to the list.

I think Southport - Westhoughton and Kirkby - Swinton also count, unless you consider the two Wigan stations to be so close that they count as a single interchange.

Anywhere on Merseyrail Northern Line would entail two changes, unless similarly Central to Lime Street counted as a single interchange (which it isn't really, though not too far to walk), or unless/until London trains stopped at South Parkway.