Where are you on the transport network?

[Elpenor]

The slowest train line in the UK. There's about a dozen stops before you even get to Yeovil

This is true, but its a lot cheaper than the Paddington train which I never take despite the trains only taking 2:30 from my local station. This is about an hour longer but my trips to London often involve changing onto a South Eastern train from Waterloo East, so any time saved is lost having to transfer via tube. Not doing so this time but I find Waterloo better located for onward travel to North London too.

 

[rubbershoes]

Yeah, today's fastest Exeter-Waterloo is actually slower than than the fastest train from 1950. Quite an achievement.

Can go via Tivvy if you want to get there quickly.

Is Exeter the only English city with two distinct train lines to London?

 

[Elpenor]

Can go via Tivvy if you want to get there quickly.

Is Exeter the only English city with two distinct train lines to London?

Leaving from different directions of St David’s too!

I think Oxford possibly, and maybe some other places nearer London?

 

[teuchter]

Is Exeter the only English city with two distinct train lines to London?

There are quite a few but it depends how exactly you're going to define "distinct train lines". For example do you require a direct train using each route?

 

[Elpenor]

Resisted the temptation to ask a cheerful Londoner on the platform if this train goes to Bank

Mainly due to the lack of any being present

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Is Exeter the only English city with two distinct train lines to London?

I think Oxford possibly, and maybe some other places nearer London?

yes, Oxford has the Great Western to Paddington, and what's now Chiltern in to Marylebone.

Birmingham has Chiltern to Marylebone and the west coast main line to Euston. There were direct trains via Reading to Paddington in to (at least) the 80s, but the Reading - Birmingham bit is now just cross-country.

Cambridge has Great Northern / Thameslink services via Hitchin to Kings Cross (or St Pancras Thameslink) and Greater Anglia trains to Liverpool Street.

St Albans has the direct line that's now Thameslink, and the St Albans Abbey branch which feeds in to Watford Junction for trains to Euston - not sure if it ever had through trains.

Lincoln has LNER trains in to Kings Cross and a few East Midlands Railway trains to St Pancras via Nottingham.

Southend is now a city, and has the London Tilbury and Southend Railway line (now C2C) to Fenchurch Street and the Great Eastern Railway (now Greater Anglia) line to Liverpool Street.

Canterbury and Rochester both have the former South Eastern Railway lines in to Charing Cross / Cannon Street and the former London, Chatham and Dover Railway lines in to Victoria / Blackfriars via Bromley South (Rochester used to have two separate stations but they got merged in to a single station a long time ago - and it's now moved.) And both now have trains via the High Speed line in to St Pancras.

Although Rochester's historical city status was lost when they buggered about with councils and made Medway a unitary authority in the late 90s because they didn't think about that until too late.

 

[kebabking]

Monmouth, Monmouthshire.

 

[Winot]

yes, Oxford has the Great Western to Paddington, and what's now Chiltern in to Marylebone.

Birmingham has Chiltern to Marylebone and the west coast main line to Euston. There were direct trains via Reading to Paddington in to (at least) the 80s, but the Reading - Birmingham bit is now just cross-country.

Cambridge has Great Northern / Thameslink services via Hitchin to Kings Cross (or St Pancras Thameslink) and Greater Anglia trains to Liverpool Street.

St Albans has the direct line that's now Thameslink, and the St Albans Abbey branch which feeds in to Watford Junction for trains to Euston - not sure if it ever had through trains.

Lincoln has LNER trains in to Kings Cross and a few East Midlands Railway trains to St Pancras via Nottingham.

Southend is now a city, and has the London Tilbury and Southend Railway line (now C2C) to Fenchurch Street and the Great Eastern Railway (now Greater Anglia) line to Liverpool Street.

Canterbury and Rochester both have the former South Eastern Railway lines in to Charing Cross / Cannon Street and the former London, Chatham and Dover Railway lines in to Victoria / Blackfriars via Bromley South (Rochester used to have two separate stations but they got merged in to a single station a long time ago - and it's now moved.) And both now have trains via the High Speed line in to St Pancras.

Although Rochester's historical city status was lost when they buggered about with councils and made Medway a unitary authority in the late 90s because they didn't think about that until too late.

Hertford is quite a small town really and has Hertford North to Highbury & Islington and Hertford East to Liverpool Street. In some places in town you can see the old narrow gauge line connecting the two stations to the old McMullen brewery.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

yes, Oxford has the Great Western to Paddington, and what's now Chiltern in to Marylebone.

Birmingham has Chiltern to Marylebone and the west coast main line to Euston. There were direct trains via Reading to Paddington in to (at least) the 80s, but the Reading - Birmingham bit is now just cross-country.

Cambridge has Great Northern / Thameslink services via Hitchin to Kings Cross (or St Pancras Thameslink) and Greater Anglia trains to Liverpool Street.

St Albans has the direct line that's now Thameslink, and the St Albans Abbey branch which feeds in to Watford Junction for trains to Euston - not sure if it ever had through trains.

Lincoln has LNER trains in to Kings Cross and a few East Midlands Railway trains to St Pancras via Nottingham.

Southend is now a city, and has the London Tilbury and Southend Railway line (now C2C) to Fenchurch Street and the Great Eastern Railway (now Greater Anglia) line to Liverpool Street.

Canterbury and Rochester both have the former South Eastern Railway lines in to Charing Cross / Cannon Street and the former London, Chatham and Dover Railway lines in to Victoria / Blackfriars via Bromley South (Rochester used to have two separate stations but they got merged in to a single station a long time ago - and it's now moved.) And both now have trains via the High Speed line in to St Pancras.

Although Rochester's historical city status was lost when they buggered about with councils and made Medway a unitary authority in the late 90s because they didn't think about that until too late.

Weybridge has the line via Surbition and another via Staines. Same toc though.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Reading to Paddington on GWR and to Waterloo on SWR.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

yes, but the question said 'city'

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Buenos Aires airport (EZE). I rushed down for a ship that ran aground ..when I got here it had refloated of its own accord..so now I’m waiting for the plane home.
It’s a screw up as I had to switch someone to do a 9 day offshore attendance..my pay is not going to be good this month.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Buenos Aires airport (EZE). I rushed down for a ship that ran aground ..when I got here it had refloated of its own accord..so now I’m waiting for the plane home.
It’s a screw up as I had to switch someone to do a 9 day offshore attendance..my pay is not going to be good this month.
View attachment 459975

The good news is, this potential frees me up to do a ship inspection in Tocopilla, Chile, next weekend for my side hustle..I’ve never been to the Atacama desert

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Reading to Paddington on GWR and to Waterloo on SWR.

yes, but the question said 'city'

Reading has applied for city status 4 times and not got it (they only open applications every now and then - southend was a special case related to the MP who got done in) - in 2000 or 02 (i can't remember which), they were so confident that they went and put up road signs for 'city centre' and had a batch of buses which showed 'city centre' as a destination.

and then didn't get it. there is a feeling that they didn't get / haven't got it because they did that...

Buenos Aires airport (EZE). I rushed down for a ship that ran aground

a ship ran aground at the airport? was the captain pissed?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Reading has applied for city status 4 times and not got it (they only open applications every now and then - southend was a special case related to the MP who got done in) - in 2000 or 02 (i can't remember which), they were so confident that they went and put up road signs for 'city centre' and had a batch of buses which showed 'city centre' as a destination.

and then didn't get it. there is a feeling that they didn't get / haven't got it because they did that...



a ship ran aground at the airport? was the captain pissed?

Pedant point for Puddy Tat!

Guildford's the same, their football club's called Guildford City, also been turned down for city status on numerous occasions.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

The sad thing is, the Parana river is a lot more unpredictable with climate change, and a huge amount of cargo is transported along it.
Outside of Russia, drunk captains are rare

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Outside of Russia, drunk captains are rare

Cough Exxon Valdez Cough

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Guildford's the same, their football club's called Guildford City, also been turned down for city status on numerous occasions.

There's a Reading City FC as well (they are in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North which is level 9)

 

[tim]

Getting tropical on the Greenwich Meriden.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Cough Exxon Valdez Cough

35 years ago..and there’s not much evidence he was drunk..he was the scapegoat

Joseph Jeffrey Hazelwood (September 24, 1946 – c. July 22, 2022) was an American sailor. He was the captain of Exxon Valdezduring her 1989 oil spill. He was accused of being intoxicated which contributed to the disaster, but was cleared of this charge at his 1990 trial after witnesses testified that he was sober around the time of the accident. Hazelwood was convicted of a lesser charge, negligent discharge of oil (a misdemeanor), fined $50,000, and sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service.

 

[Maltin]

Trying to get into Waterloo!

 

[Elpenor]

Yesterday morning

 

[nottsgirl]

 

[Elpenor]

In the first class compartment (weekend first upgrade for £15 for a 4 hour journey). Which is just a different bit of the carriage with no separate door.

First class gets you a better (ie non commuter) seat, more space power sockets at some seats, and er that’s it. But for £15 it’s a fair shout especially on the way home after a long weekend.

But as the train has from Salisbury shrunk down to 2 carriages the train is full and standing and there are now people sitting on the floor! I’m sure the trains are more like 4 or 6 carriages for this stretch normally

 

[skyscraper101]

A very snowy Newark Liberty Airport. Out before Trump II.