The tightest connection you have ever made at a train station

[FQ]

What is the tightest connection you have ever made at a train station and where?

Mine is at Birmingham Moor Street, with 15 seconds until the doors locked on my connection.

Another pretty good one was at Crewe with a plus 1(min) from platform 11 to platform 5.

 

[Bald Rick]

Maybe best to define this as tightest connections for on time departure of the connecting train.

A few years ago I routinely made a -2 min connection at Luton between a southbound EMT (arriving early) and southbound Thameslink (on time).

My best ever was making the 0816 from Liverpool St, connecting out of a 0809 arrival at Farringdon and a Tube trip between the two.

 

[Searle]

Newark Northgate, jumping between an EC southbound on P2 and a Lincoln EM train on P3, spent all of about 30 seconds at Newark (it was meant to be 10 minutes but as per usual, the EC was late)

 

[NSE]

Arrived at Victoria, 13 minutes later stepped onto a St Neots service at Kings Cross. I've also managed to get the 13:15 from Cambridge to Kings Cross, and get on the 14:23 to East Grinstead. Always quite pleased with them :P

 

[Liam]

Made a few minus connections at Haymarket, usually off a service from Glasgow onto a Fife service.

 

[causton]

At Barking 15 seconds off a GOBLIN train on platform 1, through a district line train with doors open on platform 2 and 3 and onto a c2c on 4. With a dog as well!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I can't remember the exact platforms but something like p3 to p9 at New St in sub-30 seconds from a Coventry all-shacks to Edinburgh service.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Paddington H&C platforms to Platform 11 the long way round because of construction work in 30 seconds.

-4 At Newport coming off the WAG which was delayed onto a Portsmouth train which was delayed.

 

[Hardcastle]

A 2 minute connection at Stockport the other week was made but on adjacent platforms.

 

[91103eastcoast]

I've managed a 1 minute connection at Biggleswade, but then it was from the slow line side of the northbound island platform to the fast line side of the platform.

 

[EM2]

Sub-surface eastbound platform at Liverpool Street to rear door of the train on platform 16, in thirty seconds.

 

[306024]

Sub-surface eastbound platform at Liverpool Street to rear door of the train on platform 16, in thirty seconds.

That used to be fun in the old Liverpool St, lots of left and right turns, bit easier now but 30 seconds is good. 13 minutes from arriving Kings Cross to departing Liverpool St a few weeks back will take some beating.

There are advertised one minute cross platform connections every hour at Thorpe-le-Soken in the up direction.

 

[andythebrave]

Probably one minute at Arrochar & Tarbet from the northbound sleeper to the, as it was then, Arrochar starter to Glasgow. With a 4 year old in tow too.

 

[tsr]

I have gone from train to train, from platform 5 to platform 4 at Norwood Junction in about 5 seconds before - and also managed similar cross-platform changes at East Croydon and elsewhere. I've done Tube to train at London Victoria in about 2 and a half minutes or maybe a bit less before, and that was from the Victoria Line to the far Southern (BML) side.

 

[455driver]

I have never been to a train station as I have never been to America!
The tightest connection I used to make regularly is the -1 minute connection from the up Kingston rounder into the down Reading including using the footbridge, made it about 70% of the time.

 

[tractakid]

I'm a tube challenger. Need I say more? The whole purpose it to make the tightest of connections!

 

[jon0844]

You can make some incredibly tight connections at Finsbury Park when you change from a King's Cross train to a Moorgate one - platform 2 to 1.

 

[168lover]

I once did off a train at Birmingham Moor Street onto a train at P5 at New Street in seven minutes!

 

[starrymarkb]

5 mins from Kings Cross St P Circle to a departure from St Pancras to...... Brussels! (I'd been delayed on route by tube blockages and a Late UK leg. )

 

[Tracked]

Doncaster station a couple of years ago, walked off a Cross Country service on Platform 4 and straight onto the Leeds stopper on platform 6, literally just before it set off

 

[Retorus]

I've managed a 1 minute connection at Biggleswade, but then it was from the slow line side of the northbound island platform to the fast line side of the platform.

Didn't fancy stopping at Sandy?

 

[atillathehunn]

Train seat at Schiphol station to plane seat on the tarmac at Schiphol in 11 minutes.

 

[Kite159]

Non-delayed train for me probably was last weekend at Manchester Airport, arrived on the service from Crewe and legged it to jump onto a 185 with seconds to spare. Thankfully it was cross-platform and the Northern 323 arrived 30 seconds early.

Saved 30 minutes as the next departure would have been the 323 which was an all-station stopper.

 

[martinsh]

Can you count occasions where you expect the train to be late ? If so, then a -5 min connection at Shrewsbury, 2015 arrival from Wellington (Birmingham) to 2010 departure to Manchester. [ Arrived at 2011, but Manchester train was well late ]

Unfortunately didn't work when I tried it again last week !

 

[Hadders]

It's always satisfying to make a tight connection!

Just this evening I was at the entrance to Brixton Underground station at 1700 and made the 1723 departure from platform 9 at Kings Cross with less than 20 seconds to spare.

 

[bb21]

Incoming electric stopper at Donny is a good one for good negative connections. gnolife and I made a -4 comfortably from the electric stopper to the Sheffield stopper, Pfm 6 to Pfm 5 on a challenge a few years back.

If cheating is allowed then a -47 at Nuneaton on the West Midlands Day Ranger meet in 2011 I think.

 

[trainophile]

Arrived off the front end of a slightly late TPE on P13 at Man Picc, with three minutes to get to P8 for our 1330 ATW to Hereford. Would have been easier if the only way up from the platform wasn't via the escalator along with the rest of the trainload, where we lost a good minute. Had wheely cases, and we were asked to show our tickets at the top of the bridge (but when they saw the situation they waved us on).

Raced down the stairs and along the platform just as guard was about to blow her whistle. She saw us and waited the few seconds for us to pile on. Train departed 13:30:20 .

 

[Crossover]

Best was probably one me and starmill made back a few months ago. Arrived at Liverpool South Parkway having come from Manchester, crossed over the bridge and made a +0 onto the LM towards Birmingham. We had half planned for such, with a contingency of the LM 30 mins later if it didn't work out. Luckily it did and we were able to take the Snow Hill lines to Worcester as a result, rather than via the Lickey

If cheating is allowed then a -47 at Nuneaton on the West Midlands Day Ranger meet in 2011 I think.

I was thinking about that one!

 

[FQ]

Ok then, a -22 at Leamington Spa one afternoon.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It's always satisfying to make a tight connection!

Just this evening I was at the entrance to Brixton Underground station at 1700 and made the 1723 departure from platform 9 at Kings Cross with less than 20 seconds to spare.

I once departed Waterloo exactly 12 minutes after arriving at Liverpool Street, having had a perfect connection on the Central Line and Waterloo and City Line, resulting in my boarding all three literally seconds before the doors closed. This was on one of those Network Day promotions we used to have.