Train Journeys That Would be Quicker by Bus

[dk1]

Manchester - Leeds is usually marginally quicker via National Express/Megabus than TPE, and considerably quicker when there are engineering works on!

Not sure if you would count a coach as a bus for this purpose though!

Do many use the bus? TPE services at up to 4 trains an hour are always very full when i use them.

 

[Jeni]

Do many use the bus? TPE services at up to 4 trains an hour are always very full when i use them.

They're usually fairly full. It's probably a case of people just presuming that the train is quicker and nicer.

TBH, the NatEx coaches are very smart these days, preferable over a TPE anyway, and in advance are usually cheaper than Megabus.

Not sure that the coaches would cope if many people did shift from rail to coach in this case though.

 

[RJM]

Amazed that no one has said Glasgow - Fort William!

The train takes around 3 hours 50 minutes, however the bus/coach takes around 3 hours but who'd want to take the bus/coach when you could travel on the best railway line in the UK?!

RJM

 

[D6975]

Amazed that no one has said Glasgow - Fort William!

The train takes around 3 hours 50 minutes, however the bus/coach takes around 3 hours but who'd want to take the bus/coach when you could travel on the best railway line in the UK?!

RJM

See post #10

 

[dk1]

They're usually fairly full. It's probably a case of people just presuming that the train is quicker and nicer.

TBH, the NatEx coaches are very smart these days, preferable over a TPE anyway, and in advance are usually cheaper than Megabus.

Not sure that the coaches would cope if many people did shift from rail to coach in this case though.

People tend to feel more confident with trains. You would have to go along way to beat the train Leeds to Manchester on frequency. Most people i know would not give the coach a chance. The thought of engineering work & RR proves that. I suppose the next big step will be electrification of the route.

 

[RJM]

See post #10

Whoops!

RJM

 

[The Ham]

People tend to feel more confident with trains.

I would rather take a train than use a bus even if it would take quite a bit longer for several reasons:
- you tend to be better informed about trains running late
- it is often easer to get on/off a train (although bridges may cause problems to some)
- the ride quality is much better on a train
- the time keeping of trains tends to be better
- you can move about more easily
- it is often easier to find a loo when travelling by train (either on board or at a station)
- for turn up and go the cost is often not too much different

 

[CallySleeper]

Alfreton to Sutton. Two towns more or less next to eachother but you still have to go to Nottingham just to get there. The nines do a decent service.

Also Chesterfield - Mansfield. 45 mins on the pronto, 75 by train?

Also, re: Worksop to Doncaster, often wondered if a direct train via St Catherines Junction would get any support?

 

[dk1]

When replaced by bus Ipswich-Felixstowe can almost keep to train times but this is at the expense of the Westerfield call. If Hutchinsons Ports have their way, this would be the case off-peak. They claim that additional freight should be the priority on this heavilly used branch & that a high quality bus service run between the two towns.

 

[calc7]

I would rather take a train than use a bus even if it would take quite a bit longer for several reasons:
- you tend to be better informed about trains running late
- it is often easer to get on/off a train (although bridges may cause problems to some)
- the ride quality is much better on a train
- the time keeping of trains tends to be better
- you can move about more easily
- it is often easier to find a loo when travelling by train (either on board or at a station)
- for turn up and go the cost is often not too much different

Couldn't put it better myself. The two things I hate most about buses are the timekeeping (you never know if it's actually about to come) and the consistency (it only takes one or two ****s or a driver who doesn't put his/her foot down in the right places to add an extra 25% to the journey time)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

When replaced by bus Ipswich-Felixstowe can almost keep to train times but this is at the expense of the Westerfield call. If Hutchinsons Ports have their way, this would be the case off-peak. They claim that additional freight should be the priority on this heavilly used branch & that a high quality bus service run between the two towns.

Then so be it, IMO!

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I'm sure probably Chester to Ellesmere port is quicker by the number 1 which runs every 15 mins between Liverpool and Chester. Considering the wait at Hooton .

Obviously Matlock to Buxton as by rail you would have to go to Derby then double back on yourself to Sheffield.

 

[wintonian]

Winchester to Alton 30 min by bus - via Woking on the train.

Weymouth to Exeter, don't know how long the bus takes but going by train would either take you up to Castle Cary (not a particularly good service or connections) or changing at Southampton and Salisbury around 3 hours I expect.

Winchester to Romesy again 30 min by bus or changing at Eastleigh/ Southampton Central.

 

[34D]

Darnall to Sheffield must be about the same?

 

[Eagle]

Weymouth to Exeter, don't know how long the bus takes but going by train would either take you up to Castle Cary (not a particularly good service or connections) or changing at Southampton and Salisbury around 3 hours I expect.

Depending on the connection time at Castle Cary it varies between 2h and 2h30. But there's only about seven journeys a day by that route. At other hours, via Southampton is over 4h, via Bristol not much better. (Yeovil is a non-starter because the shuttle bus between the two stations takes ages.)

The direct bus X53 takes 3h10 and is only every two hours (taking the 31 to Axminster at other times is rather slower), so I'd say train wins it overall.



Well... actually car wins, because you could easily drive it in 1h40 or less, depending on what the traffic through Chideock and Morecombelake is like.

 

[RAGNARØKR]

Newhaven to Brighton

Train:
25-28 minutes (2tph)

Bus:
30 minutes (6bph)

Considering the greater frequency of the bus and the greater frequency of its stops I think that the bus works out quicker overall.

Don't forget to add on the time you have to allow to buy the ticket at Brighton station.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Don't forget to add on the time you have to allow to buy the ticket at Brighton station.

However, one downside of the bus is that the traffic on the A259 can be heaving, and Brighton Buses timetable states that the traffic could increase journey times. Must admit I've never seen a timetable that states such info so it's clearly significant.

However the journey on the 12 bus really is very scenic, particularly between Roedean and Saltdean.

 

[Statto]

I'm sure probably Chester to Ellesmere port is quicker by the number 1 which runs every 15 mins between Liverpool and Chester. Considering the wait at Hooton .

Obviously Matlock to Buxton as by rail you would have to go to Derby then double back on yourself to Sheffield.

The 1 can be delayed around Cheshire Oaks, however there's also the 2 & X2, X2 is the direct bus taking just under 30 min, the 2 follows part of the old 3 in Ellesmere Port.

Buxton to Derby, about 1hr 40 min on the bus, by train if you don't mind the walk change at New Mills then Sheffield, or go to Stockport, then either Sheffield or Stoke not sure how long the train will take but longer than the bus.

Inverness to Wick or Thurso, the bus is quicker than the train to either place

 

[A0]

When replaced by bus Ipswich-Felixstowe can almost keep to train times but this is at the expense of the Westerfield call. If Hutchinsons Ports have their way, this would be the case off-peak. They claim that additional freight should be the priority on this heavilly used branch & that a high quality bus service run between the two towns.

A variation on this one - Ipswich to Derby Road - this one is almost certainly quicker by bus than train.

Another East Anglian one - Oulton Broad North to Oulton Broad South, since you'd have to go via Lowestoft.

Bedford - Milton Keynes? I suspect the X5 is at least as quick as the Bedford - Bletchley line is.

Hertford - Hatfield or Welwyn Gdn City - since you'd need to go via Stevenage or Finsbury Pk for the train, whereas there is a direct bus.

 

[wintonian]

Bedford - Milton Keynes? I suspect the X5 is at least as quick as the Bedford - Bletchley line is.

Oxford to Bedford

Oxford to Milton Keynes

Oxford to Bicester North

Bicester north to Bicester town (possibly?)

Just in case they haven't all been mentioned yet.

Someones already mentioned the Yeovils I think.

Kings cross to St Pancras to Euston (and other London Terminals)

I'll stop before I get too silly.

 

[Eagle]

Kings cross to St Pancras...

Might I ask what bus that is?

 

[wintonian]

Might I ask what bus that is?

56 I think, from Waterloo, stops outside STP then terminates somewhere round KGX I belive.

 

[causton]

On the Tube, High Street Kensington to Shepherd's Bush Market

*note: using the 'direct trains only' rule. Travel on a Circle line train via Victoria, Aldgate, King's Cross and Baker Street all the way back round to Shepherd's Bush Market


Okay, how about one that doesn't even work until after December

Battersea Park - Wandsworth Road (or Queenstown Road Battersea - Wandsworth Road, or even Battersea Park - Queenstown Road Battersea if you want to be stupid as these last two are literally round a corner from each other. On an aside I wonder what the quickest interchange time between QRB and BAK could be...)

 

[wintonian]

56 I think, from Waterloo, stops outside STP then terminates somewhere round KGX I belive.

It seems it is the 59 not the 56 I was thinking of.

All the buses that stop at Kings cross (R) also stop at St pancras (A) according to TfL

In other words these ones; 10, 205, 30, 390, 476, 59, 73, 91, N73, N91,

 

[wijit]

Keighley to Haworth is quicker by bus

That's probably quicker by unicycle!

Edit; Not gone through the full list, but surely Bare Lane to Lancaster?

 

[yorkie]

...Edit; Not gone through the full list, but...

You don't need to! Use the 'Search this Thread

' link at the top-right No other posts contain 'Lancaster' so it's not been said yet.

It appears that this has become a list of any journey that is possible by rail (even including changes of trains now) that it is quicker to take a bus, in which case there are surely thousands of possibilities, and with it being list-like I am wondering if it belongs in the Quiz section. If it's more of discussion I'll leave it here. I'll see how it goes.... (If anyone does has a suggestion for a Quiz please see Welcome to the Quiz Forum! and submit your suggestion to the Quizmasters).

 

[philjo]

It seems it is the 59 not the 56 I was thinking of.

All the buses that stop at Kings cross (R) also stop at St pancras (A) according to TfL

In other words these ones; 10, 205, 30, 390, 476, 59, 73, 91, N73, N91,

Though in some cases going in the other direction you need to use the same bus stop for both St Pancras and Kings Cross!
e.g the 10, 59 (& I think the 91 & 390?) eastbound along Euston road call at St Pancras. The next stop for these services at Kings Cross is along York Way so is some distance from the entrance to the concourse. It is much quicker to get off at St Pancras & walk across the road, especially as the bus has to get through 2 sets of traffic lights.

 

[sheff'd victoria]

Lincoln to anywhere on a Sunday?

And Gainsborough to Brigg between Sunday and Friday

 

[junglejames]

Not gone through the full list, but surely Bare Lane to Lancaster?

6 mins by train. Apparently 15mins by bus from Lancaster to Bare.
So not by a long shot.
Lancaster to Morecambe is a lot closer. Only 12mins apparently by bus. Train only takes 11mins still though.

 

[wintonian]

Though in some cases going in the other direction you need to use the same bus stop for both St Pancras and Kings Cross!
e.g the 10, 59 (& I think the 91 & 390?) eastbound along Euston road call at St Pancras. The next stop for these services at Kings Cross is along York Way so is some distance from the entrance to the concourse. It is much quicker to get off at St Pancras & walk across the road, especially as the bus has to get through 2 sets of traffic lights.

There's nothing to stop you from staying on and coming back or indeed changing buses and coming back.

Discussion related:
How many of these real (not me being silly) quicker by bus journeys are as a result of Mr Beeching and the provided replacement road transport?

 

[swcovas]

A lot of postings are coming up with obscure journeys which are not practical by rail. However, in Wales Carmarthen - Cardiff is certainly quicker by bus.