Long and short services

[Ivo]

Everyone knows about routes such as the Stourbridge branch and the Cardiff Bay line, which are both known for being extremely short. But what is the longest service to not stop? The best I can do would be the Cambridge Cruiser services, but I reckon they can be beaten. And what of the reverse? A very short route which involves at least one intermediate station, such as the Bromley North line and Romford to Upminster?

Also, I'm putting up another quiz, so do please check both

 

[richard1976]

the longest service without station stops i think is the lowland sleeper with no station stops between Watford junction and Carlisle

 

[mumrar]

Well, I'd have expected every ECML service that is first stop Peterborough to beat the Cambridge cruisers. In terms of non-sleeper services isn't there still an East Coast HST that is first stop York? I also may have imagined it, but is there any Euston-Preston non stop Pendolinos? Paddington-Reading on the GWML is a fair pull and of course St Pancras-Leicester on the MML too.

 

[Ivo]

Yes, but what about services that don't stop at all? I can't think of anything more distant than King's Cross to Cambridge. A true Express, like the Scotsman once was when hauled by the legendary A3 of the same name.

 

[MCR247]

Euston - Preston is quite far? And Preston - Glasgow on the 1630 EUS-GLC

 

[EltonRoad]

Yes, but what about services that don't stop at all? I can't think of anything more distant than King's Cross to Cambridge. A true Express, like the Scotsman once was when hauled by the legendary A3 of the same name.

Do you mean first and only stop? ie starting at A and terminating at B with no calling points?

 

[Ivo]

That was the idea, but it hasn't really worked that way...

 

[Lampshade]

There was a Preston - Manchester Victoria TPE service one Sunday about a year ago, engineering works between Piccadilly and Manchester Airport, something going on at Chorley so diverted via Atherton and the WCML was closed north of Preston for some reason.

 

[Ivo]

What about the opposite though? Can anyone think of anything shorter to have an intermediate stop than Bromley to Grove Park or Romford to Upminster?

 

[Track Basher]

What about the opposite though? Can anyone think of anything shorter to have an intermediate stop than Bromley to Grove Park or Romford to Upminster?

Lancaster to Morecambe? 4 miles.

 

[Lampshade]

St Erth - St Ives if you don't count the Penzance services.

 

[fairysdad]

For long services, I did once catch a train from Paddington to Exeter, other than Reading it was non-stop via Bristol (having said that, it did stop at Bristol, but not for passenger use). Not sure if that is in regular service though, or just because it couldn't, for whatever reason, use the Berks & Hants Line.

 

[EltonRoad]

One of the Newquay services in the summer is sometimes booked non stop from Reading to Lostwithiel. (Admittedly that's not quite what the OP was about)

 

[paulravuslante]

Grand Central's Sunderland services operate non-stop from Kings Cross to York. Surely that's a winner for the longest!?

As for a short route with multiple stops, something that comes to my mind is Coryton to Radyr on the Cardiff suburban network. It's a 39 minute journey with 12 stops and two of the stations are 1 minute apart!

 

[Captain Chaos]

Maidenhead - Bourne End

About 4 and a half miles long I believe and stops at Furze Platt and Cookham in between.

 

[Broken Viking]

Long haul: Any Eurostar express service running non-stop St. Pancras/Ebbsfleet -> Gare du Nord. I also recall that the Winter ski trains avoid Paris completely, so there's a direct Ebbsfleet -> Lyon there, too!

Short-haul: Ryde; Pier Head -> Esplanade -> St. Johns Road. All three stations are so close together that the travel time between them isn't that much longer than taking a brisk walk! (And saving having to pay SWTs fares whilst ye are at it! )

 

[Statto]

Some FGW run non stop Reading to Exeter. ECML do run some Trains non stop York-Kings Cross.

Just thinking, apart from Eurostar & the Sleepers, which long distance service service fewest stops, like, the 5:50am Service, Edinburgh-Berwick-Newcastle-York-Grantham-Kings Cross.
There used to be a WCML service Glasgow-London Euston[nammed The Royal Scot] that used to only stop at Carlisle-Lancaster-Preston.

 

[MCR247]

1S82 1630 Euston - Glasgow

 

[Statto]

Short Branch lines, New Brighton to Birkenhead North, only 3 miles, with stations at Wallasey Village, & Wallasey Grove Road, & the latter 2 Stations are 1/4 of a Mile from each other.

 

[Scotrail84]

Edinburgh to Newraighall? 2 miles if your lucky.


Glasgow QST to Anniesland??

Do these count?

 

[Statto]

Crewe-Stafford 30 miles, could be one of the contenders for the longest distance between 2 stations on the same line on the National Rail network without an intermediate station in between[think Norton Bridge is now closed].

Wallasey Village to Wallasey Grove Road could be contender for the shortest distance 1/4 of a mile, between 2 stations on the same line on the National Rail network .

 

[martinsh]

Crewe-Stafford 30 miles, could be one of the contenders for the longest distance between 2 stations on the same line on the National Rail network without an intermediate station in between[think Norton Bridge is now closed].
.

Lockerbie - Carstairs = about 48 miles.

[ That certainly used to be the record some years ago ]

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Seeing as how Eurostar has already been mentioned regarding non-stop runs on the grounds that it starts in the UK, then I would have to point out that Lille to Haute Picardie and Haute Picardie to Villers le Bel / Gonesse ( the first station encountered once off the LGV Nord into Paris ) are well over 48 miles each, but I don't have the actual distances.

Lille to Bruxelles probably beats that as, although it does pass other stations, it's on a different line that just happens to run parallel at times. But again I haven't got the distance to hand.

 

[Broken Viking]

I've just thought of a run that contends for both the longest and shortest distance...

Mallaig to Kyle of Lochalsh: By road or on foot it's only 25m 40ch (According to Google Maps) but by rail it's much further! I can't look up the exact distance at the moment, but I believe it's at least a 400 mile bash by rail! hock:

 

[Liam]

Lockerbie - Carstairs = about 48 miles.

[ That certainly used to be the record some years ago ]

Surely Lockerbie-Kirknewton? Although no trains actually stop at both stations.

 

[martinsh]

Surely Lockerbie-Kirknewton? Although no trains actually stop at both stations.

When I say "many years ago" I mean "when everything reversed at Carstairs for Edinburgh"

Track Atlas not to hand so can't quote Lockerbie - Kirknewton distance

 

[12CSVT]

Short services - Coryton branch has 6 stations in just over 2 miles.

 

[MCR247]

When I say "many years ago" I mean "when everything reversed at Carstairs for Edinburgh"

Track Atlas not to hand so can't quote Lockerbie - Kirknewton distance

64mi 42ch

 

[scotsman]

Lockerbie - Carstairs = about 48 miles.

[ That certainly used to be the record some years ago ]

Lockerbie - Kirknewton = 64 miles
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Edinburgh to Newraighall? 2 miles if your lucky.

4mi 54ch

Glasgow QST to Anniesland??

5mi 36ch

 

[steamybrian]

The shortest self contained railway suggest-

Waterloo- Bank

It has no direct connection to any other line. Stock has to be hoisted in and out by lift.
It has a depot to berth its own unique stock.

Yes I know that Stourbridge Town branch is shorter but it is connected directly to other lines.