Trivia: long distance direct trains by wildly different routes.

[Jamesrob637]

Frankfurt/Main-Berlin via Kassel or Erfurt, both with ICEs.
There used to be 4 through routes between Prague and Vienna, but they are down to one now, via Kolin and Brno.
Budapest-Bucharest has at least 2 through routes (via Craiova or Brașov) and there are at least 2 other variants used from time to time.

Chester-Birmingham is an obvious one, via Stafford/Cewe, or via Telford/Wrexham or Telford/Whitchurch/Crewe.

No Praha-Wien via Ceske Budejovice and Linz?

 

[30907]

No Praha-Wien via Ceske Budejovice and Linz?

Not a through service, and there hasn't been anything via (CB/Trebon and) Gmünd for some years.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Thanks, does that replace the evening Manchester service during COVID?

Yes - and through workings between Ellesmere Port and Manchester service will cease completely in December.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

About 20 years ago it was possible to travel from Manchester Piccadilly to London via WCML with Virgin or via South Wales to Waterloo with Wales and West.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

About 20 years ago it was possible to travel from Manchester Piccadilly to London via WCML with Virgin or via South Wales to Waterloo with Wales and West.

That's as may be, but the origin and destination weren't ever the same two stations.

 

[berneyarms]

Thanks, does that replace the evening Manchester service during COVID?

It’s the return working of that train.
The morning train starts in the morning at Liverpool and the evening train returns there in the evening

 

[SteveyBee131]

I don't remember this one being mentioned yet:

Nottingham to Peterborough...

...via Grantham (hourly in approx 1hr 10mins)

...via Lincoln Central (once a day, southbound only in 2hrs 30mins)

...via Melton Mowbray (once a day, northbound only in 1hr 30mins)

 

[LowLevel]

I don't remember this one being mentioned yet:

Nottingham to Peterborough...

...via Grantham (hourly in approx 1hr 10mins)

...via Lincoln Central (once a day, southbound only in 2hrs 30mins)

...via Melton Mowbray (once a day, northbound only in 1hr 30mins)

I mentioned it way back in post #22 I'm afraid!

I have the curious accolade of being the guard on all 3 of those services on a semi regular basis

 

[Whistler40145]

I mentioned it way back in post #22 I'm afraid!

I have the curious accolade of being the guard on all 3 of those services on a semi regular basis

We have a celebrity guard

 

[SteveyBee131]

I mentioned it way back in post #22 I'm afraid!

I have the curious accolade of being the guard on all 3 of those services on a semi regular basis

Oops! My apologies

 

[Ianno87]

Not sure it’s been mentioned yet, but Paris-Toulouse, either:

TGV via Bordeaux
or
Classic Line via Limoges/Cahors.

 

[AverageTD]

Seeing as Germany is a popular topic right now, Hamburg to Munich can be done via either Berlin or Hanover. Someone hinted at it earlier but any station on the Kent Loop can be done 2 ways from St Pancras but that's not exactly long distance.

Not sure it’s been mentioned yet, but Paris-Toulouse, either:

TGV via Bordeaux
or
Classic Line via Limoges/Cahors.

There must be a huge amount of destinations accessible via both classic and TGV services that take different routes!

 

[Jamesrob637]

Seeing as Germany is a popular topic right now, Hamburg to Munich can be done via either Berlin or Hanover.

I mentioned upthread that Ham-Mü can be done via Bremen, the Rhein-Ruhr and Stuttgart too!

 

[AverageTD]

I mentioned upthread that Ham-Mü can be done via Bremen, the Rhein-Ruhr and Stuttgart too!

Whoops, didn't see that. However only one ICE per day on line 42 does the final leg from Bremen to Hamburg I think.

 

[class ep-09]

Talking about indirect routes , while in Poland , I found that you can get from for example Katowice or Krakow ( South of the country) to the seaside Cities of Gdansk , Gdynia ( north of the country) in 3,4 different ways .
Some routes were just crazy, half or mire around the country and overall distance 500+ miles , while the most direct route was approx 400miles .
I think there even was train called “Tour the Pologne “ , which you can imagine was taking proper round route from south to north.

 

[GtNortherner]

Sunderland to Kings Cross - either on Grand Central around the Durham Coast line, rejoining the ECML at Northallerton and then non-stop from York, or on LNER heading in the opposite direction out of Sunderland along the old Brandling Junction line through Felling and Heworth to Newcastle Central and straight down the ECML.

Another shorter one further south on the ECML which may not be wildly different but worth an honourable mention is Finsbury Park to Stevenage with TSGN... either straight up the ECML and through lots of tunnels, or on the slower but more scenic route around the Hertford loop.

 

[Gloster]

You could get from Paris to Marseille by TGV, or earlier via Dijon and Lyon, or via Clermont-Ferrand and Nimes.

 

[Whistler40145]

Innsbrück to München via Wörgl or via Garmisch-Partenkirchen

 

[leytongabriel]

Seeing as Germany is a popular topic right now, Hamburg to Munich can be done via either Berlin or Hanover. Someone hinted at it earlier but any station on the Kent Loop can be done 2 ways from St Pancras but that's not exactly long distance.

There must be a huge amount of destinations accessible via both classic and TGV services that take different routes!

Paris - Le Mans is one.

 

[30907]

Not sure it’s been mentioned yet, but Paris-Toulouse, either:

TGV via Bordeaux
or
Classic Line via Limoges/Cahors.

Paris - Le Mans is one.

This is one of the few where the trains depart from the same Paris station (Montparnasse) - Austerlitz is the classic terminus for Toulouse and most of W/SW France

 

[galwhv69]

London Overground between Clapham Junction & Highbury & Islington either clockwise (via Willesden Junction) or anti-clockwise (via Surrey Quays)
I guess most loop services count :P
Would a contender for the shortest be between London Victoria & Brixton either on Southeastern or the Victoria Line?

 

[Kite159]

London Overground between Clapham Junction & Highbury & Islington either clockwise (via Willesden Junction) or anti-clockwise (via Surrey Quays)
I guess most loop services count :P
Would a contender for the shortest be between London Victoria & Brixton either on Southeastern or the Victoria Line?

Although these days I believe the ones via Surrey Quays terminate at Dalston Junction

 

[David Goddard]

Another shorter one further south on the ECML which may not be wildly different but worth an honourable mention is Finsbury Park to Stevenage with TSGN... either straight up the ECML and through lots of tunnels, or on the slower but more scenic route around the Hertford loop.

In that case we can add Livepool Street to Cheshunt, via Tottenham Hale or Seven Sisters

 

[galwhv69]

Although these days I believe the ones via Surrey Quays terminate at Dalston Junction

Knew this would crop up
There is one late evening service that does run to Highbury & Islington via Surrey Quays

 

[berneyarms]

Although these days I believe the ones via Surrey Quays terminate at Dalston Junction

Not on Sundays - they all go to Highbury & Islington

 

[swt_passenger]

Knew this would crop up
There is one late evening service that does run to Highbury & Islington via Surrey Quays

It’s rather scraping the barrel given the original question involved the term “long distance”, as in stuff like Birmingham to Scotland...

 

[Jamesrob637]

Bologna to Firenze via the older Direttissima or the newer line which has loads of tunnels and is not pretty aesthetically. Oh and there's a Victorian line between the two as well though I'm not sure whether anything apart from freight uses it nowadays.

 

[bussikuski179]

Helsinki to Oulu, either via Tampere, Seinäjoki and Kokkola, or via Kouvola, Pieksämäki and Kuopio, though no normal non-enthusiast would take the Kuopio route since it’s only 2 tpd and takes 8:40 instead of 5:40 via Seinäjoki.