The seven cross-country rail routes that would revitalise Britain
Sadder news for cross-country rail lovers was the axing of the Aberdeen-Penzance train as of May 16, after more than 100 years of service. At 774 miles, it is the UK's longest service, linking Scotland to Cornwall, passing through a range of landscapes and stopping 35 times at towns and cities.
Britain's rail network likes to give with one hand and take away with the other. There has been recent talk of reviving direct services from Bolton and Rochdale to London, providing the two major Lancashire towns with connections they once enjoyed as a right. Rail services open up business as well as leisure opportunities; vineyards, hotels and local councillors in Kent are still protesting the closure of the Eurostar service sparked by the pandemic.
So what would be the ideal cross-country lines to reboot in order to promote domestic holidays and regional economies? Britain's railways really began with a cross-country line, between Liverpool and Manchester, in 1830. Who decided, for example, the network should be radial, with London as its hub? And why are so many of us deprived of trains to the many wonderful corners of the country?
Here are seven for starters. These physical lines still exist (though Dr Beeching axed many that made cross-country travel faster and more fluid in the 1960s), but to complete the journeys now you have to change trains, waste time, worry about your next reservation and getting a seat.
Modern trains are supposed to be faster, but most cross-country trips are sluggish when you consider the crow-flies distances. We can surely do better than this, so please let us know which lines and services you miss most in the comments section below.
The Midland hotel that stands prominently over the UK's largest expanse of tidal mudflats and sand is a striking reminder of a time when Morecambe was served by Midland Railways and known as Bradford-on-sea for the number of visitors it drew from the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The route used, known as the 'Little' North Western Railway, carried mill and factory workers from their smoke-smothered homes via the Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland to the seaside. As well as regular services, there were 'Wakes Weeks' specials when industries closed down and entire towns and cities decamped to the coast.
At the time, the trains ran all over the country, with exotic-sounding services such as Oldham to Swansea and Bury to Heysham for Douglas on the Isle of Man. In Bradford's City of Culture year, and with the North due to get its own Eden Project in Morecambe isn't it time to reopen this grand old sunshine line, especially given the perennial question of how to revive the British seaside?
When direct service ended: 1966
Number of changes required in 2025: 1-2
Shortest duration in 2025: 2h 11m
Distance: 49 miles
Cheapest current cost: £12.70 single
I only know that this service existed as recently as the mid-1980s thanks to the avid timetable collectors who post fascinating facts on online rail forums. It was one of many Motorail services that operated between 1955-1995, allowing holidaymakers to deposit their Austin Allegros on to the back of trains and ride in comfort to their destination.
Stirling was a major hub, and was the gateway to the Highlands. Newton Abbot, often bypassed by tourists, is a useful point of departure for Dartmoor, Torbay and both coasts of Devon and Cornwall. Drives such as the NC500 (North Coast 500), Heart 200 and North East 250 in Scotland and South West 660 in England are great, but a relaunched Motorail – with competitive pricing – would allow us to travel greener, safer and without the tedious ordeal of the M4, M5 and M6.
When direct service ended: mid-1980s
Number of changes required in 2025: 1-4
Shortest duration in 2025: 8h 32m
Distance: 387 miles
Cheapest current cost: £161.70
Privatisation killed off services linking Newcastle, York, Scarborough and Hull to North Wales – with most trains stopping at Manchester, furthering the uncontrolled metropolitanisation of Britain. The loss is felt at several levels, exacerbating the 'East-West divide', shrinking the once booming tourism of Llandudno and the North Wales coast and, more subtly, making Britons – islanders all, with a rich maritime history – forget our once vital ports.
Boat trains used to connect all corners of the nation to ferry services to Ireland, Isle of Man and the continent. You could travel from Scotland and the north to Harwich Parkeston Quay. Today, the grandly monikered Harwich International is connected to, wait for it, nearby Manningtree. It's time to stop the rebranding and reconnect our ports.
When direct service ended: 1980s
Number of changes required in 2025: 2
Shortest duration in 2025: 5h 8m
Distance: 180 miles
Cheapest current cost: £125
Britain's most scenic railway line, the Settle-Carlisle, is currently served by trains from Leeds, plus a Saturday-only, twice in each direction service from Manchester Piccadilly to Ribblehead, site of the celebrated viaduct. Opened in 1876 by Midland Railways – keen to compete with London & North Western, which dominated operations on what we now call the West Coast Main Line – the Settle-Carlisle follows the natural contours of the Pennines, in order to enable high-speed stream trains to carry passengers to and from Scotland.
London's Science Museum holds a glorious 1903 timetable for the direct service on 'the most interesting route, the only through route embracing the lovely valleys of the Ribble and the Eden, the home and haunts of Sir Walter Scott, and the land of Robbie Burns,' from London St Pancras to Edinburgh, Perth and Inverness. Why deprive southerners of the north's sublime line?
When direct service ended: 1982 (London St Pancras to Carlisle)
Number of changes required in 2025: 1
Shortest duration in 2025: 5h 25m
Distance: 262 miles
Cheapest current cost: £87.20
One of the most punished towns in the UK, in transport terms, is Stranraer in south-west Scotland. Only a few decades ago, it was connected to London Euston, Carlisle and Newcastle, and for a spell there was an Edinburgh-Stranraer boat train. Why did all the trains go to this lonely peninsular tip? Mainly for the ultra-short ferry crossing to Larne in Northern Ireland.
But the ferry no longer goes from Stranraer but from Cairnryan (a bus ride away), with Stena ships to Belfast (two hours 15 mins) and P&O ferry crossings to Larne (two hours). As for the station, it has trains to Ayr and Glasgow, and not many of them – every four hours on weekdays and only as far as Ayr on Sundays.
Rail fans agree the Stranraer line ranks just below the likes of the West Highland Line and Dingwall to Kyle for scenic views. Reopening a route via Hadrian's Wall to Newcastle would tick many boxes for history and heritage-lovers, and provide a useful east-west connecting service.
When direct service ended: 1993
Number of changes required in 2025: 3
Shortest duration in 2025: 5h 48m
Distance: 135 miles
Cheapest current cost: £72.70
The axing of the Aberdeen-Penzance service is precisely the opposite direction of the one CrossCountry should be following. It was only offered once a day (departing Aberdeen 8.20am, arriving Penzance 9.31pm – and only Plymouth-Aberdeen in reverse) but was a symbolic connection to the southwestern tip of the nation for Scotland and all of England.
There used to be Waterloo to Penzance trains too, offering an iron-road version of the A303, ideal for south-west Londoners and stockbroker belt second-homers wanting to enjoy a few bottles of Mumm en-route to Marazion. The UK is missing a trick in not offering a pan-national service.
There's no reason why someone can't offer a Penzance to Thurso/Wick service, using diesel- (or steam-) powered rolling stock. It would be a magnet for European rail fans and, at around 970 miles, would outclass many single-country lines for length. The UK's Trans-Siberian, in short, with Unesco sites at either end and the full gamut of towns, cities, landscapes, accents, cuisines and culture en route. Londoners can do a version of this trip on their handy Caledonian and Night Riviera sleeper trains. Why should everyone else have to drive or change 10 times to cross the nation?
When direct service ended: N/A
Number of changes required in 2025: 2-5
Shortest duration in 2025: 26h 21m
Distance: 583 miles
Cheapest current cost: £320.80
This is not strictly a cross-country line, but it's a parable of how we can break the hegemony of city hubs. As early as 1860, the GWR – yes, you read that correctly – was able to operate trains from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside. By 1924, there were six down trains a day, some taking less than five hours.
The early route was via Reading and Oxford, but later took a shorter diagonal through Bicester and High Wycombe. Restaurant cars and sleepers were offered on some timings. Running till 1967, the Birkenhead Flyer and The Zulu stopped at Leamington Spa, Shrewsbury, Wrexham and Chester. As well as providing a connection to the port at Birkenhead – giving that town an identity beyond being 'somewhere you can see from Liverpool' – it opened up the Wirral, with New Brighton and Port Sunlight, as well as Shropshire and the Welsh Marches.
Today, the emphasis is on speed, not stopping and merely connecting A to B ie Liverpool Lime Street with London Euston, without any accounting for pleasure or leisure. These lines exist – why not allow open-access firms to target the holiday traveller on new city-swerving routes to places of extraordinary heritage and beauty?
When direct service ended: 1967
Number of changes required in 2025: 2
Shortest duration in 2025: 3h 12m
Distance: 178 miles
Current cost: £82.70
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
British mountaineer says K2 challenge is ‘one of the world's toughest'
British-Bangladeshi mountaineer Akke Rahman is aiming to climb the world's second highest peak, K2. The 42-year-old hopes to reach the summit before the end of July. Located on the border of Pakistan and China, K2 has a reputation for being extremely challenging to climb because of its steep slopes, avalanches and unpredictable weather. Mr Rahman, based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, is attempting to climb the 14 highest peaks in the world. He started out in climbing by scaling Snowdon in Wales in 2019. In 2020, Mr Rahman climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc within a week and, later that year, he broke the UK record for climbing Russia's Elbrus – Europe's tallest mountain – after reaching the summit in less than 24 hours. In 2022, he became the first British Muslim to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain. He has raised more than £1 million for charity during his mountaineering career. Mr Rahman said compared with other mountains, K2 is 'one of the world's toughest'. He went on: 'When I discovered climbing, I knew I wanted to keep challenging myself by summiting more and more mountains.' Luke Broad, UK brand director for car manufacturer Dacia, which is providing funding to support Mr Rahman's K2 attempt, said: 'Dacia is a brand with outdoor spirit. 'There is no better way of showing our support for adventure and the great outdoors than to support Akke. 'We are really impressed with his drive and determination, so we are proud to support his next challenge.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A British F35 fighter jet stranded in India may finally fly back home after inspiring memes
NEW DELHI (AP) — A British F-35B fighter jet stranded at an Indian airport for nearly a month, sparking memes and cartoons on social media, is expected to fly back home as early as next week, Indian officials said. The stealth fighter, one of the world's most advanced and costing around $115 million, is stranded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the southern state of Kerala due to a technical snag and is being repaired by U.K. engineers, officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak to media. The jet was on a regular sortie in the Arabian Sea last month when it ran into bad weather and couldn't return to the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, officials said. The aircraft was then diverted to Thiruvananthapuram, where it landed safely on June 14. Officials said engineers hope to repair the plane in the next few days before it could fly back to U.K. sometime next week. The stranded military aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, has triggered A.I.-generated memes in India. In a social media post, the tourism department of Kerala showed the aircraft on the tarmac surrounded by coconut trees and posting a fictitious five-star review. 'Kerala is such an amazing place, I don't want to leave. Definitely recommend," it said. The state's top official at the tourism department, K. Biju, said the post was put out in 'good humor.' 'It was our way to appreciate and thank the Brits who are the biggest inbound visitors to Kerala for tourism,' said Biju. The British High Commission confirmed to the The Associated Press that a U.K. engineering team has been deployed to 'assess and repair' the aircraft. There has been speculation in India that if the engineers fail to rectify the aircraft, it could be partially dismantled and transported in a cargo plane. The U.K.'s Ministry of Defense dismissed the speculation in an emailed statement.
Tom's Guide
2 days ago
- Tom's Guide
How to watch ITVX online for free and from anywhere with a VPN
ITV is the U.K's oldest commercial network and one its biggest free-to-air broadcasters. But you'll struggle to access ITVX in the U.S., Canada, Australia or anywhere else. Below we explain how to watch ITVX from abroad. Reality TV is undoubtedly one of ITV's absolute strongholds, but it's behind two of the most popular British soap operas too, and shows a huge amount of major sports events live. While ITVX is straightforward to use in the U.K., it'll stop working the moment you leave the country. Read on as we explain exactly how to watch ITVX live, from anywhere in the world. To watch ITVX, you first need to register an account, which takes a matter of seconds. And because it's a free service, there are no payment details required. Register: enter your email address on the ITV website and create a password. Next: Add your name, date of birth, gender and postcode (e.g. W12 7RU). And then... you'll promptly receive a code over email, which you'll use to verify your details and open your account. You can now stream ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and ITV Quiz live, and get stuck into the extensive on-demand ITVX library. Although ITVX is only available in the U.K., British residents visiting the U.S., Australia and Canada can stream it through the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software sets your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So, it's ideal for sports and TV fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market: We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's fast, has top-level security features, and has a brilliant track record when it comes to unblocking streamers like ITVX. It's terrific value too, and with over 7,000 servers across 115+ countries, we thoroughly recommend it. Get over 70% off with this NordVPN deal Using a VPN is incredibly simple. 1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite. 2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view ITVX, you'd select U.K. from the list. 3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ITVX and watch anything you want right now. It's a huge summer of sport on ITVX, which is providing free-to-air coverage of Women's Euro 2025 and Tour de France 2025 right now. The broadcaster also shows regular horse racing, rugby, darts, men's soccer and the NFL, with events as wide-ranging as Royal Ascot, the Gallagher Premiership, Six Nations, Nordic Darts Masters, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Super Bowl. ITV is home to many of the U.K.'s biggest reality shows, as well as their international spinoffs. At the top of that list, of course, is "Love Island". "Love Island U.K." season 12 is in full flow right now, with "Love Island USA" season 7 and "Love Island: Beyond the Villa" on the way. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. "Dancing on Ice", "The Masked Singer", "Big Brother U.K.", and "I'm a Celeb" are all exclusive to ITV in the U.K.. Don't be fooled into thinking it's all just trash TV. "Mr Bates vs The Post Office" was a landmark production that drew national attention to one of the biggest cover-ups in British history. "The Assembly", in which a group of autistic and neurodivergent people, some of whom have learning disabilities, cross-examine a celebrity, is joyful TV that's going to be huge, and "Code of Silence" has been another recent smash hit. And then there are those grant old bastions of British culture: "Coronation Street" and "Emmerdale". Even if you live in Australia, the moment you leave the country whether for work or vacation, you'll lose access to the entire 9Now library. A VPN will give you a route back in, no matter where in the world you are. Plus, you'll be able to tap into programming from different regions of Australia. VPNs also encrypt and anonymize your browsing data, keeping it private not only from cybercriminal and government snooping, but from your internet service provider too. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
