Train Journeys That Would be Quicker by Bus

[Mutant Lemming]

The journey from Wick to Inverness is over an hour shorter by bus than by rail are the any other instances where the bus is considerably quicker than the train ?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

There have to be plenty of them (Luton-Aylesbury = 144 minutes by rail, 94 minutes by bus. Luton-Stevenage = 89 minutes by rail, 55 minutes by bus), but probably not so many where there is a direct train service.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

I probably should have said for direct rail journies

 

[cuccir]

There will be quite a few, particularly around branch lines.

Scarborough to Whitby takes between 4 and 5 hours by train, but 1 hour by bus....
--
Ah, direct journeys will make it a little more difficult,
The Middlesbrough to Whitby bus is still around 10 minutes quicker than the direct train, but doesn't compete with the Inverness-Wick example!

 

[YorkshireBear]

Middlsborough Whitby is quicker by bus i belive. Keighley to Haworth is quicker by bus

 

[ainsworth74]

Scarborough to Whitby takes between 4 and 5 hours by train, but 1 hour by bus....

Though that's not a direct rail journey so hardly a fair comparison.

 

[cuccir]

Though that's not a direct rail journey so hardly a fair comparison.

Agreed, but Mutant Lemming hadn't added that caveat when I started to write my example!

 

[ainsworth74]

Agreed, but Mutant Lemming hadn't added that caveat when I started to write my example!

Ah we're even then as I hadn't seen the caveat either and was just making an observation

 

[Ivo]

Belfast to Londonderry

 

[D1009]

Glasgow to Fort William, and possibly Glasgow to Oban.

 

[fgwrich]

Belfast to Londonderry

Bus certainly wins at the moment too! (Might have a slight problem getting a 3/4 Ck into Londonderry station with very little track)

 

[NathanPrior]

Cutty Sark DLR to Greenwich, could be just as quick walking it.

 

[trentside]

I believe that Grimsby and Cleethorpes to Hull is quicker by bus than by train.

The same is possibly also true for Scunthorpe, but haven't actually checked it!

 

[maniacmartin]

Are you including the time to walk from the station entrance to the platform?

If so, I'm sure there are many journeys like Pontoon Dock DLR to West Silvertown DLR, where the bus can be quicker than walking up tand down the many stairs to the platform

 

[Harbon 1]

Lincoln to anywhere on a Sunday?

 

[route:oxford]

Off-peak...

Bicester to Oxford.

 

[bicbasher]

While it will be quicker to catch the train, there are some instances where a pax would be better boarding a bus. Lewisham to Ladywell for example has a higher frequency of buses between the two stations than the 2tph it gets from the Cannon Street to Hayes service.

Denmark Hill to Victoria until December has 4tph (2tph evenings and Sundays) in comparison to Route 185 which runs every 12 minutes.

 

[Ivo]

I haven't verified it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Liskeard to Looe qualified for this.

While it will be quicker to catch the train, there are some instances where a pax would be better boarding a bus. Lewisham to Ladywell for example has a higher frequency of buses between the two stations than the 2tph it gets from the Cannon Street to Hayes service.

Denmark Hill to Victoria until December has 4tph (2tph evenings and Sundays) in comparison to Route 185 which runs every 12 minutes.

You could say that for almost any urban area though

 

[gnolife]

Pollokshields East to Pollokshields West
Manchester Airpt - Stockport.
Rochdale - Bolton
Cross Gates - Wakefield Westgate, I think

 

[NathanPrior]

Anywhere along Blackpool seafront?

 

[Eagle]

Coryton to Radyr...

 

[Ivo]

Coryton to Radyr...

That's faster on foot, never mind by bus!

 

[Eagle]

You could say that for almost any urban area though

And for a lot of rural routes too. Leamington and Warwick get three buses per hour to Stratford, but the train is only every two hours. Leamington to Coventry during the day works out as nine buses per hour between the various routes, nine times the frequency of the train (but five times the journey time).

 

[martinsh]

Wolverhampton to Walsall ?

 

[richw]

I haven't verified it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Liskeard to Looe qualified for this.



You could say that for almost any urban area though

Looe is a nightmare to drive to, and I don't believe a bus is quicker.
Newquay to truro is an example though. Bus is around 30 mins, dependent on the connection at par can be 90 mins quickest up to 3 hours by train!

 

[martinsh]

I haven't verified it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Liskeard to Looe qualified for this.

Are there any buses between Liskaerd and Looe ?

 

[richw]

Are there any buses between Liskaerd and Looe ?

Western greyhound 573 timetabled journey time 27 minutes

 

[p123]

Wemyss Bay to Largs!

 

[Morden Via CHX]

Wolverhampton to Walsall ?

beat me to it

 

[calc7]

And for a lot of rural routes too. Leamington and Warwick get three buses per hour to Stratford, but the train is only every two hours. Leamington to Coventry during the day works out as nine buses per hour between the various routes, nine times the frequency of the train (but five times the journey time).

Do the Stagecoach expresses no longer run? X15 and X18 iirc, at 02 and 32 minutes past the hour from Leamington I think. Those only took 15-20 minutes and were valid with the Stagecoach uni bus pass.