The Largest Town most Isolated from the Rail Network

[Schnellzug]

Gosport isn't exactly very far from a train station*; it's about quarter of a mile, if that, across Portsmouth harbour.

*

 

[matchmaker]

and Dunfermline

Since when? If you are talking about ecclesiastical cities there are several in Scotland..................

 

[Butts]

Since when? If you are talking about ecclesiastical cities there are several in Scotland..................

Quite right.....Perth probably has the greatest claim to be Scotlands next City with regard to it's history and location

 

[swt_passenger]

Gosport isn't exactly very far from a train station*; it's about quarter of a mile, if that, across Portsmouth harbour.

*

Of course, but you're assuming posters in these sort of threads bother to go back and read the original question...

I reckon if you asked what the longest platform in Cambridgeshire was you'd probably have a few Gloucesters or Bournemouths before the day was out... :roll:

 

[martinsh]

Discounting islands and sea crossings, I think the most isolated place must be Campbelltown. It's 87 miles from the nearest rail station at Oban ! [ and 98 from Arrochar and Tarbert ]

 

[matchmaker]

Discounting islands and sea crossings, I think the most isolated place must be Campbelltown. It's 87 miles from the nearest rail station at Oban ! [ and 98 from Arrochar and Tarbert ]

Population of just over 5000, so not an insignificant size. But it does have a daily air service to Glasgow!

 

[charlee]

Plymouth for a city of its size has the worst rail services in the UK. Slow and far and few between

 

[43167]

City of Ripon. Nearest stations are Thirsk & Harrogate both around 10miles away.

 

[Statto]

Most railless towns have a bus link to a station or two; only a few appear in the NRTT for some reason.

May be to do with the commercial nature of the bus network, were bus timetables & route changes happen at anytime, most Rail timetables change twice a year. It also saves re-printing a new Rail timetable to accomandate the bus changes. The bus links included in the Rail timetable might have an agreement with the TOC only to change the times when the Rail timetable changes over

Plymouth for a city of its size has the worst rail services in the UK. Slow and far and few between

Re the thread again, its largest Town most isolated from the Rail network & Plymouth does not count.

 

[Keele13]

I live in Newcastle-under-Lyme and do not consider it to be 'isolated from the rail network' as per the thread title.

Stoke station is very easy to get to by bus, and the buses run late enough to meet the last trains. If you really wanted to, Crewe and Stafford are also both accessible from Newcastle by direct bus services. I could be in London in little more than 2 hours after leaving my house using only public transport - not much different than if I tried it from Northampton, where I used to live, which is 100 miles closer to London.

 

[Holly]

.....

 

[Yew]

It was a lot easier when the largest without a station was Mansfield.

Not for us in Mansfield!

 

[bnm]

Plymouth for a city of its size has the worst rail services in the UK. Slow and far and few between

And that opinion is relevant to this discussion how?

 

[ValleyLines142]

New Quay is situated very far from a railway station. It beggars belief that trains from Cardiff-Holyhead have to go out of Wales to Shrewsbury and then go back round. Same for Aberystwyth.

 

[Eagle]

New Quay is situated very far from a railway station. It beggars belief that trains from Cardiff-Holyhead have to go out of Wales to Shrewsbury and then go back round. Same for Aberystwyth.

Cardiff–Holyhead trains cross the border eight times. Five times between Abergavenny and Hereford, once between Gobowen and Chirk, and once either side of Chester.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Cardiff–Holyhead trains cross the border eight times. Five times between Abergavenny and Hereford, once between Gobowen and Chirk, and once either side of Chester.

C'est ridicule.

 

[Eagle]

C'est ridicule.

We just need to reopen Carmarthen–Aberystwyth (based on the corresponding bus there's definitely a market), buy back the Ffestiniog Railway and slap a west-facing curve at Shotton and voilà: you can get a train from any Welsh station to any other Welsh station without going into England!

 

[ValleyLines142]

We just need to reopen Carmarthen–Aberystwyth (based on the corresponding bus there's definitely a market), buy back the Ffestiniog Railway and slap a west-facing curve at Shotton and voilà: you can get a train from any Welsh station to any other Welsh station without going into England!

Not a bad shout. I drove from Cardiff to Portmeirion and it took about 3 and a half hours. The train is timetabled to take 5 and a half hours.

 

[ole man]

I have two big towns without stations.
Middlewich
Market Drayton.

Middlewich is nearly 5 miles from Sandbach, and just over 7 miles to Northwich.
Market Drayton 13.1 miles to Nantwich and 13.2 miles to Whitchurch.

Both will now have nearly 15,000 residents.

 

[Butts]

Discounting islands and sea crossings, I think the most isolated place must be Campbelltown. It's 87 miles from the nearest rail station at Oban ! [ and 98 from Arrochar and Tarbert ]

This is largely historical as The Duke of Argyll would not permit construction on his land.

Hence the reason no line ever went to Inveraray or Lochgilphead and down to Campletown.

 

[khib70]

I would be fairly sure that the Scottish Borders would be the largest local authority area in the UK (1027 square miles) without a single railway station. But someone probably knows better!

 

[kylemore]

This is largely historical as The Duke of Argyll would not permit construction on his land.

Hence the reason no line ever went to Inveraray or Lochgilphead and down to Campletown.

I think the reasons where more economic than an obstructive laird, in fact in the years up to the 1914 war the G&SWR was planning a narrow gauge network that would have covered a large part of Kintyre. The intention was to take over the existing Campbeltown & Machrahanish Light Railway, build extensions to Tarbert and to a new steamer terminal near the mouth of Campbeltown Loch.
The main spur was tourism as the centrepiece was to be a huge Golf Resort with luxury hotel at Machrihanish Bay to rival Gleneagles and Turnberry (also a GSWR development).
It got to an advanced stage with surveys and plans but of course the War and it's aftermath scuppered it as it did to so much of the Scottish Economy.

 

[tbtc]

It beggars belief that trains from Cardiff-Holyhead have to go out of Wales to Shrewsbury and then go back round

It doesn't "beggar belief", it just shows how arbitery the borders between Wales/England are, which says a bit about the history of the area.

Unlike the fairly well defined border between Scotland and England, given their history as two separate countries.

 

[merlodlliw]

Cardiff–Holyhead trains cross the border eight times. Five times between Abergavenny and Hereford, once between Gobowen and Chirk, and once either side of Chester.

Except for WAG1 Gerald,

 

[Essexman]

Campbeltown is the furthest town from any other town on the UK mainland.

Closest station (unless travelling by boat) is not much less than 100 miles. I went there from Oban last year as closest station could hire a car. A few on Oban line might be slightly closer. It used to have its own station, but only ran 3 miles to other side of peninsula. When that closed nearest station as crow flies was Ballycastle in Northern Island.

 

[merlodlliw]

It doesn't "beggar belief", it just shows how arbitery the borders between Wales/England are, which says a bit about the history of the area.

Unlike the fairly well defined border between Scotland and England, given their history as two separate countries.

Always makes me smile when cross border issues arise, to see the big English hubs Chester/Shrewsbury/Hereford stations managed from Cardiff Bay

 

[bILLOO]

Wisbech? Although it could be easily connected again.

 

[ValleyLines142]

It doesn't "beggar belief", it just shows how arbitery the borders between Wales/England are, which says a bit about the history of the area.

Unlike the fairly well defined border between Scotland and England, given their history as two separate countries.

But it would be so much quicker if we had a line going straight around the Brecon Beacons (not through it as it would destroy its natural beauty!)

 

[Eagle]

I have two big towns without stations.
Middlewich
Market Drayton.

Middlewich is nearly 5 miles from Sandbach, and just over 7 miles to Northwich.
Market Drayton 13.1 miles to Nantwich and 13.2 miles to Whitchurch.

Both will now have nearly 15,000 residents.

15,000 is hardly big.

Kenilworth is twice the size of those and has a through line, but still no station (yet).

 

[Cliveblackpool]

Fleetwood 28,000, should have its railway reinstated. Being a port, it is surprising it lost it in the first place. The line, disused, is still laid as Thorton Cleveleys by the Old ICI plant.
Closest station, Blackpool North around 8 miles.
Cost 5.5 million?
With way over 100 million and counting spending on the Tramway it sounds cheap by comparison.