Shortest possible sleeper train journey

[GWVillager]

I recently watched a video in which someone travelled in an Amtrak sleeper Roomette for the 5 minute journey between Boston South and Boston Back Bay. This got me wondering what the shortest possible journey by sleeper train in the UK is.

Is there anyone knowledgeable enough on this to provide any suggestions? There must be fares available in a sleeping compartment, seating accommodation doesn’t really count if you ask me.

 

[Class800]

There's only the Caledonian Sleeper (Highlander and Lowlander) and Night Riviera. Watford Junction is pick up only. Carlisle is 5 hours 17 minutes from Euston. The shortest ticketable UK sleeper journey will be Paddington to Taunton served Monday to Friday departure 23.45 arrival 02.37

 

[Whistler40145]

Would Carstairs to Edinburgh or Glasgow Central be the shortest journey on a sleeper?

 

[Watershed]

There's only the Caledonian Sleeper (Highlander and Lowlander) and Night Riviera. Watford Junction is pick up only. Carlisle is 5 hours 17 minutes from Euston. The shortest ticketable UK sleeper journey will be Paddington to Taunton served Monday to Friday departure 23.45 arrival 02.37

You can also board the sleeper at Reading, at 00:49.

 

[Watershed]

Would Carstairs to Edinburgh or Glasgow Central be the shortest journey on a sleeper?

Carstairs is set down only in the northbound direction and pick up only in the southbound direction. You can't travel between Carstairs and Glasgow/Edinburgh on the Sleeper.

The Caledonian Sleeper acts as a day train between Kingussie and Inverness in the northbound direction, and between Glasgow Queen Street and Fort William. However you can only use the seated portion of the train (unless you paid for a berth to/from London etc.), so I don't think any of the short hops there (e.g. Dalmuir to Dumbarton Central) would count.

 

[Jan Mayen]

In the BBC Great Railway Journeys series a couple of decades ago, I seem to recall Victoria Wood traveling from Glasgow to Fort William using the sleeper, and she was using a compartment.
Although this would undoubtedly have been a special arrangement, I wonder if someone getting on at Helensburgh or wherever might have been allowed to use a compartment on payment of the appropriate supplement?

 

[Cheshire Scot]

In the UK it will be hard to beat Roy Bridge to Spean Bridge (or the reverse), about 3.3 miles, in the seated car on the Caledonian Sleeper. No pick up/set down restrictions, the question being 'shortest possible journey by sleeper train in the UK is' but not defined as in a Sleeper.

In the past I have travelled Crewe to Euston 158 miles but just 2 hrs 30, and Perth to Inverness - 118 miles three and a half hours, in pre reserved Sleeping berths, and remaining in the berth for some hours after arrival.

 

[superalbs]

I recently watched a video in which someone travelled in an Amtrak sleeper Roomette for the 5 minute journey between Boston South and Boston Back Bay. This got me wondering what the shortest possible journey by sleeper train in the UK is.

Is there anyone knowledgeable enough on this to provide any suggestions? There must be fares available in a sleeping compartment, seating accommodation doesn’t really count if you ask me.

That sounds funny, where can I find this video?

 

[GWVillager]

That sounds funny, where can I find this video?

Here it is:
youtube.com/watch?v=BWxqLFnsA4I

In the past I have travelled Crewe to Euston 158 miles but just 2 hrs 30, and Perth to Inverness - 118 miles three and a half hours, in pre reserved Sleeping berths, and remaining in the berth for some hours after arrival.

So Crewe to Euston and Perth to Inverness are likely the shortest in time/ distance respectively? Interesting, at least there’s a point in the sleeper ticket!

 

[Watershed]

So Crewe to Euston and Perth to Inverness are likely the shortest in time/ distance respectively? Interesting, at least there’s a point in the sleeper ticket!

You can't reserve a sleeper berth for those journeys anymore - Crewe is pick up only northbound and set down only southbound, Perth vice versa.

 

[JonathanH]

Preston to Inverkeithing is the shortest journey possible on the Highland sleeper with a sleeper berth.

 

[xotGD]

In years gone by, the Euston - Fort William overnight used to arrive in one platform at Glasgow Queen Street and then get shunted onto the day train stock in another platform. It was possible to board the train just for the stock shunt, albeit in a seated coach, not in a bed.

The same shunt move happened at Fort William for the Up service.