Non-rail Counties

[Bittern]

The Electric Countires thread got me thinking. Is there any counties anywhere in Britain that lack any form of railway?

 

[Nightrider]

The Scottish Borders area would certainly be up there along with North West Ireland.

 

[Bittern]

The borders is questionable, as there is a railway there (Waverley Route Heritage Association); it's just still being built.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Not exactly what you wanted to know, but this thread reminded me that Wyoming is the only one of the contiguous US states (i.e. excluding Alaska, Hawaii etc) without Amtrak service. Although there are many, like Idaho and Tennessee that have only a smidgen at one extremity of the state.

http://passengertraininfo.com/images/amtrakMap.gif

 

[Royston Vasey]

The borders is questionable, as there is a railway there (Waverley Route Heritage Association); it's just still being built.

Why doesn't the ECML count?

 

[PaulLothian]

The Electric Countires thread got me thinking. Is there any counties anywhere in Britain that lack any form of railway?

Of the current Scottish local authorities, some of which are not 'counties', I think all of the mainland council areas have some railway lines; the only one I can see currently without passenger services is Midlothian, which has only Millerhill Yard, tucked right in the northernmost corner.

However, there are the three island authorities, so the answer is 'yes'!

 

[tbtc]

Why doesn't the ECML count?

It ought to!

The Borders have no railway station, no motorway, no "senior" football team, they lack a lot of things, but they do have a line running through them from Cockburnspath to Marshall Meadows outside Berwick

 

[jopsuk]

Until the SAK project revived it in 2008, the lines in Clackmannanshire had been entirely without passenger or freight services since the molasses tanks to the yeast factory at Menstrie ceased in the mid 90s

 

[37 418]

the only one I can see currently without passenger services is Midlothian.

Midlothian in the traditional sense does as it includes Edinburgh.

 

[Flying Snail]

The Scottish Borders area would certainly be up there along with North West Ireland.

Tyrone and Fermanagh in Northern Ireland as well as Monaghan and Cavan south of the border have no railways.

 

[PaulLothian]

Midlothian in the traditional sense does as it includes Edinburgh.

Now you're opening up the possibility of another set of answers - I did say 'current Scottish local authorities'

In fact, minus Midlothian, the answer would probably have been the same when the old counties existed.

..................
Post edited after I hit wrong key and submitted accidentally!

 

[Bittern]

Why doesn't the ECML count?

Because I forgot about that.

 

[PaulLothian]

In fact, minus Midlothian, the answer would probably have been the same when the old counties existed.

And, of course, the pre-1975 County of Bute/Buteshire (consisting entirely of islands in the Firth of Clyde) had none.

I think every old Scottish mainland county did have railways.

 

[scotsman]

There's Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland if you want local authority areas.

Or, in real terms - Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland, Skye, Argyll, the Inner Isles.

 

[GNERman]

Slightly off topic but I believe the county Rutland was the last county in England to gain a direct service to London every day but EMT filled the gap with it's two trains per day...

(Just a small fact )

 

[route101]

Well the borders will gain the railway to Galashiels . I often forget about the towns in the borders as getting there is hard on public transport .

 

[radamfi]

Well the borders will gain the railway to Galashiels . I often forget about the towns in the borders as getting there is hard on public transport .

To be fair, there are regular buses between Galashiels, Hawick, Selkirk and Edinburgh, running seven days a week including evenings, and up to every 30 minutes, which is better than many areas. There are also links to Carlisle and Berwick.

 

[route101]

Yeah there might be buses to Edinburgh but not to Glasgow. Megabus run a Edinburgh to London service through the borders .Ive done the X95 from Edinburgh to Carlisle in November 09 nice scenary despite the uncomfy bus

 

[tbtc]

Yeah there might be buses to Edinburgh but not to Glasgow

That's partly due to distance and partly due to demand.

However there was a Sunday service by First Glasgow to Peebles a few years ago

 

[route101]

That's partly due to distance and partly due to demand.

However there was a Sunday service by First Glasgow to Peebles a few years ago

Off Topic Citylink running coach services into the borders from Glasgow would be an idea .Borders dosent have a link with Scotlands largest city :roll:

 

[tbtc]

Off Topic Citylink running coach services into the borders from Glasgow would be an idea .Borders dosent have a link with Scotlands largest city :roll:

Two issues there.

Firstly, "the Borders" are a spread out place and hard to serve with one line/ route (for example the Gala railway would be little use to those in Peebles)

Secondly, a lot of Scotland is like that (in terms of not having a link to one of the two big cities). Ayrshire/ Inverclyde/ West Highlands have no year round direct bus/ coach/ rail link to the capital city. Fife only has one train a day to Glasgow (and only certain parts of Fife are served). By the sounds of it, in a few years time Inverness and the Highlands will have no train service to Glasgow (see other thread). A lot of places have either an Edinburgh service *or* a Glasgow service (be it bus/ rail...)

 

[scotsman]

Fife only has one train a day to Glasgow (and only certain parts of Fife are served). By the sounds of it, in a few years time Inverness and the Highlands will have no train service to Glasgow (see other thread). A lot of places have either an Edinburgh service *or* a Glasgow service (be it bus/ rail...)

Yes, but all of Fife's stations have services to Edinburgh which connect well into QS services.

 

[tbtc]

Yes, but all of Fife's stations have services to Edinburgh which connect well into QS services.

Agreed. I'm just answering "route101"s surprise that somewhere in Scotland only has link to one of the two big cities - most places only have a link to the nearer one

However, I'm going to avoid an argument about whether a link to "the biggest city" is more or less important than a link to "the capital"

 

[djw1981]

some of the first edinburgh carlisel-Edinburgh buses are Rail-linked buses available as thru tickets iirc?

 

[wintonian]

I hope there is no argument about the Isles of Scilly.

 

[jopsuk]

some of the first edinburgh carlisel-Edinburgh buses are Rail-linked buses available as thru tickets iirc?

Pretty sure those buses even carry National Rail (ex BR) (or certainly did five or six years ago) double arrows to indicate the link to rail services. I can remeber them having crazy blue interior lighting too- never used them, just saw them on The Bridges in the south of Edinburgh

 

[route101]

Pretty sure those buses even carry National Rail (ex BR) (or certainly did five or six years ago) double arrows to indicate the link to rail services. I can remeber them having crazy blue interior lighting too- never used them, just saw them on The Bridges in the south of Edinburgh

Im sure the Carlisle to Edinburgh x95 bus is shown on the departure board at Carlisle. The First Eclipses on the x95 do have that blue lighting , dont know why . The old Lothian Olympians did.

 

[TGV]

Because I forgot about that.

You forgot about the ECML? Go hang your head in shame...

 

[Bittern]

But I need my head.

 

[mallard]

Not exactly what you wanted to know, but this thread reminded me that Wyoming is the only one of the contiguous US states (i.e. excluding Alaska, Hawaii etc) without Amtrak service. Although there are many, like Idaho and Tennessee that have only a smidgen at one extremity of the state.

http://passengertraininfo.com/images/amtrakMap.gif

I assume South Dakota has something that's not shown on that map then?