Worst Railway Journeys in the UK

[12LDA28C]

I have passed it hundreds of times and never smelled anything.

Sealed in a Mark 4 or Azuma? Try it on stock with opening windows.

 

[ScotGG]

Having travelled over 99% of the NR system I will add my support for the worst rail journey also being along the North Kent line from London Bridge- Gravesend via Greenwich and Woolwich.
Continuous view of depressing housing estates or tower blocks interupted between Greenwich and Woolwich with a few tunnels.

The most boring Heritage Railway must be East Kent Railway where half of the journey is in a tunnel or deep cutting.

If you like cities and architecture it's got far more than many others.

It runs on a viaduct for miles from London Bridge to near Charlton with great views of the City and then Canary Wharf. Excellent views over the metropolis. Always changing and always interesting.

Lots of change then evident for a few miles eg Woolwich albeit with some cuttings. The Valley can be seen too before at Charlton.

At Plumstead there's the sidings and you then can see Elizabeth line and lots of changes underway around Abbey Wood. Past that is suburbia but then Slade Green sidings and in Dartford there's much more changes always happening with elevated station.

It's a great urban line with much variety. Sure, it's not rolling fields but each type of.line are wildly different and appeal in different ways. Cities have the appeal of endless evolution.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Though I suspect you'd quickly get bored if you did it regularly!

Many moons ago I lived in Shipley and my girlfriend lived in Carlisle. Honestly never* got bored of the S&C, and I was probably doing it every couple of weeks.

(*The 6pm train from Shipley northbound in winter was a bit dull, I’ll admit, as it was absolutely pitch black after about Gargrave).

 

[Pigeon]

Did Ashford to Brighton once after getting off a late EuroStar. Very grim. Someone threw a bag of chips at us. The first impression of the UK for my French other half.

"C'est un pays formidable! On reçoit les frites gratuites à minuit!"

The Watford DC line is just relentless grimness, but it feels churlish to mention it here given how much better it is than the Silverlink days. Longitudinal seating doesn't help, nor does Harlesden.

+1

Extra grim points if you have to do it on a Bakerloo Line train

Oh, I dunno. I had a run of using it to get to Wembley Central on Sunday evenings for a bit, on autumn/winter Sunday evenings. The Bakerloo bit from Paddington to Queen's Park was fine. The train was welcomingly lit, warm and comfortable. But hanging around on Queen's Park for ages in the dark and the rain was horribly depressing, and getting on board the 313 when it eventually arrived wasn't much of an improvement.

The alternative was of course to go from Paddington to Euston and pick up the DC unit at the start of its run. If anything that was worse, though at least Euston was a fractionally less unwelcoming place to spend ages waiting for the train than Queen's Park. Everything on the run seemed to be clapped out. The lights in the train seemed to find it a tremendous effort to force any photons out, and the seat cushions were like soggy digestives wrapped in dish rags. The train itself seemed barely able to haul itself along, and proceeded ...CLUNK....CLUNK................................CLUNK......CLUNK.... at 5mph over all the stray bits of jointed track that people had lost round the backs of places and were sinking into the boggy ground, frequently wheezing into stations, pausing its barely perceptible motion to open its doors and look around a deserted platform that had appeared for some reason, and then oozing forward again to clunk clunk on through the featureless dark.

It would have been much more pleasant if the Bakerloo trains had run all the way through; at least the stock was half decent to ride in and they didn't give the impression that they were about to die of exhaustion any moment. Though what would have been REALLY good would have been to have any trains at all from Marylebone to Wembley Hill, which was by far my nearest station but also the one I never used because there were never any trains...

 

[12LDA28C]

The Watford DC line is just relentless grimness, but it feels churlish to mention it here given how much better it is than the Silverlink days. Longitudinal seating doesn’t help, nor does Harlesden.

I did the DC in the dark, in a Mark 3 sleeper. Probably the best way.

 

[Class15]

"C'est un pays formidable! On reçoit les frites gratuites à minuit!"



Oh, I dunno. I had a run of using it to get to Wembley Central on Sunday evenings for a bit, on autumn/winter Sunday evenings. The Bakerloo bit from Paddington to Queen's Park was fine. The train was welcomingly lit, warm and comfortable. But hanging around on Queen's Park for ages in the dark and the rain was horribly depressing, and getting on board the 313 when it eventually arrived wasn't much of an improvement.

The alternative was of course to go from Paddington to Euston and pick up the DC unit at the start of its run. If anything that was worse, though at least Euston was a fractionally less unwelcoming place to spend ages waiting for the train than Queen's Park. Everything on the run seemed to be clapped out. The lights in the train seemed to find it a tremendous effort to force any photons out, and the seat cushions were like soggy digestives wrapped in dish rags. The train itself seemed barely able to haul itself along, and proceeded ...CLUNK....CLUNK................................CLUNK......CLUNK.... at 5mph over all the stray bits of jointed track that people had lost round the backs of places and were sinking into the boggy ground, frequently wheezing into stations, pausing its barely perceptible motion to open its doors and look around a deserted platform that had appeared for some reason, and then oozing forward again to clunk clunk on through the featureless dark.

It would have been much more pleasant if the Bakerloo trains had run all the way through; at least the stock was half decent to ride in and they didn't give the impression that they were about to die of exhaustion any moment. Though what would have been REALLY good would have been to have any trains at all from Marylebone to Wembley Hill, which was by far my nearest station but also the one I never used because there were never any trains...

Sounds like the average DC line trip to me

I did the DC in the dark, in a Mark 3 sleeper. Probably the best way.

It is indeed, far better than the 710s at least with longitudinal seating.

 

[prod_pep]

Here are a few nominations off the top of my head.

Wolverhampton - Birmingham New Street: urban decay and plenty of it. Even on a 323, this route was a hard sell, and Birmingham to Walsall isn't much better.
London Euston - Watford Junction: dull and dank throughout. I don't really like the southern WCML in general.
London - Dartford via Greenwich: I like the section to Deptford for the views but there are some frightfully depressing areas en route. Often rough clientele on the train, too.
Liverpool - Chester/Ellesmere Port: plenty of grimness, almost nothing to see on the entire route bar a glimpse of Port Sunlight and, most significantly, painfully ponderous. By far the least enjoyable limb of Merseyrail to ride.
Glasgow Central - Paisley Canal: dismal, basic single-tracked branch line. Only highlights were the two depots passed en route. Give me the run to Gilmour Street any day.

 

[route101]

Any line that's mostly in a cutting.

 

[Sealink]

Believe it or not, on the Kyle line, the mile or two after Dingwall Station... isn't great.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

This is probably seasonal, but I travelled from Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe recently on a TFW service, all windows open, and it reeked of manure for half the journey. The scenery is rather pleasant though. Are their any other particularly smelly routes (ignoring train type).

Any journey past farmland has a reasonable chance of that smell when it's fertilising chance of year if the windows are open.

I've also noticed this on the same stretch of track, and that was a 175! Interestingly enough the majority of times I've done this route have been on a 390, on which I've never noticed any manure smells.

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One of my favourite journeys is the Southeastern Victoria to Dartford service.
Like the scenery going past Battersea, then over viaducts through Camberwell and Peckham.

That's interesting. I think the lines through Brixton are horrible.

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In no way can the Highland Main Line ever be called a bad train journey, even in the dark and in the cold.

It is if you ride it with high expectations. In 2017, I must admit my family and I expected it to be akin to the West Highland Line, and thus were very underwhelmed. That said, the journey itself was wonderful, we were in first on an HST and VTEC kept us very well fed and watered. But the scenery was definitely nothing special. Neither was it really on the Kyle of Lochalsh line the next day, although obviously it was nicer than the mainline.

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Shrewsbury-Newport is one of the most scenic lines in southern Britain

You must be barmy! If you stay on the train, the bit between Llanelli and Carmarthen is quite nice, mind.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is if you ride it with high expectations. In 2017, I must admit my family and I expected it to be akin to the West Highland Line, and thus were very underwhelmed. That said, the journey itself was wonderful, we were in first on an HST and VTEC kept us very well fed and watered. But the scenery was definitely nothing special. Neither was it really on the Kyle of Lochalsh line the next day, although obviously it was nicer than the mainline.

I'm finding this difficult to understand. It's absolutely lovely. It's very much like Shap (one of the nicest unsung bits of the railway) but going on for hours rather than only about half an hour.

One of my most enjoyable journeys I can remember was going down there at sunset in 1st on a 170 with the shadows from the mountains.

As for Kyle it's like the Conwy Valley but twice as long. And (for completeness) Wick is beautiful for its bleakness.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

On the Settle & Carlisle, to me it's far more scenic when you aren't riding it. Ribblehead viaduct is spectacular but you can't see it very well from on the train.

This is so well said and indeed my dad said exactly the same to me when we went on it; he commented we'd have seen far more if we drove to each scenic part of the line.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This is so well said and indeed my dad said exactly the same to me when we went on it; he commented we'd have seen far more if we drove to each scenic part of the line.

Breaking one's journey at Ribblehead for a look at the fancy bridge and a pint in the pub is certainly worthwhile!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I'm finding this difficult to understand. It's absolutely lovely. It's very much like Shap (one of the nicest unsung bits of the railway) but going on for hours rather than only about half an hour.

One of my most enjoyable journeys I can remember was going down there at sunset in 1st on a 170 with the shadows from the mountains.

As for Kyle it's like the Conwy Valley but twice as long. And (for completeness) Wick is beautiful for its bleakness.

I don't think it helped that we had just come back from doing Geneva - Bern - Interlaken - Luzern - Zürich by train over a few days. The Interlaken Luzern is really quite breathtaking and I suppose anything in England oft described as scenic is going to seem disappointing after that. I seem to remember the Highland Main Line was just fields.

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Also, the Kyle is twice as long, yes, but it only gets scenic at the end.

Breaking one's journey at Ribblehead for a look at the fancy bridge and a pint in the pub is certainly worthwhile!

Yes certainly. We'd have done just that but we were pushed for time for the London connection.

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To answer the thread question myself, I'd have to nominate anything exceeding a few hours on a Northern 150, Thameslink 700 or London Midland 350/2 (prior to declassification) for me. I often used to see 150/1s on Leeds Morecambe services before their confinement to GMPTE land, which is very unfortunate when the stock would usually have been 158s with the old squashy seats. As for the 350/2, many horrible memory of doing London Crewe on them for £4.50 child fare, to save money back five or so years ago when I was fifteen and going up to Manchester.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think it helped that we had just come back from doing Geneva - Bern - Interlaken - Luzern - Zürich by train over a few days. The Interlaken Luzern is really quite breathtaking and I suppose anything in England oft described as scenic is going to seem disappointing after that. I seem to remember the Highland Main Line was just fields.

Some of it is, but most of it is mountains. None of it is unpleasant. It's not the boring south ECML!

It's very similar to Oxenholme-Penrith on the WCML, but you get 2-3 hours of it plus a load of wonderfully quaint little stations.

Like Shap, by the way, it's just as lovely by car or coach on the adjacent A9.

No, it's not Switzerland, but few UK lines are! (Though I think the southern part of the Conwy Valley comes close)

 

[yorksrob]

Some of it is, but most of it is mountains. None of it is unpleasant. It's not the boring south ECML!

It's very similar to Oxenholme-Penrith on the WCML, but you get 2-3 hours of it plus a load of wonderfully quaint little stations.

Like Shap, by the way, it's just as lovely by car or coach on the adjacent A9.

The "boring south ECML" isn't unpleasant to travel on generally, either.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The "boring south ECML" isn't unpleasant to travel on generally, either.

What it is, though, is exactly what you bemourn of the HML (wrongly) - it's just fields!

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The WCML by contrast is interesting more or less throughout, and the southern section through the Chilterns is really rather pleasant.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Some of it is, but most of it is mountains. None of it is unpleasant. It's not the boring south ECML!

It's very similar to Oxenholme-Penrith on the WCML, but you get 2-3 hours of it plus a load of wonderfully quaint little stations.

Like Shap, by the way, it's just as lovely by car or coach on the adjacent A9.

No, it's not Switzerland, but few UK lines are! (Though I think the southern part of the Conwy Valley comes close)

Oh no, none of it is unpleasant. I wasn't the one who nominated it, I just said it can be a bit disappointing if you expect it to be like West Highland, which is considerably more impressive.

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The "boring south ECML" isn't unpleasant to travel on generally, either.

Depends on the stock. I wouldn't want to do it on a 700, or a 365, and I'd be a bit bored on a 387 although to me they're the lesser of three evils, but I'd be more than happy to take a IC225, 180, or even Azuma on the route.

That reminds me! Any journey on a Hull Trains Paragon prior to mid 2021 would fall into the category of nasty journeys, as they had a vile, vile problem in that all five of them reeked very strongly of mould on board. It was putrid.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oh no, none of it is unpleasant. I wasn't the one who nominated it, I just said it can be a bit disappointing if you expect it to be like West Highland, which is considerably more impressive.

I'd agree the WHL is nice. It's also very nice by coach, FWIW, other than the last bit after Loch Lomond. The WHL is like a longer Conwy Valley too.

 

[yorksrob]

What it is, though, is exactly what you bemourn of the HML (wrongly) - it's just fields!

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The WCML by contrast is interesting more or less throughout, and the southern section through the Chilterns is really rather pleasant.

Ah, but I don't bemoan the HML. I've only done it a couple of times, but it was quite rugged and beautiful (albeit not as spectacular as some mountainous regions, which I think is what may be being alluded to elsewhere on this thread).

Oh no, none of it is unpleasant. I wasn't the one who nominated it, I just said it can be a bit disappointing if you expect it to be like West Highland, which is considerably more impressive.

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Depends on the stock. I wouldn't want to do it on a 700, or a 365, and I'd be a bit bored on a 387 although to me they're the lesser of three evils, but I'd be more than happy to take a IC225, 180, or even Azuma on the route.

That reminds me! Any journey on a Hull Trains Paragon prior to mid 2021 would fall into the category of nasty journeys, as they had a vile, vile problem in that all five of them reeked very strongly of mould on board. It was putrid.

Oh, I agree, far better on a 225, although still nice on a more modern train if not too crowded.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Oh, I agree, far better on a 225

Some might say most journeys are
(The only time you'll ever hear me praising a locomotive or an old train)

 

[yorksrob]

Some might say most journeys are
(The only time you'll ever hear me praising a locomotive or an old train)

As far as I'm concerned, they're not an "old" train anyway

 

[Ken H]

Breaking one's journey at Ribblehead for a look at the fancy bridge and a pint in the pub is certainly worthwhile!

Its a pity there is no station at Ais Gill/Mallerstang. The views of Wild Boar Fell from the road are stunning, but the railway is too close.
Also its a lovely walk from Ribblehead to Horton or vice versa. Stay to the Ingleborough side of the road.
Lovely wild flower meadow at Colt Park Wood, the aancient Whit-a-green settlement (just lumps and bumps in a field. The Long Churn caves and Alm pot, up to Sulber with another ancient settlement then a look down Crumackdale from Sulber Gate with views of Moughton Scar with its discontinuity between the Silurian and Carboniferous, and a lovely limestone pavement below you. Then back to Horton.

 

[cactustwirly]

I don't think it helped that we had just come back from doing Geneva - Bern - Interlaken - Luzern - Zürich by train over a few days. The Interlaken Luzern is really quite breathtaking and I suppose anything in England oft described as scenic is going to seem disappointing after that. I seem to remember the Highland Main Line was just fields.

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Also, the Kyle is twice as long, yes, but it only gets scenic at the end.

Yes certainly. We'd have done just that but we were pushed for time for the London connection.

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To answer the thread question myself, I'd have to nominate anything exceeding a few hours on a Northern 150, Thameslink 700 or London Midland 350/2 (prior to declassification) for me. I often used to see 150/1s on Leeds Morecambe services before their confinement to GMPTE land, which is very unfortunate when the stock would usually have been 158s with the old squashy seats. As for the 350/2, many horrible memory of doing London Crewe on them for £4.50 child fare, to save money back five or so years ago when I was fifteen and going up to Manchester.

The Alrberg Railway between Bludenz and Innsbruck is stunning as well

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

The Alrberg Railway between Bludenz and Innsbruck is stunning as well

Well yes, I think we can all agree there's multiple stunning railways on the continent, the reason I brought up the particular railway I mentioned was because I had been on it not long before the Highland Main Line, and that probably affected my view of that.

 

[cactustwirly]

I've also noticed this on the same stretch of track, and that was a 175! Interestingly enough the majority of times I've done this route have been on a 390, on which I've never noticed any manure smells.

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That's interesting. I think the lines through Brixton are horrible.

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I like the view of the gritty inner city you get from the viaducts, especially around Stewart's lane and Battersea

 

[yorksrob]

I like the view of the gritty inner city you get from the viaducts, especially around Stewart's lane and Battersea

Although, alas not the same now that Factory Junction signal box has gone !

 

[43096]

Ah, but I don't bemoan the HML. I've only done it a couple of times, but it was quite rugged and beautiful (albeit not as spectacular as some mountainous regions, which I think is what may be being alluded to elsewhere on this thread).

Highland Main Line, glorious sunny morning, Paxman Valenta power front and back and breakfast in the restaurant car. Can’t beat it.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I like the view of the gritty inner city you get from the viaducts, especially around Stewart's lane and Battersea

Slightly gritty - certainly - but rapidly gentrifying and redeveloping (look at skyscraper Lewisham for example).

Went to Benfleet on the LT&S this week , and the complete rebuilding since the the 1980's of the inner East End is striking .....(another good urban viewing run from a viaduct railway for the first few miles)

 

[Cowley]

There seems to be an awful lot of what you might call the opposite of the ‘worst rail journeys in the UK’ creeping into this thread…