The Largest Town most Isolated from the Rail Network

[Mutant Lemming]

I would imagine the largest town without a railway station has been dealt with somewhere but what is the largest town that is most isolated from the network? For instance Skelmersdale New Town has no station but isn't too far from Upholland whereas Kelso is some distance from a station requiring a lengthy bus journey to reach the nearest railhead.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Hawick is the town furthest from a station AFAIK.

 

[table38]

Oldham?

 

[tony_mac]

It depends what counts as 'largest' and 'most isolated', you can't have a simple answer when there are two variables.

Washington is reasonably close to a rail station but has a fairly large population, Lerwick has a much smaller population but is a lot further from a station.

 

[yorksrob]

Leigh ?

 

[Philip Elliott]

It depends what counts as 'largest' and 'most isolated', you can't have a simple answer when there are two variables.

Washington is reasonably close to a rail station but has a fairly large population, Lerwick has a much smaller population but is a lot further from a station.

Indeed, two variables makes it difficult. Coalville is both quite large (33,000) and quite a distance from any station but it does have a railway [freight only] running through it...

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Oldham?

Isn't Greenfield station within the borough of Odlham ?

 

[Yew]

Dont forget service intensity too. Imagine a city with only 2tph to other cities...

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Dont forget service intensity too. Imagine a city with only 2tph to other cities...

Or indeed none - see St Davids or Wells . Inverness has 3tp2h to other cities, certainly less than Lincoln.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Indeed, two variables makes it difficult. Coalville is both quite large (33,000) and quite a distance from any station but it does have a railway [freight only] running through it...

Well a town that is some distance, say 10 or 20 miles from it's nearest station. Somewhere that is a pain to get to when told one has a need to visit it. (As in - "Louth ? how the hell do we get there" kind of thing)

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Ullapool would be a bit of a pain, although not massive, it is far and away the largest town between Fort William and Thurso.

 

[142094]

Washington is without a rail link but is quite close to Newcastle, Sunderland or Durham. You could also add in towns in SE Northumberland such as Ashington and Blyth.

 

[Eagle]

What about northern Coventry? Densely populated, but almost five miles from a station and about half an hour by bus...

 

[Class172]

Newcastle-under-Lyne, big place but Stoke-on-Trent is it's local station.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Gosport is said to be the largest town in the country without an operational railway station.

 

[tbtc]

Dont forget service intensity too. Imagine a city with only 2tph to other cities...

Or indeed none - see St Davids or Wells . Inverness has 3tp2h to other cities, certainly less than Lincoln.

By the same yardstick, an Elgin City fan would claim their borough is hard done by, but at least they get more trains than Brechin City supporters...

 

[Eagle]

By the same yardstick, an Elgin City fan would claim their borough is hard done by, but at least they get more trains than Brechin City supporters...

Neither Elgin nor Brechin is a city though...

The only Scottish cities are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Hawick is the largest town furthest from a station AFAIK.

Really? I've been told it's between Gosport and Newcastle-under-Lyne.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Really? I've been told it's between Gosport and Newcastle-under-Lyne.

I meant town of any decent size furthest from a station (as in, a good 60 miles!), as opposed to a village etc.

 

[Eagle]

Hawick is the largest town furthest from a station AFAIK.

Fixed that for you (made no sense with two superlatives—and Hawick is hardly large!)

 

[ValleyLines142]

Isn't Greenfield station within the borough of Odlham ?

Greenfield is a station within the wider Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, the only railway station in the borough in fact, but Oldham town itself currently has no operational railway since the closure of the Oldham Loop Line from Manchester Victoria to Rochdale in 2009. It's now going to be opened as part of the Metrolink later this year.
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I meant town of any decent size furthest from a station (as in, a good 60 miles!), as opposed to a village etc.

Ah right. Dunstable is quite a way from a station I believe.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Gosport is said to be the largest town in the country without an operational railway station.

Isn't that what they say about Dudley too?

 

[radamfi]

Ah right. Dunstable is quite a way from a station I believe.

If you call about 3 miles from Leagrave 'quite a way'. Dunstable is part of the same continuous urban area as 3 other stations.

 

[Chapeltom]

Peterhead.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Isn't that what they say about Dudley too?

Dudley town currently doesn't have an operational railway station but Sandwell & Dudley station (which has Virgin services!), Tipton and Dudley Port are all within the larger Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.

 

[dvboy]

Dudley town currently doesn't have an operational railway station but Sandwell & Dudley station (which has Virgin services!), Tipton and Dudley Port are all within the larger Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.

No. Dudley doesn't have a station, though it has stations within its borough at Stourbridge, Lye and Coseley.

Dudley Port is an area of Tipton which is in Sandwell borough, as is Sandwell & Dudley which should really be called Oldbury as it used to be. Just because it gets 1tph to London doesn't warrant the fancy name that implies it serves places it doesn't really.

 

[ValleyLines142]

If you call about 3 miles from Leagrave 'quite a way#. Dunstable is part of the same continuous urban area as 3 other stations.

I didn't think it was that close.

 

[johnnychips]

It was a lot easier when the largest without a station was Mansfield.

 

[150222]

Queensbury (West Yorkshire?)

Seriously, Pre- Robin Hood line it would be Mansfield.

EDITamn beaten to it.

 

[Eagle]

It was a lot easier when the largest without a station was Mansfield.

Or Corby.

What about Bury, then? That's big and National-Rail-less...