Trivia - major cities with two completely different lines connecting them

[The exile]

Bristol to Birmingham....

via Bromsgrove
via Worcester and Bromsgrove
via Worcester and Kidderminster

Though only one of those has scheduled through services.

 

[mm333]

Bradford and Manchester have 2 routes to Leeds.
Sheffield has 3 routes to Leeds if you include the irregular XC via Doncaster.
Sheffield has 3 routes to York.

This Saturday just gone, there was a 2-hourly Bradford Interchange-Leeds shuttle, via Halifax and Cottingley. Presumably something to do with TRU.

 

[D6130]

As a through service, no. But I thought the thread was about lines rather than services. There's an entirely logical route via both the ECML and WCML.

That was my understanding too. The title of the thread clearly states lines and not services.

 

[thenorthern]

I think there is a single train per day from Inverness to Edinburgh via Aberdeen of course most services from Inverness to Edinburgh go via the Highland Main Line. Again Perth to Edinburgh there are trains via Stirling or via the Forth Bridge into Edinburgh.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Oxford has direct trains to London via both the Chiltern mainline and the WCML.

Even when Bicester–Bletchley opens I don't think the latter is planned

I realise Shrewsbury isn't a major city (or indeed a city at all) but Shrewsbury–Swansea is my favourite "two completely different lines". Or Craven Arms–Swansea if you want to minimise the shared mileage, but Craven Arms is barely a town let alone a city!

 

[Western Gaffer]

Isn't it really London to Edinburgh anyway, or is there a WCML service to Aberdeen (or Dundee) that isn't via Edinburgh?

As a through service, no. But I thought the thread was about lines rather than services. There's an entirely logical route via both the ECML and WCML.

That was my understanding too. The title of the thread clearly states lines and not services.

The first post specified "cities that have two lines that are in regular passenger use" - I'm sure it's technically feasible to get from the WCML to Dundee on passenger services avoiding Edinburgh but even with multiple changes I'm not sure that there's an itinerary following what could reasonably be described as a line?

 

[A S Leib]

The first post specified "cities that have two lines that are in regular passenger use" - I'm sure it's technically feasible to get from the WCML to Dundee on passenger services avoiding Edinburgh but even with multiple changes I'm not sure that there's an itinerary following what could reasonably be described as a line?

First Stirling would cut that down to one change when / if that starts, but that's still a service rather than a line.

 

[BeijingDave]

Even when Bicester–Bletchley opens I don't think the latter is planned

I realise Shrewsbury isn't a major city (or indeed a city at all) but Shrewsbury–Swansea is my favourite "two completely different lines". Or Craven Arms–Swansea if you want to minimise the shared mileage, but Craven Arms is barely a town let alone a city!

Shrewsbury is at least a county administrative capital (and was a big black dot on the British Rail map) so probably qualifies as 'major'.

 

[Taunton]

Glasgow and Edinburgh

Possibly not in he spirit of the question of "completely different", as they all (five I think) share the same section of route between Haymarket and Waverley.

But if you really want to be pernickety you can have multiple Underground lines connecting City of Westminster with City of London.

 

[najaB]

The first post specified "cities that have two lines that are in regular passenger use" - I'm sure it's technically feasible to get from the WCML to Dundee on passenger services avoiding Edinburgh but even with multiple changes I'm not sure that there's an itinerary following what could reasonably be described as a line?

Agreed that there aren't any direct passenger services, but the Caledonian Railway route via Cumbernald is still very much in existence. Indeed, Glasgow to Aberdeen/Inverness trains were routed that way when Queen Street was closed for improvements.

See here for a freight service that uses the line: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H10385/2025-02-10/detailed

FYI

 

[RPI]

Bristol to Swindon, Southampton to Salisbury (probably doesn't count as most services go round in a circle).
Yeovil to Salisbury
Swansea to Shrewsbury

 

[Western Sunset]

Is there still a Bristol TM to Padd via Parkway, as well as the usual route via Bath?

 

[plugwash]

Even when Bicester–Bletchley opens I don't think the latter is planned

Sorry that was a copy/paste error, it should have said the Chiltern mainline and the GWML.

 

[Western Gaffer]

Agreed that there aren't any direct passenger services, but the Caledonian Railway route via Cumbernald is still very much in existence. Indeed, Glasgow to Aberdeen/Inverness trains were routed that way when Queen Street was closed for improvements.

See here for a freight service that uses the line: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H10385/2025-02-10/detailed

FYI
View attachment 174377

Yes, that's what I was meaning about [not] "following what could reasonably be described as a line", in that itineraries like this entail a diversion via Camelon rather than traversing the western chord of the Carmuirs triangle that is actually on what would reasonably be considered the direct route.

 

[dazzler]

Possibly not in he spirit of the question of "completely different", as they all (five I think) share the same section of route between Haymarket and Waverley.

...although Haymarket is within the City of Edinburgh...

 

[Indigo Soup]

But if you really want to be pernickety you can have multiple Underground lines connecting City of Westminster with City of London.

Six, by my count. Or seven, counting the Elizabeth line.

Do you count 'via Aviemore' and 'via Aberdeen' as different routes from Dundee and Perth to Inverness? Certainly they're counted as distinct for some of the intermediate stops between Inverness and Aberdeen.

And now Dunfermline is a city, one can get there from Stirling along either the north or the south bank of the Forth, though there are no service trains on the former route.

 

[najaB]

Yes, that's what I was meaning about [not] "following what could reasonably be described as a line", in that itineraries like this entail a diversion via Camelon rather than traversing the western chord of the Carmuirs triangle that is actually on what would reasonably be considered the direct route.

To be able to do it on passenger services, yes there is a diversion of about what - half a mile on an almost 400 mile route?

 

[Harpo]

London to Southend, although at the very beginning they shared the Bow Jn to Forest Gate section although Southend wasn’t a city at that time.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Southampton has 2 relatively direct routes to London:
* Via Basingstoke/Woking towards Waterloo
* Via Basingstoke/Reading towards Paddington

I think we need some clarification from the OP: Are we allowing routes that require a change, when there is a route that gives direct trains? Since I'm pretty sure in normal service, there are no direct trains from Southampton to Paddington, although at the same time I can see that is a route that a normal person might legitimately take (unlike some of the other suggestions in this thread ).

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Depending how much overlap is allowed, I think Preston to Blackpool would count as two different routes.

If changes are allowed, Liverpool to Preston (via Wigan, or changing at Ormskirk - which has the unusual distinction of the direct route by mileage requiring a change of trains, but there are direct trains on the indirect route)

Swindon to Bristol (if you count Bristol Parkway as part of Bristol)

Dartford to London has 3 routes, but is perhaps pushing the restriction of 'major city'

 

[norbitonflyer]

Six, by my count. Or seven, counting the Elizabeth line.

I make it four. I don't think you can count the Circle and District as two lines, or the Met, Circle and District as three, since the bit connecting Temple to Embankment or Farringdon to Great Portlanbd Street are use the same tracks.

All Tube lines except the Drain serve Westminster. The Bakerloo, Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria do not serve the City. Each of the two central branches of the Northern serves one (but only one) of the two cities.

 

[Class15]

There are two potential lines from Ipswich - London, and as they head in different directions from Ipswich, I don’t believe they would share any track:

Ipswich - Colchester - Witham - Shenfield - Stratford - Liverpool St

Ipswich - Bury St Edmunds - Chippenham (no, not the one out west) - Cambridge - Kings Cross

 

[richard1976]

Liverpool to Manchester
Via Warrington or via Newton-le-Willows

 

[jfollows]

Is there still a Bristol TM to Padd via Parkway, as well as the usual route via Bath?

1H02 04:53 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington

 

[thenorthern]

Prior to covid there were two routes to go from Newcastle to Glasgow direct. One was to take an LNER/CrossCounty service via Edinburgh and the other option was to get a joint Northern/ScotRail service via Carlisle and Dumfries. The strange thing was that neither route was the quickest way as it was quicket to get a train to Edinburgh and then get the train via Falkirk.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

London to Paris either on Eurostar or via Dover and the ferry line to Calais?

 

[Bevan Price]

Manchester to Wigan (works if we must restrict to Wigan North Western as well) - you can have a third route if via Bolton is sufficiently different from the Atherton line.

In the North West there were so many more combinations that have been lost to closure. Maybe there will be a new Manchester to Liverpool...

Yes, Manchester Central to Wigan Central via Glazebrook, and Manchester Exchange to Wigan NW via Tyldesley have both been "lost".

And Manchester to Liverpool had many complexities, all of which were regularly used;
Manchester Victoria - Atherton - Wigan Wallgate - Liverpool Exchange,
with variants via Bolton, Via Wigan avoiding line.

Manchester Exchange - Chat Moss - Liverpool Lime St
Variant via Tyldesley, Leigh & Kenyon Jn

Manchester Central - Warrington Central
Variants via Warrington Central avoiding line; via Widnes Central loop

Manchester Oxford Road - Lymm - Bank Quay Low Level - Ditton Jn - Liverpool Lime t.

 

[Pnerick81]

Blackburn- Manchester

 

[317 forever]

Yes, ECML Vs WCML. Of course, prior to 1967 the two rival routes joined/divided at Kinnaber Junction, about 3:miles North of Montrose.

Since when have Horsham and Epsom been considered as major cities?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Feb 2025 ==


Apart from Manchester, none of those places could be remotely described as major cities!

Again, I would not describe Aylesbury as a major city!

Since the constituencies were won by the Liberal Democrats

 

[richard1976]

Leeds to York
Either direct or via Harrogate

 

[D6130]

Leeds to York
Either direct or via Harrogate

....plus the third route via Castleford.