Trivia: Cities/major towns joined by multiple routes

[MaidaVale]

London to Birmingham has three competing ways direct as previously mentioned (Avanti & LNWR via WCML South, Chiltern via CML)

However, If you're counting less direct yet reasonable routes with 1 change (which are still relatively frequent and people do occasionally use as alternatives), You have BHM-WOF-PAD, BHM-LEI-STP and BHM-RDG-PAD.

 

[dk1]

Norwich to Great Yarmouth.

 

[DavidGrain]

London to Birmingham has three competing ways direct as previously mentioned (Avanti & LNWR via WCML South, Chiltern via CML)

However, If you're counting less direct yet reasonable routes with 1 change (which are still relatively frequent and people do occasionally use as alternatives), You have BHM-WOF-PAD, BHM-LEI-STP and BHM-RDG-PAD.

I have done Paddington Reading Birmingham twice because of problems on the WCML. The second time I did it I had to come to the rescue of a Chinese student heading to Aberystwyth University who had been given this routing as the guard wanted to charge him excess fares for not having a seat reservation. I had to explain to the guard that there were no trains out of Euston that day and this was an authorised route.

Interesting that you mention Leicester as a route. Back when I was at school some boys had done Birmingham Rugby Marylebone walking between the two stations that used to be in Rugby. Another boy told me but I cannot confirm the truth of this that there was actually one train which did run Birmingham Leicester StPancras .

 

[Ayman Ilham]

Salford is not a suburb of Manchester, it's a city in it's own right

As someone who lived in Greater Manchester for 7 years and explored the county extensively, I would say Salford actually does feel like a distinct city rather than a mere 'Suburb of Manchester' in some places (especially around Pendleton Precinct and Salford Crescent) given it has its own university, cathedral, museum and commercial centre.

On the other hand, if we're using official city status, this could also open up the possibility of 'City of London' and 'Westminster' within Central London being counted as two separate cities, which has countless rail routes between them, including Paddington (Westminster) to Liverpool Street (City) on the Elizabeth Line, Bank (City) to Westminster on several tube lines, the list goes on!

That's why I put "(arguably)" England's second city. "As the second city is an unofficial title and one of subjective opinion, a number of polls have been conducted over the years. Despite Birmingham being viewed as the traditional second city, public polls have shown a slight preference for Manchester since 2000. "

Second city of the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I see both Manchester and Birmingham as "Joint 2nd" as their overall urban populations are neck-and-neck and I consider them equally good in different ways. For example, Birmingham is a greater hub for domestic transport (better variety of destinations across the country by both coach and train) while Manchester has the edge internationally (its airport is much bigger and busier with a better variety of destinations).

BACK TO THE TOPIC:

• Manchester to Liverpool is a very prominent one, oldest link in-fact between two cities in the world, with the current connections being either the (still) unelectrified CLC line via Warrington Central and the electrified Chat Moss line via Newton-le-Willows; most of the latter was part of the original 1830 line back when Stephenson's Rocket ran on it.
• Manchester to Blackburn has a direct line via Bolton and a longer-way-round via the Todmorden chord; both run opposite directions out of Victoria, forming a nice loop.
• Liverpool to Preston has a through service running via Wigan and another line where you have to change at Ormskirk due to how separate Merseyrail and Northern are kept.
• Liverpool to Chester has the Merseyrail service via the Wirral and now a TfW service running via the Halton Curve.
• London to Southend has the Great Eastern to Victoria (GA) and the LTS to Central and Shoeburyness (c2c).
• Manchester to Leeds has the direct Huddersfield line (TPE) and the Caldervale Line (NT) which itself is split via Halifax/Bradford and Brighouse.
• Edinburgh to Glenrothes can be done either to Glenrothes with Thornton via Fife Circle or SECML to Markinch, which is actually closer to Glenrothes town centre than its namesake station.
• London to Exeter has three routes: two GWR routes, one via Bristol and one (two depending on how you look at it) via Newbury (with a loop via Westbury); and the slower SWR route via Salisbury.
• London to Southampton also has three: direct via Winchester, PDL via Haslemere and Southern via Horsham.
• Crewe to Stafford has both a direct line without stops and a line via Stoke-on-Trent.

 

[Ianigsy]

There also used to be a through train via Huddersfield, though nobody would use it for the full journey unless they were a glutton for punishment as it was booked a 144.

In at least one timetable it ran though to Lincoln Central! Used to take a good coupl of minutes when all the stops were announced at Leeds.

 

[MaidaVale]

London to Dartford, has 3 routes

Well technically City of London to Dartford has 3 routes, and City of Westminster to Dartford has 4 routes. (Technically more as services from different termini take different routes. City of London's services all form from Thameslink and the peak time Cannon Street services. I mean technically if you count London as a whole, HS1 passes through the general area of Dartford although admittedly doesn't stop, and Eynsford/Farningham Road technically count as being within Dartford, so you could count an extra two ways from Westminster and an extra way from the City)

Another two would be Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham (via either Shirley or Dorridge) and Worcester to Birmingham (via either Bromsgrove or Smethwick)


Something that may have been mentioned previously is Portsmouth to Greater London (although admittedly different boroughs) via Chichester with Southern or Guildford with SWR

 

[61653 HTAFC]

In at least one timetable it ran though to Lincoln Central! Used to take a good coupl of minutes when all the stops were announced at Leeds.

I remember that... though it was usually advertised with a false destination of Dodworth when it ran to Sheffield. I suppose using the real destination when it ran through to Lincoln would be less likely to catch out the unaware Sheffield-bound passengers, than one listed specifically as a Sheffield service.

If the occasional South TPE diversions and football specials count, Huddersfield to Barnsley/Sheffield qualifies for the topic: the usual direct Northern via Penistone; and the diversions (TPE) and Footexes (Northern) via Wakefield Kirkgate with a reversal. Not sure if they occasionally run via Hare Park to avoid the reversal, I'd be surprised if TPE crews sign that way. For Barnsley the reversal is unavoidable of course.

 

[DavidGrain]

Birmingham to Wolverhampton has four routes if you take in the various permutations via Soho. Plus the West Midlands Metro (the former GWR route) on the odd occasions that it is running. (I have heard that it should restart running over part of the route today, 9th June).
For interest since the May timetable the Birmingham Crewe service does now run via Soho to Wolverhampton.