TRIVIA: Biggest cities served by fewest TOC's

[anti-pacer]

We've had the stations served by the most TOC's, so how about the biggest towns/cities served by the fewest TOC's.

I'd say Leicester with only EMT and XC serving it. Other contenders would be Plymouth (GWR and XC), Norwich (AGA and EMT), and Middlesbrough (NT and TPE).

I guess the winner would be Belfast with only NIR, but let's stick to Great Britain only.

Any others with 2 or a maximum of 3 TOC's? The bigger the town or city the better.

 

[J-2739]

Well, there's Barnsley, with only one TOC (Northern).

Population- about 200,000.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Cue mass discussion on how you define population of places...

Not a city, but Swindon is massive and has just GWR serving it.

 

[507021]

St Davids in Wales, no TOCs.

 

[anti-pacer]

I'm bored already.

There's hundreds of other threads. I'm sure at least one will interest you.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Using this source purely for consistency (though unofficial!) I get the following in order for having over 100,000 residents but with only one train operator: Bolton, Swindon, Slough, Poole, Ipswich, Birkenhead, High Wycombe, Colchester, Blackburn, Chelmsford, Eastbourne, Sutton Coldfield, Rochdale, Maidstone, Basildon, Crawley, Woking, Gillingham, Salford and St Helens.

The only cities there are Chelmsford and Salford!

 

[anti-pacer]

Cue mass discussion on how you define population of places...

Not a city, but Swindon is massive and has just GWR serving it.

Swindon could be the winner.

 

[anti-pacer]

Using this source purely for consistency (though unofficial!) I get the following in order for having over 100,000 residents but with only one train operator: Bolton, Swindon, Slough, Poole, Ipswich, Birkenhead, High Wycombe, Colchester, Blackburn, Chelmsford, Eastbourne, Sutton Coldfield, Rochdale, Maidstone, Basildon, Crawley, Woking, Gillingham, Salford and St Helens.

The only cities there are Chelmsford and Salford!

Wow! I didn't realise it was so many.

 

[swt class 450]

I can think of quite a lot of large towns that only get one TOC each.

Aylesbury
Bicester North
Bicester Village
Bognor Regis
Burgess Hill
Canterbury East
Canterbury West
Crawley
Dover Priory
Eastbourne
Haywards Heath
High Wycombe
Horsham
Lewes
Littlehampton
Maidstone Barracks
Maidstone East
Maidstone West
Margate
Ramsgate
Swindon
Three Bridges
Tunbridge Wells
Woking

There are probably lots of others as well.

 

[Intercity 225]

Not a city but Mansfield is along the lines of what you're looking for with a population of c.100k and one TOC (EMT).

 

[eastdyke]

Using this source purely for consistency (though unofficial!) I get the following in order for having over 100,000 residents but with only one train operator: Bolton, Swindon, Slough, Poole, Ipswich, Birkenhead, High Wycombe, Colchester, Blackburn, Chelmsford, Eastbourne, Sutton Coldfield, Rochdale, Maidstone, Basildon, Crawley, Woking, Gillingham, Salford and St Helens.

The only cities there are Chelmsford and Salford!

Northampton only escapes your list by the skin of it's teeth!

 

[306024]

Using this source purely for consistency (though unofficial!) I get the following in order for having over 100,000 residents but with only one train operator: Bolton, Swindon, Slough, Poole, Ipswich, Birkenhead, High Wycombe, Colchester, Blackburn, Chelmsford, Eastbourne, Sutton Coldfield, Rochdale, Maidstone, Basildon, Crawley, Woking, Gillingham, Salford and St Helens.

The only cities there are Chelmsford and Salford!

Lots of people not answering the exam question here

Based on that source, Chelmsford wins, where do I claim my prize?

 

[eastdyke]

Lots of people not answering the exam question here

Based on that source, Chelmsford wins, where do I claim my prize?

Having re-read the exam paper (always a good plan) the first line of the question was:

We've had the stations served by the most TOC's, so how about the biggest towns/cities served by the fewest TOC's.

 

[306024]

Having re-read the exam paper (always a good plan) the first line of the question was:

We've had the stations served by the most TOC's, so how about the biggest towns/cities served by the fewest TOC's.

Oops

Indeed it was. Hoisted by my own .......
I blame MidnightFlyer for misleading me

 

[physics34]

I can think of quite a lot of large towns that only get one TOC each.

Aylesbury
Bicester North
Bicester Village
Bognor Regis
Burgess Hill
Canterbury East
Canterbury West
Crawley
Dover Priory
Eastbourne
Haywards Heath
High Wycombe
Horsham
Lewes
Littlehampton
Maidstone Barracks
Maidstone East
Maidstone West
Margate
Ramsgate
Swindon
Three Bridges
Tunbridge Wells
Woking

There are probably lots of others as well.

Being pedantic...Three Bridges is in Crawley

 

[al78]

I can think of quite a lot of large towns that only get one TOC each.

Aylesbury
Bicester North
Bicester Village
Bognor Regis
Burgess Hill
Canterbury East
Canterbury West
Crawley
Dover Priory
Eastbourne
Haywards Heath
High Wycombe
Horsham
Lewes
Littlehampton
Maidstone Barracks
Maidstone East
Maidstone West
Margate
Ramsgate
Swindon
Three Bridges
Tunbridge Wells
Woking

There are probably lots of others as well.

Haywards Heath is served by Southern and Thameslink.

 

[radamfi]

Haywards Heath is served by Southern and Thameslink.

Maybe they are being classed as the same TOC for the purposes of this thread.

 

[D365]

Well, there's Barnsley, with only one TOC (Northern).

Population- about 200,000.

Eh? Wikipedia states the population as being 91,297, albeit in 2011. Unless you're not only referring to the town but a wider area.

 

[WatcherZero]

Even St Albans has two, Londond Midland and Thameslink.

 

[MK Tom]

We've had the stations served by the most TOC's, so how about the biggest towns/cities served by the fewest TOC's.

I'd say Leicester with only EMT and XC serving it. Other contenders would be Plymouth (GWR and XC), Norwich (AGA and EMT), and Middlesbrough (NT and TPE).

I guess the winner would be Belfast with only NIR, but let's stick to Great Britain only.

Any others with 2 or a maximum of 3 TOC's? The bigger the town or city the better.

Strictly speaking Belfast is served by the Enterprise which is co-operated by Iarnrod Eireann, so I think that counts as two!

 

[MK Tom]

Northampton only escapes your list by the skin of it's teeth!

For how long I wonder.

 

[MK Tom]

Deleted

 

[swt class 450]

Haywards Heath is served by Southern and Thameslink.

But Gatwick Express / Great Northern / Southern / Thameslink are not TOCs. They are just brand names of one TOC called GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway).

 

[Flying Claret]

Well, there's Barnsley, with only one TOC (Northern).

Population- about 200,000.

Seems high. I'd be surprised if it was much bigger than Burnley: c80k

 

[anti-pacer]

Seems high. I'd be surprised if it was much bigger than Burnley: c80k

Barnsley has a population of 91,000. The wider borough has 239,000.

 

[J-2739]

Eh? Wikipedia states the population as being 91,297, albeit in 2011. Unless you're not only referring to the town but a wider area.

Seems high. I'd be surprised if it was much bigger than Burnley: c80k

Barnsley has a population of 91,000. The wider borough has 239,000.

Yeah, I was referring to the wider metropolitan borough, henceforth, a population of around 200,000.

I think it's to do with South Yorkshire being a Metropolitan Borough.

 

[AndrewE]

Using this source purely for consistency (though unofficial!) I get the following in order for having over 100,000 residents but with only one train operator: Bolton, Swindon, Slough, Poole, Ipswich, Birkenhead, High Wycombe, Colchester, Blackburn, Chelmsford, Eastbourne, Sutton Coldfield, Rochdale, Maidstone, Basildon, Crawley, Woking, Gillingham, Salford and St Helens.

The only cities there are Chelmsford and Salford!

Let's hope Bolton gets 2 TOCs again soon!
A

 

[xotGD]

Gosport - 82,000 - no train operators!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_towns_in_England_without_a_railway_station

 

[Train man]

Livingston a largish town North and South served by ScotRail that is it

 

[Liam]

Livingston a largish town North and South served by ScotRail that is it

Paisley and EK are bigger.