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Trivia : shortest and longest time between stations
- Thread starter jaybeegee
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Kite159
Veteran Member
Longest time must be London Kings cross to Newcastle on Lumo
NaZzAtAzEr
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Never timed it but pretty sure blackfriars city thameslink would be the shortest. You can literally see them from each other
VT 390
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Depending on your definition of between stations the Caledonian Sleeper would have some of the longest journey times between stations that you can make a permitted journey on.
The Lowlander is around 5 hours northbound and 6 hours southbound between Watford Junction and Carlisle (although often arrives early).
The Highlander is between around 4-6 hours between Preston and Inverkeithing/Stirling/Dalmuir.
The train does stop between these stations but not for boarding/alighting (except pick up only Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street northbound and set down only Edinburgh southbound on Fort William portions).
But if just going by the shortest journey you can make on a service these will likely be the longest minimum journey times on any service in Britain.
The Lowlander is around 5 hours northbound and 6 hours southbound between Watford Junction and Carlisle (although often arrives early).
The Highlander is between around 4-6 hours between Preston and Inverkeithing/Stirling/Dalmuir.
The train does stop between these stations but not for boarding/alighting (except pick up only Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street northbound and set down only Edinburgh southbound on Fort William portions).
But if just going by the shortest journey you can make on a service these will likely be the longest minimum journey times on any service in Britain.
Howardh
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Heavy rail - under a minute between Deansgate and Oxford Road (Manchester); must get round to timing it one day! Also Newhaven Town to Harbour under a minute.
DLR trains might (should!) have shorter times, and on the tube Charing Cross the Embankment is under a minute as is Leicester Sq to Covent Garden.
DLR trains might (should!) have shorter times, and on the tube Charing Cross the Embankment is under a minute as is Leicester Sq to Covent Garden.
Counting metros and trams, Castle Square to Fitzalan Square / Ponds Forge (Sheffield) looks to be around a minute. I think two minutes is the minimum on the Tyne and Wear Metro (Monument to Central Station, St. James, Manors or Haymarket).
Krystal
Member
Canada Water to Rotherhithe around a minute. You've barely left the other and the next station is announced.
D6130
Established Member
Off the top of my head, in the Glasgow area:
Possilpark & Parkhouse-Gilsochhill
Glasgow Central (Low Level)-Argyle Street
Anderston-Exhibition Centre
Dumbarton Central-Dalreoch
Possilpark & Parkhouse-Gilsochhill
Glasgow Central (Low Level)-Argyle Street
Anderston-Exhibition Centre
Dumbarton Central-Dalreoch
The Mercian
Member
Wrexham General to Wrexham Central must be in with a shout.
Midland Man
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Shipley/Saltaire - around a minute or less.
steamybrian
Established Member
I agree on Blackfriars to City Thameslink for National Rail lines the stations are 958 feet approx 320 yards (0.2km) apart
Canary Wharf to West India Quay on Docklands Light Railway are.775 feet apart or approx 258 yards apart.
Canary Wharf to West India Quay on Docklands Light Railway are.775 feet apart or approx 258 yards apart.
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Is it correct that all these examples are for trains stopping at both stations? The OP specifies the time between stations, but makes no mention of stopping. Are there other stations which would feature on this list if pass to pass times were included?
Back in 2022 (in the 507/8 era and using multiple journeys) railway YouTuber Nick Badley tried "to find what the true shortest journey is on the Merseyrail! Is it Wallasey Village to Wallasey Grove Road? Or is it James Street to Moorfields?":
The result of his fastest journeys:
The result of his fastest journeys:
Village - Grove Road: 1:04.7
James St - Moorfields: 0:59.6
James St - Moorfields: 0:59.6
One of, if not the, station pairs with the lowest non-zero total journey time of trains between them. Some contenders for the highest I can think of are
- Shenfield to Paddington (163 trains per day at ~56 minutes each ≈ 153 hours; possibly beaten by parts of the tube network)
- King's Cross to Newcastle (52 trains today at at least 2:38 each gives a minimum of 137 hours)
- Euston to Birmingham New Street (49 Avanti ~1:30 + 32 ~2:20 LNR services ≈ 148 hours
- Euston to Crewe (~50 Avanti via Trent Valley + ~15 Avanti via Birmingham + 17 LNR + 5 Lumo services ≈ 191 hours
- The GWML does less well than I expected; Paddington to Didcot (66 fast + 35 semi-fast services make 79 hours) / Swindon (75 services, each ~55 minutes, for ~68 hours)
(I don't think this measure has any practical use beyond trivia questions.)
Mcr Warrior
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Only 17 chains between the two, so has to be in with a shout.
gg1
Established Member
Were there ever any services which served both stations though?
steamybrian
Established Member
If closed stations count then I suggest New Holland Town and New Holland Pier as the stations were joined...!
Mcr Warrior
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That's a 30 chains journey. Surely the Birchgrove to Ty Glas example mentioned upthread (= 17 chains) has to be quicker.