Stations that are physically closer together than the distance of track between them?

[jrhilton]

There is another thread on here that asks which are the two closest stations on the same line, well here is a question, how many stations can people name, that are on the same line, under a mile appart, which have a shorter walking distance between them (along streets/roads), than the railway track that links them?

To start off, there is London Road Guildford and Guildford station. Walking distance between them through the town streets is about 1,126m, railway track linking them is around 1,914m long.

 

[paul1609]

Dont have the mileages, but Coombe station must be less than half the distance to walk than it is by rail from Liskeard.

 

[robertclark125]

St. James and Monument on the Tyne and Wear Metro springs to mind as well. Don't have the distances either.

 

[stut]

Ipswich and Derby Road

 

[Mintona]

Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Victoria. Although the only time there is a service between them is when Transpennine Express are diverting via Rochdale and reversing at Salford Crescent. not sure if that sounts though.

 

[jdtaylor]

What about Covent Gardern and Picidally Circus on the Picidally Line, as I believe it's faster to walk between the two than to take the tube allowing for the speeding up/slowing down etc.

 

[mumrar]

The thread title has no implication of the under a mile rule. It looks a little bizarre as a thread title because all stations not connected by dead straight track are closer as the crow flies than by rail.

And secondly, are we defining the 'under a mile' rule for the walk or the distance by rail. Because if it's under a mile by rail then the first example by the OP doesn't count as a mile is 1609.344m

 

[generalvegitable]

I think that the 2 bedford stations are in that situation but I am not sure about the distance between them on the train

 

[mumrar]

What about Covent Gardern and Picidally Circus on the Picidally Line, as I believe it's faster to walk between the two than to take the tube allowing for the speeding up/slowing down etc.

The Tfl journey planner says the tube journey is 2 minutes, google maps has the walk as 0.5 miles and 10 minutes so no.

 

[yorksrob]

I think Pevensey and Westham and Polegate would fall into this category, now that the direct line between them has been lifted and all trains between them have to reverse via Willingdon junction.

 

[mumrar]

I think that the 2 bedford stations are in that situation but I am not sure about the distance between them on the train

The route mileage between Bedford and Bedfrod st johns is 0m 50ch. Although google maps doesn't use footpaths the two main obstacles to it being a shorter walk are crossing the river and an old railway yard blocking direct progress after crossing the river. See HERE for a map

 

[jamesontheroad]

There must be dozens of examples here in Glasgow. Pollokshields East and Pollokshields West are both served by the same Cathcart Circle trains, but a good twenty minutes after one another, even though they're a few 100m apart.

Likewise, if you distinguish Glasgow Central High Level and Glasgow Central Low Level as two different stations... in that instance there is a vertical distance between them and not much in it horizontally

 

[mumrar]

There must be dozens of examples here in Glasgow. Pollokshields East and Pollokshields West are both served by the same Cathcart Circle trains, but a good twenty minutes after one another, even though they're a few 100m apart.

But it's not a question of the time it takes to walk, but whether the distance to walk is shorter than the train distance. The route distance by train is 0.41 miles, the walk 0.5 miles according to google maps (I realise it isn't gospel)

 

[philjo]

Warren Street (Victoria Line) & Great Portland Street (circle/met/H&C lines) are just across the road to each other.

 

[mumrar]

Warren Street (Victoria Line) & Great Portland Street (circle/met/H&C lines) are just across the road to each other.

So I'm guessing you didn't read this bit of the first post

how many stations can people name, that are on the same line, under a mile appart

Sorry, but I'm feeling like a right pedant today

 

[philjo]

Sorry, didn't read that bit....

Leicester to Peterborough is a good one (though not for walking!) -
table 49 shows it is 52.5 miles by rail (as the line isn't exactly direct....)
google maps says it is 40.5 miles by road.

 

[mumrar]

Are you deliberately trying to make me pedantic today too? The second part of my quote of the original question did say under a mile apart, so 50 doesn't really fit the bill either.

 

[The North Briton]

Although it's just over a mile, I suspect Colchester and Colchester Town fit the bill....

 

[Oswyntail]

I realise this is completely outside the conditions of the thread, but perhaps the worst case of this sort of thing is Tain to Golspie on the Far North line. 50+ miles by rail, and 17 by road. And, when just about everyone connected begged for a rail connection to be built as part of the new Dornoch bridge in the 90's (?), thus reducing the rail mileage to the same as the road, the government refused. IIRC even the communities that are on the line that would have been cut off wanted it.

 

[robert2000]

hartford and greenbank, lol

 

[andyc225]

The Tyndrum stations are probably the best example.

 

[mumrar]

The best example of misunderstanding the original question, because they are on seperate lines of course.

 

[Railjet]

The Tfl journey planner says the tube journey is 2 minutes, google maps has the walk as 0.5 miles and 10 minutes so no.

The tube time doesn't take into account the time to get to from the platform, average waiting time etc.

Also, anyone who takes 10 minutes to walk from Covent Garden to Leicester Square is either suffering from a severe state of decrepitude or is taking a very roundabout route to be quite honest . It's never half a mile - more like 300-400 metres.

 

[mumrar]

The tube time doesn't take into account the time to get to from the platform, average waiting time etc.

Oh, I didn't realise the approach was like a Top Gear challenge and heavily weighted in favour of the pedestrian

 

[me123]

The Fife Circle has got to be a contender to an extent. Whilst it never fits into the above prerequisite of being a mile apart, going round the Circle is a ludicrous travel option.

To get from (say) Dunfermline to Aberdour by car takes 20 minutes about 8 miles (Google Maps) but by direct train is about an hour for over 30 miles!

 

[A0]

Don't know if Worcester Foregate & Worcester Shrub Hill fit the bill - but looking at an OS map it looks like walking distance would be less than the rail journey.

 

[adc82140]

Possibly Reading and Reading West? The railway track curves, Oxford Road is a straight line.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

How about Bushey to Watford High? Under a mile between the two, but the walk along Lower High Street certainly looks a shorter distance than via the railway.

 

[will1337]

Not a mile but similar is Gunnislake to Calstock. 1.92 miles by road and 2.91 miles by rail.
For the other way around Lymington Pier and Lymington Town are 0.81 miles by road and 0.48 by rail.

 

[Skie]

Lime Street underground and Liverpool Central qualify. Its a 2 minute 1000ft walk entrance to entrance while the curvature of the loop line and the placement of the platforms makes the trains travel much further.

Actually looking at the RAIB report into the derailment in the loop a few years back Lime Street is 2742feet from Liverpool central along the line itself.