Trivia: Which is the most frequent service?

[CTSleo]

Just out of curiosity, what is the most frequent route between any two stations (excluding the TfL services)?

Yesterday, I was at London Fenchurch Street and surprised by the interval of 10 minutes per train from London Fenchurch Street to Southend-On-Sea.

In Birmingham, it seems that there are six trains per hour connecting Birmingham New Street and University (5 WMR and 1 XC).

Not sure if there is any other route with more than six trains per hour across the network?

 

[Jimini]

Round these parts (Reading), we have 17-18 trains per hour to Paddington at peak times (taking 0700-0800 last Monday as an example). If you remove the Abbey Wood (TfL) ones it's still 13-14 per hour.

Currently (1430 on a Sunday), we still have seven per hour, which is still pretty decent. I'm sure there will be many more in southern suburbia that will better Reading's service though!

 

[ls2270]

Ones that immediately spring to mind are between any two of the stations on the Elizabeth Line or Thameslink central London sections, Charing Cross/Waterloo East/London Bridge and Waterloo or Victoria to Clapham Junction.

 

[mlambeuk]

York to Leeds with approx 6 trains per hour (8 trains per hour if you include via Harrogate).

 

[Bedwyn32]

London Waterloo to Clapham junction has to be up there. If that counts.

 

[swt_passenger]

Ones that immediately spring to mind are between any two of the stations on the Elizabeth Line…

Except the OP said not to include TfL services…

 

[ls2270]

Except the OP said not to include TfL services…

Well it’s a bit of a grey area whether that’s National Rail or TfL but my other examples stand!

 

[swt_passenger]

Well it’s a bit of a grey area whether that’s National Rail or TfL but my other examples stand!

Sure, and it amazes me that people will still include their local 6 or 8 tph service despite the approaches to Waterloo, Victoria, Charing Cross etc having about 4 times as many…

 

[mm333]

There are 9 trains a hour in each direction between Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road.

 

[EYFanatic]

Stourbridge Town to Stourbridge Junction gets 7 an hour

 

[GoneSouth]

There are 9 trains a hour in each direction between Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road.

And still it’s quicker to walk from station entrance to station entrance

 

[A S Leib]

Roughly looking by TOC (whilst including all TOCs with more or less normal National Rail fares), 10:00-10:59 on a weekday

TfW Rail: Stockport – Manchester Piccadilly (14 tph), followed by Cardiff Central – Queen Street (12 tph)

c2c: excluding TfL, Fenchurch Street – Barking (8 tph)

Chiltern: I think Marylebone – High Wycombe (5 tph) (currently 4 tph each for Birmingham Moor Street – Dorridge / Snow Hill; Harrow-on-the-Hill – Chalfont & Latimer would be 6 tph if counting TfL services and South Ruislip – West Ruislip would be 9 tph)

EMR: Manchester Piccadilly – Stockport (14 tph)

Grand Central: I think Halifax – Bradford Interchange (5 tph without a Grand Central service)

Great Northern: I think Stevenage – Hitchin (6 tph)

LNER: Wakefield Westgate – Leeds (6 tph; 7 tph when the Northern Sheffield – Leeds services start)

GWR: Paddington – Reading (14 tph)

Hull Trains: King's Cross – Doncaster (3+ tph depending on Hull Trains and Grand Central timing)

Lumo: from next month, Newcastle will have 3 tph + Lumo to King's Cross, and 3 tph + Lumo and 1tp2h TransPennine Express to Edinburgh, so I think Newcastle – Edinburgh wins

West Midlands Railway: Birmingham New Street – Birmingham International's 9 tph; if you count services you could use with a standard National Rail ticket, Euston – Watford Junction is also 9 tph (counting Overground and not Avanti), but even then New Street – Wolverhampton has 10 tph so wins

London Overground: Dalston Junction – Surrey Quays (16 tph); Canonbury – Highbury & Islington has 17 tph in the hour I looked

Merseyrail: Hamilton Square – Liverpool city loop (14 tph)

Northern, TransPennine Express, Avanti, CrossCountry: I think Piccadilly – Stockport also wins here (14 tph)

Southeastern: London Bridge – Charing Cross (19 tph)

Southern: Victoria – Clapham Junction (17 tph)

ScotRail: Edinburgh Waverley – Haymarket (16 tph)

South Western: Waterloo – Clapham Junction (26 tph)

Thameslink: St. Pancras – Blackfriars (14 tph)

Crossrail: Paddington – Whitechapel (16 tph)

 

[CTSleo]

Thanks to everyone for their examples.

So the winner will be Waterloo – Clapham Junction?

Since London will definitely be the winner, what is the most frequent route outside London?

Maybe Manchester Piccadilly – Stockport?

 

[A S Leib]

Waverley – Haymarket outside London.

 

[Spandau]

14 trains an hour between Liverpool Central and Birkenhead Hamilton Square

 

[Howardh]

There are 9 trains a hour in each direction between Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road.

That's the maximum it (the Corridor) can take I believe? If so it wouldn't include freight?

 

[Magdalia]

Roughly looking by TOC (whilst including all TOCs with more or less normal National Rail fares), 10:00-10:59 on a weekday

I think you have missed Greater Anglia.

Liverpool Street-Tottenham Hale is 8tph.

When it opens next year, Cambridge-Cambridge South will have 9tph, spread over 4 different TOCs.

 

[A S Leib]

I think you have missed Greater Anglia.

Liverpool Street-Tottenham Hale is 8tph.

When it opens next year, Cambridge-Cambridge South will have 9tph, spread over 4 different TOCs.

Stratford to Shenfield or Liverpool Street (if not being strict about what counts as a TfL service or taking different routes)'s surely the Greater Anglia winner? Liverpool Street to Shenfield is 16 trains from 10:00-10:59 tomorrow.

 

[zwk500]

Roughly looking by TOC (whilst including all TOCs with more or less normal National Rail fares), 10:00-10:59 on a weekday

Surely the busiest routes will be at a Peak time? OP doesn't specify off-peak only.

South Western: Waterloo – Clapham Junction (26 tph)

0800-0859 on a Tuesday I count 36 (could be a couple either side) calls at Clapham Junction heading to London Waterloo: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...5-11-25/0800-0859?stp=WVS&show=call&order=wtt

 

[swt_passenger]

Surely the busiest routes will be at a Peak time? OP doesn't specify off-peak only.

0800-0859 on a Tuesday I count 36 (could be a couple either side) calls at Clapham Junction heading to London Waterloo: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...5-11-25/0800-0859?stp=WVS&show=call&order=wtt

Slight problem with that RTT query in that it exaggerates the numbers, because it will include a few rounders that are heading outbound before coming back through Clapham Junction. I think the only workaround is a query that starts at Waterloo.

It will still of course be a huge number compared to some of the single figure suggestions above.

 

[A S Leib]

Surely the busiest routes will be at a Peak time? OP doesn't specify off-peak only.

That's fair, although I think measuring it at off-peak times gives a better sense of how busy routes are relative to each other.

 

[zwk500]

Slight problem with that RTT query in that it exaggerates the numbers, because it will include a few rounders that are heading outbound before coming back through Clapham Junction. I think the only workaround is a query that starts at Waterloo.

It will still of course be a huge number compared to some of the single figure suggestions above.

Fair point - I count 14 instances of Rounders so knock 7 off to get 29tph.

 

[Acfb]

Waverley – Haymarket outside London.

I just checked (put 9.40am tomorrow into RTT) and there's about 20.

 

[Jimini]

Point of interest -- I wonder how my example of Reading <> Paddington above stacks up to the others when you consider the mileage between the two stations vs. the frequency? I've hung my calculator up for the day here but could be an interesting comparison / discussion point from all the various posts above.

 

[CTSleo]

Think probably better to specify the rule? All calculations exclude TfL services - Overground, Underground, Elizabeth line, DLR, etc. and freight as well (but can add later if this is of interest to the people)

Not sure if restricting the discussion in one direction will make a difference or not (as it is assumed that the frequency of trains in both directions remains similar, if this is wrong, then we can separate further)

1 The busiest route between any two stations across the network at the peak time
2 The busiest route between any two stations across the network at the off-peak time
3 The busiest route between any two stations across the network at the peak time outside London
4 The busiest route between any two stations across the network at the off-peak time outside London
5 The busiest inter-city route (e.g., two stations cannot be too close) (too hard to define "too close", but here is a rough definition: they are not in the same county, hence, London - Reading mentioned by #24 will be eligible for this)

1 & 2 probably London Waterloo - Clapham Junction?

Not sure about others?

 

[Vexed]

Point of interest -- I wonder how my example of Reading <> Paddington above stacks up to the others when you consider the mileage between the two stations vs. the frequency? I've hung my calculator up for the day here but could be an interesting comparison / discussion point from all the various posts above.

Certainly an interesting point.

14tph*57km = 798 train km per hour for Reading - Paddington off peak.
18*57 = 1026 peak

Brighton to St Pancras is 8*84 = 627

Euston to Milton Keynes 8*80 = 640

Euston to Manchester Piccadilly 3*295 = 885 (295km is shortest route, not all 3 tph actually take the same route)
Manchester to Euston is 4tph for the morning peak 4*295=1180

Kings Cross to York 4*303 = 1212 (only in hours with 3thp LNER + OA)

Kings Cross to Edinburgh on Sundays when LNER run 3tph some hours + 1 Lumo (eg 1000-1059) 4*632 = 2528

London Paddington to Swindon 5*128 = 640

London to Cambridge is made up of:
Kings Cross 3*90=270 (4*90=360 peak)
St Pancras 2*90=180
London Liverpool Street 2*89=178 (4*89=356 peak)
For a total of 896 peak / 628 off peak

There might be some I've missed but it looks like London to Edinburgh on Sundays (before the new ECML timetable) blows everything else I found out of the water with 2528!

Cheating a little (yes I know this post is already not exactly what the OP asked) unfortunately you can't line the timings up for an extra LNER & Lumo plus an Avanti service from Euston, but 1600-1659 gives you 3tph ECML and 1tph WCML. As the Avanti is slightly longer it's a total of 2553. However you can get 4tph to Kings Cross and 1tph to Euston southbound eg 1030-1129 Sundays so 2528+657=3185 train km per hour.

 

[A S Leib]

Kings Cross to York 4*303 = 1212 (only in hours with 3thp LNER + OA)

Kings Cross to Edinburgh on Sundays when LNER run 3tph some hours + 1 Lumo (eg 1000-1059) 4*632 = 2528

Under the new timetable, if it isn't already the case, some hours will have five York departures from Kings Cross e.g. 07:30 to Edinburgh, 07:33 to Newcastle, 07:45 to York, 08:00 to Sunderland, 08:03 to Edinburgh.

5 The busiest inter-city route (e.g., two stations cannot be too close) (too hard to define "too close", but here is a rough definition: they are not in the same county, hence, London - Reading mentioned by #24 will be eligible for this)

Shenfield – Liverpool Street (15 tph peak) and Gatwick – East Croydon (14 departures per hour between 07:00-09:59) might beat Reading – Paddington (highest I've found is 13 tph).

 

[AM9]

If this thread is about passenger service, then maybe a platform & to platform service should be considered, i.e. counting trains over exactly the same track, such as Gatwick to East Croydon, Manchester Piccadilly to Oxford Road, or Sheffield to Stratford. Also, a non-peak hour would avoid peak concentrations over shirt periods, as is normal on city approaches.

 

[A S Leib]

Gatwick to East Croydon

Couldn't you argue that doesn't count as some services go via Redhill and others don't?

or Sheffield to Stratford.

Shenfield?

 

[zwk500]

Couldn't you argue that doesn't count as some services go via Redhill and others don't?

Also there's multiple platforms at both stations so will be less than e.g. a Crossrail/Elizabeth line service between any platform pair.