Trivia: Stations linked by track with short distances between them.

[Paul AC]

Wylde Green can be seen from the end of the platform at Chester Road. Pretty close i think.

Though it's trams so not in scope for this discussion, Sale tram stop can be seen from Timperley tram stop, and they are 1.6 mile apart - with Brooklands tram stop in between! Perhaps we need a "stations furthest apart that can be seen from each other" thread!

 

[yorkshirerail]

Burley Park to Headingley
Garforth to East Garforth
Shipley to Saltaire

 

[Trainspecial]

St James Park - Exeter Central is ~ 600 m

 

[CEN60]

Dumbarton Central and Dalreoch

Hyndland and Jordanhill

Glasgow Central (LL) and Argyle Street

Gilsochill, Summerston and Mary hill

Worthing and West Worthing

Havant and Bed Hampton

Fratton, Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour

Plus other side of Glasgow Central LL is Anderson with is around 740m away (Argyle St LL is about 490m (without looking up the Track Diagrams or Sectional Appendix)

 

[Furrysquid]

Wylde Green can be seen from the end of the platform at Chester Road. Pretty close i think.

Likewise, you can see the lights of the trains stopped at Chester Road from the platform at Erdington.

 

[consettman]

Penge West to Anerley must be a serious contender at c.450m. Trains are easily visible at the other station.
In Newcastle, Manors to Central is less than 600m.
Once upon a time, Gateshead East to Gateshead West - both independent stations - would have been about 120m (albeit with a reversal!)

 

[Sean Emmett]

I'll need to give this some thought, but as a train-timer my test would be where the station to station start to stop time is less than a minute. In essence, the shortest 'fastest time'.

Example on the Whitchurch branch already quoted and St James to Moorfields can be under a minute.

Ok some ideas based on Railway Performance Society station-to-station 'fastest times', many of which already mentioned

Start to stop one minute or less

James Street to Moorfields 23 chains. 0 minutes 45 seconds.

Canada Water to Rotherhithe. Nbd 0m 46s, sbd 0m 46s.

Farringdon to City Thameslink Sbd 0m 46s (nbd 0m 56s)

Blackfriars to City Thameslink. Nbd 0m 47s, (sbd 0m 50s)

Ty Glas - Birchgrove 19c. Nbd 0m 48s (sbd 0m 49s).

Stratford to Maryland ebd 0m 52s (wbd 1m 10s).

Alexandra Parade to Duke Street sbd 0m 49s. (nbd 0m 57s).

Rotherhithe to Wapping. Nbd 0m 52s (sbd 0m 55s).

Finchley Road & Frognal to West Hampstead. Ebd fastest 0m 55s (wbd fastest 0m 56s).

Clapham High St to Wandsworth Road 0m 57s.

Lelant Saltings to Lelant (37c). Fastest down 0m 56c, fastest up 1m 10s. (Lelant Saltings now closed).

Deansgate to Manchester Oxford Road to ebd 0m 58s (wbd 0m 59s).

Liverpool Lime Street to Liverpool Central (42c) 1m 00s

Close calls

Prestwick Town to Airport 1m 02s both directions

Exton to Lympstone Commando. Fastest down 1m 03c, fastest up 1m 03c.

Balloch Pier to Balloch Town nbd 1m 02s (sbd 1m 13s) Balloch Pier now closed.

Culrain to Invershin. Fastest down 1m 11s, fastest up 1m 04s.

Glasgow Queen St to High Street. Fastest down 1m 06s, fastest up 1m 04s.


Getting late, no doubt I have missed quite a few

 

[Purple Train]

Rectory Road to Stoke Newington (London Overground Weaver Line) is timed as one minute start-to-stop, and, from Realtime Trains, it is 32 chains between the two. No idea how achievable that is in practice.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 May 2026 ==

Ok some ideas based on Railway Performance Society station-to-station 'fastest times', many of which already mentioned

Start to stop one minute or less

James Street to Moorfields 23 chains. 0 minutes 45 seconds.

Canada Water to Rotherhithe. Nbd 0m 46s, sbd 0m 46s.

Farringdon to City Thameslink Sbd 0m 46s (nbd 0m 56s)

Blackfriars to City Thameslink. Nbd 0m 47c, (sbd 0m 50s)

Ty Glas - Birchgrove 19c. Nbd 0m 48s (sbd 0m 49s).

Alexandra Parade to Duke Street sbd 0m 49s. (nbd 0m 57s)

Rotherhithe to Wapping. Nbd 0m 52s (sbd 0m 55s).

Finchley Road & Frognal to West Hampstead. Ebd fastest 0m 55s (wbd fastest 0m 56s).

Clapham High St to Wandsworth Road 0m 57s.

Getting late, no doubt I have missed a few

321m 48c Lelant Saltings to 322m 05c Lelant (37c). Fastest down 0m 56c, fastest up 1m 10s. (Lelant Saltings now closed).

Deansgate to Manchester Oxford Road to ebd 0m 58s (wbd 0m 59s).

Liverpool Lime Street to Liverpool Central (42c) 1m 00s

Close calls

Prestwick Town to Airport 1m 02s both directions

Exton to Lympstone Commando. Fastest down 1m 03c, fastest up 1m 03c.

Culrain to Invershin. Fastest down 1m 11s, fastest up 1m 04s.

Glasgow Queen St to High Street. Fastest down 1m 06s, fastest up 1m 04s.

Minor point, but Lelant Saltings is still open, albeit with a Parliamentary service of one train in each direction per day.

 

[Sean Emmett]

Rectory Road to Stoke Newington (London Overground Weaver Line) is timed as one minute start-to-stop, and, from Realtime Trains, it is 32 chains between the two. No idea how achievable that is in practice.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 May 2026 ==


Minor point, but Lelant Saltings is still open, albeit with a Parliamentary service of one train in each direction per day.

Yep Rectory Road to Stoke Newington fastest time 0m 57s nbd, 1m 00d sbd.

Lelant Saltings - noted! I thought it closed when the St Erth P&R opened.

I forgot to include Wallaseys and Bootles.

 

[brad465]

Lower Sydenham and New Beckenham are pretty close, along with Lewisham and St Johns.

 

[Kilopylae]

St James Park - Exeter Central is ~ 600 m

Exton to Lympstone Commando has been had, but St Davids to Central must be shorter than Central to St James.

In Janner-land, how far is Devonport from Dockyard?

Is Bristol Parkway less than a mile from Patchway?

Morchard Road is pretty close to Copplestone for a rural line, but that isn't going to compete with any of the London examples.

 

[Rescars]

Is Charing Cross to Waterloo East a contender?

Shame Manchester Exchange is no longer with us. The shared platform with Manchester Victoria would have made that set-up hard to beat!

 

[SoloSR334022]

Marske <> Longbeck has to be up there?

 

[norbitonflyer]

Perhaps we need a "stations furthest apart that can be seen from each other" thread!

Starcross and Exmouth? (Just under 20 miles)

 

[Trainspecial]

Exton to Lympstone Commando has been had, but St Davids to Central must be shorter than Central to St James.

In Janner-land, how far is Devonport from Dockyard?

Is Bristol Parkway less than a mile from Patchway?

Morchard Road is pretty close to Copplestone for a rural line, but that isn't going to compete with any of the London examples.

St Davids to Central is actually longer according to RailMiles

 

[ac6000cw]

It might not count, but Sheringham (NR/GA) and Sheringham (North Norfolk Railway) stations are less than 150m apart between the platform ends, and directly linked by track (that crosses a public road). AFAIK the connecting track is mostly used for visiting loco movements, but has been used for some evening dining trains and visiting charter trains in the past.



Google maps link - https://maps.app.goo.gl/fmVsiNLfEm5r1frq9

 

[Kilopylae]

St Davids to Central is actually longer according to RailMiles

That's surprising! I guess there's a lot of hidden rail distance squashed into that tight curve.

 

[Purple Train]

It might not count, but Sheringham (NR/GA) and Sheringham (North Norfolk Railway) stations are less than 150m apart between the platform ends, and directly linked by track (that crosses a public road). AFAIK the connecting track is mostly used for visiting loco movements, but has been used for some evening dining trains and visiting charter trains in the past.

View attachment 204480

Google maps link - https://maps.app.goo.gl/fmVsiNLfEm5r1frq9

If we're counting that, can I volunteer Aberdare (ABA) to Aberdare Platform 2 (XCB)?

 

[ac6000cw]

St Davids to Central is actually longer according to RailMiles

It is if you measure it on Google maps too.

Measured between the platform ends, it's only about 1800m/1.1 miles in total from St. Davids via Central to St. James.

 

[Medicy]

Folkestone West and Folkestone Central - 51 chains apart

 

[ac6000cw]

Guildford main and London Road Guildford aren't that close, but they're considerably closer as the crow flies (~0.7 miles) or even the quickest walking route (~0.85 miles) than they are in track miles (1 mile 23 chains) because the railway does a huge northward curve on a viaduct over the north of Guildford rather than straight across the top edge of the town centre.

Another example of that (but not adjacent stations by rail) is Ipswich to Derby Road (on the Felixstowe branch) - both are within Ipswich and about 1.6 miles apart as the crow flies, but 6.1 miles by rail - the rail route takes a huge loop around the north of Ipswich via Westerfield. Another is Liskeard to Coombe Junction Halt, about 0.5 miles apart as the crow flies but 2 miles by rail.

 

[michael74]

That's surprising! I guess there's a lot of hidden rail distance squashed into that tight curve.

Depends if you are measuring the up or the down

 

[ac6000cw]

Falmouth Town to Falmouth Docks is 37ch (744m) on Railmiles and about 660m between platform ends on Google maps.

Depends if you are measuring the up or the down

In that sort of multi-track 'tight curve' situation, anyone know how/where the official railway distance is measured?

 

[zwk500]

anyone know how/where the official railway distance is measured?

Nominal centreline of all tracks, isn't it? Or at least centreline of tracks at construction!

 

[ac6000cw]

Nominal centreline of all tracks, isn't it? Or at least centreline of tracks at construction!

That's what I'd assume/seems logical.

 

[Djgr]

Wallasey Village and Wallasey Grove Road are close.

 

[321362]

Birchgrove and Ty Glas are the absolute closest on the mainline iirc

 

[JD2168]

Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Oxford Road is extremely close

Elsecar & Wombwell stations feel pretty close, train barely gets going before stopping again.

 

[Kilopylae]

Did anyone have the numbers for Devonport and Dockyard?

 

[LRV3004]

Davenport and Woodsmoor are both visible from each other, with Woodsmoor Lane level crossing between the two. Think they’re about half a mile apart roughly.