please empty your brain below
If you allow yourself Underground lines which connect to National Rial but not other Underground lines (eg Bakerloo) can you allow National Rail lines which don’t connect to other National Rail lines?

In which case the Hayes branch in London has 9 stations. I’ve discounted the very occasional service between New Beckenham and Beckenham Junction and Tramlink at Elmers End doesn’t count because it’s not National Rail.

Robert Butlin | 14.12.21 - 7:20 a.m. | #

Because of the re-opening to Okehampton the dead end to Barnstaple now starts at Crediton, not Exeter.

dg writes: updated, thanks.

Timbo | 14.12.21 - 7:43 a.m. | #

I like how the bus map treats Epsom & Ewell as if it's a part of Greater London. Which it probably should have been, but that ship has sailed.

Chz | 14.12.21 - 8:36 a.m. | #

Interesting, as your posts always are.
One could argue that Crossrail towards Reading is not as long a stretch as you suggest as there are various branch line connections to Windsor and Henley for instance.

Martin | 14.12.21 - 8:45 a.m. | #

As always, I'm delighted to discover that I've actually travelled over the superlative on one of DG's lists. I will say Dovey Junction to Pwllheli doesn't *feel* like a dead end; it's a fairly busy route with a lot of big impressive towns en route. Middlesbrough to Whitby, however, does have a certain "end of the world" feel about it; by the time you get to Whitby you know that the only way out of here is back the way you came.

Scott | Homepage | 14.12.21 - 9:05 a.m. | #

Oh wow. Love this post. So much to chew on. Just before the pandemic started I decided to tick off every underground station. Brilliant timing! I was over half way and decided to do the remoter areas. Still not done it.
Got a few more things to tick off now. Would love to do Middlesbrough/Whitby stretch. I can't even think where Whitby station is offhand!

Chris | 14.12.21 - 9:10 a.m. | #

The Wick train heads to Thurso, then back to Georgemas Junction, and on to Wick. In my book that makes it a long dead end. You can't change trains anywhere (although you could get out for a leg stretch). It's even longer if you count Georgemas twice.

HTFB | 14.12.21 - 9:31 a.m. | #

Hadn’t occurred to me before, but this means I can use my Freedom Pass to get to Dorking.

Bryn Davies | 14.12.21 - 9:33 a.m. | #

The Whitby line reverses at Battersby thus its not such a long a dead end as made out (you're clearly using junctions to define the length of these dead ends.) Battersby to Whitby is twelve stations which brings it down the list a fair bit.

Ricardo | 14.12.21 - 9:55 a.m. | #

As a last resort option for getting home, I wholeheartedly agree that if nothing else, the Bakerloo to Harrow & Wealdstone certainly feels like the longest dead end!!

Cornish Cockney | 14.12.21 - 10:03 a.m. | #

The fifteen-station dead end section on the Cardiff to Rhymney line starts at Heath High Level (on the outskirts of Cardiff) I take it this is one of the name-changes that is not being apologised for.

cau1khead | 14.12.21 - 10:04 a.m. | #

Your rule as to what constitutes a tube interchange is not entirely clear in the case of Barking.

kev | 14.12.21 - 10:17 a.m. | #

Perhaps the rule could be "change before one stop short of Barking.”

Ian J | 14.12.21 - 10:28 a.m. | #

The Wick train does not head for Thurso. It heads towards Wick, pauses to back into Thurso, then resumes its heading for Wick. But anyway, Georgemas Junction is a Junction. One clue is in the name

Malcolm of Kent | 14.12.21 - 10:44 a.m. | #

To me the Bakerloo to Harrow and Wealdstone (where you can change for the Overground which shares the same tracks, or NR services) doesn't feel as properly dead endish as the Northern Line Camden Town to Edgware, where the rails genuinely stop!

Indeed the Edgware branch must be the longest dead end within the TfL area without any rail connection, seeing that the Overground to Watford Junction connects with NR services at Harrow & W and Watford J.

Mikey C | 14.12.21 - 11:07 a.m. | #

In response to Chz, I live in Epson & Ewell on the route of the 406. The Borough is not shaded on the map as part of Greater London.

Mike | 14.12.21 - 1:25 p.m. | #

The Exmouth branch is tantalisingly close to being on the last list. There are nine stations exclusively served by trains to Exmouth. However, St James Park is still on the mainline so presumably doesn't count.

Cjw714 | 14.12.21 - 1:37 p.m. | #

If heritage railways counted, then the rail ranking would be different. Sheringham branch would extend to Holt (Bittern+Poppy), unless interchange at Sheringham reduces the dead end.

Also: I hope TfL gets subsidies (from non-London Boris). to run buses/trains for significant distances outside London Boro's. Budget considerations and all that.

MilesT | 14.12.21 - 1:58 p.m. | #

Were Northern Ireland Railways under National Rail no less than a third of its branches would be on the list. The line to Bangor is a ten stop dead end after Belfast Lanyon Place and the line to Larne Harbour is a twelve stop dead end beyond Whiteabbey.

But other than a through cord in Belfast and the short Coleraine to Portrush branch the NI Railways are now just a handful of lines running out of Belfast in different directions. A stark contrast to the position in Great Britain.

Tim Roll-Pickering | 14.12.21 - 3:00 p.m. | #

cjw714 - I think the criterion is whether you can change trains there. In physical terms Crediton to Barnstaple should have been truncated further, becoming Yeoford to Barnstaple and only 9 stations; but the newly restored Okehampton trains don't call at Yeoford even though that's where the branch leaves the main line.

Klepsie | 14.12.21 - 3:48 p.m. | #

The junction for Okehampton is before Yeoford and it doesn't have a platform on the Yeoford track.

I'll make a late and extremely likely to be disallowed bid for Hilsea to Shanklin via Portsmouth Harbour (12 stations).

Graham | 14.12.21 - 4:39 p.m. | #

Shortest dead end in London public transport. The winner is .....Dangleway.

scrumpy | 14.12.21 - 5:38 p.m. | #

Manchester Metrolink, 15 stops to the airport.
Nottingham also 15 stops to Toton Lane.
Birmingham - Brierley Hill will be 17 when it opens.
Newcastle and Sheffield systems have short branches.

Still Anon | 14.12.21 - 7:01 p.m. | #

BR goes to Manchester airport - so not a dead end.

mark addy | 14.12.21 - 7:13 p.m. | #

Not sorry.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 14.12.21 - 11:00 p.m. | #

The Hertford North line continues to Stevenage.

Ian | 15.12.21 - 12:32 a.m. | #

Graham It does, but it's out of use. You're right about the junction, but the tracks run parallel to Yeoford, which *used* to be the junction.

Klepsie | 15.12.21 - 12:36 a.m. | #











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