Train Journeys That Would be Quicker by Bus

[Eagle]

Do the Stagecoach expresses no longer run? X15 and X18 iirc, at 02 and 32 minutes past the hour from Leamington I think. Those only took 15-20 minutes and were valid with the Stagecoach uni bus pass.

Those run, but they take 35 minutes, not 15. X17 takes 45 minutes and NX's 11 takes 55.

The train is 9 to 11 minutes.

 

[MK Tom]

Arriva 300 from Aylesbury to Princes Risborough is 22 minutes whilst the train varies between 17 and 24 minutes. The 300 is four times as frequent though and runs through to High Wycombe.

I wonder how long Watford to St. Albans is by bus? What about Severn Beach into Bristol city centre?

 

[transmanche]

Stockton to Newcastle. But it's very close. Go North East's X10 takes 1 hour 7 minutes, 2-3 minutes faster than a Northern Rail service.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I wonder how long Watford to St. Albans is by bus?

Typical daytime journey time on Arriva's 321 is 45 mins.

 

[Eagle]

When there are rail replacement buses on, a fast bus from Southampton Airport Parkway to Bournemouth can be faster than the train would have been by about five minutes.

 

[YorkshireRider]

Keighley to Haworth is quicker by bus

But no where near as enjoyable

 

[ReverendFozz]

Stockton to Newcastle. But it's very close. Go North East's X10 takes 1 hour 7 minutes, 2-3 minutes faster than a Northern Rail service.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Typical daytime journey time on Arriva's 321 is 45 mins.

As does GNEs X9 between Newcastle and Billingham

Sent by Comrade Marxista Fozzski

 

[CheekyBandit]

Worksop - Doncaster.

Direct train is 78 minutes.
Bus (just north of Carlton Road LC) 57-59 minutes.

 

[starrymarkb]

York to Whitby (admittedly the train isn't direct but it's still far quicker to go over the moors on the bus)

 

[AlexS]

To use a city and a nearby reasonably sized town that people actually do travel between regularly, Leicester and Northampton. The Stagecoach X7 bus that departs from outside the station at Leicester does the journey 5-20 minutes faster than the train and is cheaper as well. That being down to 1960s railway line closure resulting in Leicester having no easy link to nearby large towns like Rugby and Northampton by rail.

 

[Bristol Rover]

Bristol to Chepstow.

1 hour 26 on the train. Less than an hour on the bus, and there's one bus a day that does it in 30 minutes.

 

[tsr]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the potential slowness of taking the Circle Line the wrong way yet...

 

[ValleyLines142]

Coryton to Radyr...

Coryton to Radyr is only 35 minutes by train. What bus does it quicker? I can't see any bus being quicker as it would have to be a 21/23 bus into Cardiff centre and then a 33 to Radyr which isn't THAT frequent anyway!

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Alfreton to Sutton. Two towns more or less next to eachother but you still have to go to Nottingham just to get there. The nines do a decent service.

I believe there is a bus link from Milton Keynes to Luton Airport, considerably longer by train, Milton Keynes-Watford-St albans abbey-walk-St albans-Luton airport pkwy or Milton keynes-Euston-Tube-St pancras-Luton Airport Pkwy. TBF they are not far away as the crow flies.

 

[londonbridge]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the potential slowness of taking the Circle Line the wrong way yet...

One could argue the same on parts of the Tyne n Wear metro.

 

[Coolguy22468]

I think now the Wallasll to Wolverhampton line is closed there is a train that now runs between the two via Brimingham New Street which is very slow slow and London Midland advise passengers to use the bus and not the train.

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Anywhere along Blackpool seafront?

The fastest way is actually by bike believe it or not.

 

[yorkie]

Coryton to Radyr is only 35 minutes by train. What bus does it quicker? I can't see any bus being quicker as it would have to be a 21/23 bus into Cardiff centre and then a 33 to Radyr which isn't THAT frequent anyway!

But where does the OP say you can't walk to a bus stop? According to Google maps, it is marginally quicker to walk to a bus stop and take a bus, than take the train. It would be pointless, of course, as you'd just walk all the way, but I believe eagle is technically correct.

 

[RPI]

Penzance to St Ives is usually quicker by bus in the daytime on the 17 as most trains involve waits of 10-15 mins at St Erth!

 

[richw]

Penzance to St Ives is usually quicker by bus in the daytime on the 17 as most trains involve waits of 10-15 mins at St Erth!

Although not in summer, summer traffic takes up to an hour to drive from st erth roundabout to st ives


Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2

 

[ValleyLines142]

But where does the OP say you can't walk to a bus stop? According to Google maps, it is marginally quicker to walk to a bus stop and take a bus, than take the train. It would be pointless, of course, as you'd just walk all the way, but I believe eagle is technically correct.

Sorry Yorkie, my mind has gone completely white, not your fault. Can you explain that to me?

 

[tsr]

But where does the OP say you can't walk to a bus stop? According to Google maps, it is marginally quicker to walk to a bus stop and take a bus, than take the train. It would be pointless, of course, as you'd just walk all the way, but I believe eagle is technically correct.

So, basically, this could become a thread about situations where it is quicker to walk than take the train.

 

[Ivo]

Colchester to Colchester Town (Typically only a minute or two faster, but almost infinitely more frequent...)

What about Severn Beach into Bristol city centre?

No such service exists to my knowledge. The best option is to use the 625 to Cribbs Causeway and then the X14; by the time you allow the extension to Temple Meads (to make this a fair contest) the journey time can be twice as long.

 

[SS4]

I think now the Wallasll to Wolverhampton line is closed there is a train that now runs between the two via Brimingham New Street which is very slow slow and London Midland advise passengers to use the bus and not the train.

The line isn't closed, it just receives 1tpd from Walsall to Wolverhampton (It's the 1936 ex-Walsall if you're interested, I got it on the great escape).

Some of the journeys on the Cross City North are quicker/much the same by bus although since the bus stops in Birmingham City Centre are quite far from New St station it may not count


edit: it's a 323 in case anyone *shifty glance* is interested

 

[RAGNARØKR]

Shortish journeys were the train would be quicker if you didn't have to all 15 minutes to buy a ticket.

 

[pitdiver]

Alfreton to Sutton. Two towns more or less next to eachother but you still have to go to Nottingham just to get there. The nines do a decent service.

I believe there is a bus link from Milton Keynes to Luton Airport, considerably longer by train, Milton Keynes-Watford-St albans abbey-walk-St albans-Luton airport pkwy or Milton keynes-Euston-Tube-St pancras-Luton Airport Pkwy. TBF they are not far away as the crow flies.

Indeed there is a bus link MKC-LTA. It's the 99 operated by Stagecoach. However there is an alternative rail. Mk-Bletchley,Bedford,Luton Airport. Still a fair old journey.

 

[Jeni]

Manchester - Leeds is usually marginally quicker via National Express/Megabus than TPE, and considerably quicker when there are engineering works on!

Not sure if you would count a coach as a bus for this purpose though!

 

[Harlesden]

I believe that Grimsby and Cleethorpes to Hull is quicker by bus than by train.

The same is possibly also true for Scunthorpe, but haven't actually checked it!

There is no direct rail service between Cleethorpes/Grimsby Town and Hull.
One is required to either change onto another service at Doncaster or else change at Barton Upon Humber for the bus service across the Humber Bridge.
Prior to 1981, one could also take a train from Grimsby to New Holland Pier and take the ferry to Hull.

 

[ValleyLines142]

No such service exists to my knowledge. The best option is to use the 625 to Cribbs Causeway and then the X14; by the time you allow the extension to Temple Meads (to make this a fair contest) the journey time can be twice as long.

The X14 isn't that frequent, if you're referring to a bus from Cribbs to the centre what about the 1, 54 or 73 (or even the X73)?

 

[Blindtraveler]

hamilton to Glasgow if using a fast service e.g one of the longer distance stagecoach runs via motorway. Also Dumfries to Glasgow? Not done it by iether route X74 stagecoach or Scotrail for ages but seam to remember the bus being quicker.

Edinburgh to Dunfermline off peak on the M91

cumbernauld to Glasgow?

And as has already pointed out, Wick/Thurso to Inverness, by a good hour!

 

[JamesRowden]

Newhaven to Brighton

Train:
25-28 minutes (2tph)

Bus:
30 minutes (6bph)

Considering the greater frequency of the bus and the greater frequency of its stops I think that the bus works out quicker overall.