Shortest and longest possible journey without changing by TOC?

[pokemonsuper9]

Northern: Atherton to Hag Fold, 0.22 mi

Hag Fold - Atherton (58ch) is absolutely way longer than Deansgate - Oxford Road (28ch)
You can see Deansgate/Oxford Road from each other, but you can't see Hag Fold or Atherton from each other (although on a cold and quiet day you can hear a train departing one from the other)

And also on the Atherton line is Moorside-Swinton, which just beats HGF-ATN at 57 chains.

 

[A S Leib]

Actually, take the above with a grain of salt: there's some rather suspect numbers in there, like .6 mi from Ty Glas to Birchgrove.

Although signal.eu.org gives 330 m (~1/5 of a mile) for Rotherhithe – Canada Water as well.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Manchester Metrolink

Not sure how it's being measured here but platform end to platform end I think Market Street - Piccadilly Gardens is the shortest on the Metrolink at about 0.25km (measured by hand on Google maps so if anyone has an official figure that'd be better)

Previously Piccadilly Gardens - Mosley Street (~170m) would probably have been the shortest (by my measurements, it's about tied with Market St-Mosley St), but Mosley Street is long since closed.

 

[A S Leib]

According to a 2011 FoI request the shortest London trams distance is, by a margin of two metres, Phipps Bridge – Belgrave Walk at 0.383 km, barely shorter than King Henry's Drive – New Addington at 0.385 km.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Not sure how it's being measured here but platform end to platform end I think Market Street - Piccadilly Gardens is the shortest on the Metrolink at about 0.25km (measured by hand on Google maps so if anyone has an official figure that'd be better)

Think that's a fair approximation. Believe the official figures are 155 metres from Piccadilly Gardens to the Delta System zero point, and then another 130 metres from the zero point to Market Street. Of course, this then all depends on where exactly on a Metrolink tram stop that you measure to/from.

 

[A S Leib]

Not sure how it's being measured here but platform end to platform end I think Market Street - Piccadilly Gardens is the shortest on the Metrolink at about 0.25km (measured by hand on Google maps so if anyone has an official figure that'd be better)

Previously Piccadilly Gardens - Mosley Street (~170m) would probably have been the shortest (by my measurements, it's about tied with Market St-Mosley St), but Mosley Street is long since closed.

The most recent FoI request I can find comes up with 0.265 km for MKT to PCG as the shortest, but that looks like Market Street to Pomona as far as I can tell which definitely isn't right.

Edit: no, my fault. Of course PCG being Piccadilly Gardens makes sense.

 

[Purple Train]

A quick look at Glasgow has Central to Argyle Street at 28 chains. Anything shorter?

I'm disappointed that Scotrail isn't Culrain-Invershin which is a massive 35 chains.

Maryhill to Summerston is also 28 chains (all distances sourced from RTT).

Alexandra Parade to Duke Street looks like 27 chains.

I can't find anything shorter on ScotRail.

 

[A S Leib]

Sticking with FoI requests, the shortest distance between stops on the Midland Metro as of 2013 was 369 m (Dartmouth Street – Lodge Road) but Five Ways – Brindley Place is 278 m, 495 m for both Bridge Street – West Street and Kinning Park – Cessnock on the Glasgow Subway and 420 m for Gyle Centre – Edinburgh Gateway, since beaten by 400 m for The Shore – Port of Leith.

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Ones with likely winners suggested where shorter ones might exist: Southern, Blackpool Tramway

 

[RPI]

One of GWR's shortest must be Newcourt to Digby & Sowton, or St James Park to Exeter Central?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Sticking with FoI requests, the shortest distance between stops on the Midland Metro as of 2013 was 369 m (Dartmouth Street – Lodge Road) but Five Ways – Brindley Place is 278 m, 495 m for both Bridge Street – West Street and Kinning Park – Cessnock on the Glasgow Subway and 420 m for Gyle Centre – Edinburgh Gateway, since beaten by 400 m for The Shore – Port of Leith.

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Ones with no firm answer suggested yet: Blackpool Tramway, c2c, GWR, Sheffield Supertram

Ones with likely winners suggested where shorter ones might exist: Southern, CrossCountry

c2c shortest is Westcliff - Southend Central = 69ch (1.39km)
(measured all the shortest-looking ones through railmiles and this came out on top)

 

[A S Leib]

Newcourt to Digby & Sowton

1.3 km.

St James Park to Exeter Central

830 m.

I have 690 m for Exton – Lympstone Commando and 640 m for Devonport – Dockyard.

 

[RPI]

1.3 km.

830 m.

I have 690 m for Exton – Lympstone Commando and 640 m for Devonport – Dockyard.

Newcourt to Digby is misleading as you can clearly see one station from the other.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

On the Blackpool tram system, Gynn Square to Cliffs Hotel is ~245 metres. Anything shorter than that?

 

[London Trains]

How does Twickenham - St Margarets compare to Sunbury - Kempton Park?

 

[A S Leib]

I have 2.2 km for Attenborough – Beeston, beating 3.4 km for Torquay – Paignton for CrossCountry.

For sake of completion I should add in Nottingham Express Transit; the FoI request only covers stage 2 distances, of which the shortest is 261 m (Chilwell Road – High Road - Central College). 15.4 km for Clifton South – Phoenix Park against 22.3 km for Toton Lane – Hucknall.

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How does Twickenham - St Margarets compare to Sunbury - Kempton Park?

464 m between Twickenham and St. Margarets or 466 m between Sunbury and Kempton Park.

 

[PTR 444]

These are still the abbreviations for those TOCs in many industry data sources.

In any case, using the full names is likely wise.

The reporting marks haven't changed, but I'll use the full names or more obvious abbreviations instead.

Thanks for that. It didn’t occur to me that the reporting marks still use abbreviations referring to defunct TOCs, hence I was intrigued as to why they don’t get updated to reflect the current TOC.

 

[London Trains]

On the Tramlink, I believe there are some early morning and late evening trams between Wimbledon and New Addington, which is (slightly) longer than Wimbledon to Beckenham Junction.

 

[alistairlees]

I have 2.2 km for Attenborough – Beeston, beating 3.4 km for Torquay – Paignton for CrossCountry.

For sake of completion I should add in Nottingham Express Transit; the FoI request only covers stage 2 distances, of which the shortest is 261 m (Chilwell Road – High Road - Central College). 15.4 km for Clifton South – Phoenix Park against 22.3 km for Toton Lane – Hucknall.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Dec 2023 ==


464 m between Twickenham and St. Margarets or 466 m between Sunbury and Kempton Park.

Surely Haymarket to Edinburgh is the shortest CrossCountry distance?

 

[A S Leib]

On the Tramlink, I believe there are some early morning and late evening trams between Wimbledon and New Addington, which is (slightly) longer than Wimbledon to Beckenham Junction.

19.7 km.

Surely Haymarket to Edinburgh is the shortest CrossCountry distance?

You'd be correct (or, at least, that it beats Attenborough – Beeston and anything else I can think of).

 

[Thornaby 37]

Sheffield Supertram : Fitzalan Square to Castle Square is 5 chains [or 0.1 km]

 

[Wychwood93]

GWR longest - Penzance to Padd via Bristol should be 323.

 

[Falcon1200]

I can't find anything shorter on ScotRail.

I thought Springburn/Barnhill would be a contender, however RTT says 31 chains.

 

[A S Leib]

GWR longest - Penzance to Padd via Bristol should be 323.

How? Unless you're counting in miles, I don't see how it could be 323. (Although it should be 522 rather than 523.)

 

[Wychwood93]

How? Unless you're counting in miles, I don't see how it could be 323. (Although it should be 522 rather than 523.)

Apologies - I was doing the rough miles!

 

[Snow1964]

How does Twickenham - St Margarets compare to Sunbury - Kempton Park?

Comes down to definition, the entrances are long way away apart, because they are at furthest ends, but platform ends much closer. Similarly Kingston and Hampton Wick

 

[Taunton]

Surely Haymarket to Edinburgh is the shortest CrossCountry distance?

Possibly for a number of others as well ...

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Surely Haymarket to Edinburgh is the shortest CrossCountry distance?

Possibly for a number of others as well ...

But NOT Scotrail, as has been determined upthread.

 

[Taunton]

DLR Canary Wharf to West India Quay

Less than 0.2 km.

That is presumably between platform centres (probably measured when the line was first opened, before the platforms were extended ... twice). We have certainly speculated, from the Canary Wharf platform, whether a competent cricketer could throw a ball between the two platform ramps.

 

[12LDA28C]

Why are the measurements in kilometres? That's not generally how railway distances are measured in the UK.

 

[zwk500]

That is presumably between platform centres (probably measured when the line was first opened, before the platforms were extended ... twice). We have certainly speculated, from the Canary Wharf platform, whether a competent cricketer could throw a ball between the two platform ramps.

Although surely any measurement should include the length of 1 platform or half the length of each as the train must travel that distance to complete the journey and release the doors. If you're on the back unit of a DLR train and the front stops at the top of the nearest ramp, you haven't arrived at the station!
Centre to centre therefore makes most sense - it gets a bit harder on NR as the station's Sectional Appendix location may not be the centre of the platforms given stagger, curvature, bays, extensions, etc.

Re southern, I had a look and the only stations vaguely comparable to Newhaven (Wandsworth Town to Balham and Anerley to Penge West, and I'm not sure if Southern still do a stopper on the London Bridge Slows.) don't beat it.