Destination Guides from Main Stations in Britain

Discover where you can travel on to by direct express train from the major rail hubs in Great Britain and see at a glance which other destinations you can access most easily.

Close to all long-distance train services in Great Britain operate to fixed interval timetables with a minimum of 1 x train per hour, but most routes from and to London have 2 x trains per hour

This is a guide intended for leisure travellers,so the non-comprehensive destination lists focus on locations and routes popular with tourists.

The day train frequency guides are based on the usual schedules between 08:00am and 17:00pm, but the availability of the trains can be impacted by temporary timetable alterations.

From London

Central London is ringed by eleven stations that long-distance trains depart from and arrive at.
This guide explains how to access them from the city centre; And how to make transfers between them when making onward connections.

This guide has ideas for making easy day trips from London by train.

From and to Victoria station

Victoria station is served by the Circle, District and Victoria lines of the Underground.

More than 4 x trains per hour
to Gatwick Airport

2 x trains per hour 
to Arundel, Bexhill-on-Sea, Brighton, Chichester, East Grinstead (for the Bluebell Railway), Eastbourne, Hove, Lewes and Rochester

1 x train per hour
to Broadstairs, Canterbury, Margate and Whitstable

From and to London Bridge station

London Bridge station is served by the Jubilee and Northern lines of the Underground.

More than 4 x trains per hour
to Gatwick Airport,and Luton Airport Parkway

4 x trains per hour
to Brighton and Greenwich

2 x trains per hour
to Cambridge, Hastings, Rochester and Tunbridge Wells

1 x train per hour to
Canterbury, Deal, Folkestone and Margate

For full details see the journey guides

From and to St Pancras International station

St Pancras International station is served by the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines of the Underground.

More than 4 x trains per hour
to St Albans, London Bridge, Gatwick Airport and Luton Airport Parkway

4 x trains per hour
to Brighton and Leicester 

2 x trains per hour 
to Cambridge, Derby, Greenwich, Nottingham, Margate, Rochester (hiSpeed) and Sheffield

1 x train per hour
to Broadstairs, Canterbury, Deal, Folkestone and Whitstable

Less frequent trains
to Amsterdam, Brussels, Lille, Rotterdam and Paris

For full details see the journey guides

From and to King’s Cross station

Kings’ Cross station is served by the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines of the Underground.

4 or 5 x trains per hour
to York  

3 or 4 x trains per hour
to Edinburgh, Newcastle and York

2 x trains per hour 
to Cambridge (non-stop trains) and Leeds

1 x train per hour 
to Durham, Ely and King’s Lynn

1 x train every other hour 
to Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Bradford, Harrogate and Lincoln

Less frequent trains
to Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow (by Lumo trains) and Leuchars (for St Andrews)

1 x train per day
to Aviemore, Inverness, Perth and Stirling

For full details see the journey guides

From and to Liverpool Street station

Liverpool Street station is served by the Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines of the Underground and by the Elizabeth line.

More than 4 x trains per hour
to Heathrow Airport and Slough (for Windsor)

4 x trains per hour
to Colchester and Stansted Airport

2 x trains per hour 
to Cambridge and Norwich

Less frequent trains
to Harwich International

From and to Euston station

Euston station is served by the Northern and Victoria lines of the Underground.

4 x trains per hour (in most hours) 
to Birmingham (2 x Avanti, 2 x LNWR)

3 x trains per hour (in most hours) 
to Manchester

1 or 2 x trains per hour 
to Liverpool

1 x train per hour
to Carlisle*, Chester, Glasgow*, Lancaster* and Wolverhampton (connect for Shrewsbury)
*= avoid the slower trains which travel via Birmingham

Less frequent trains
to Holyhead (for ferries to Dublin), Llandudno Junction, Oxenholme - The Lake District* and Penrith North Lakes*
*= avoid the slower trains which travel via Birmingham

1 train per day
to Blackpool and Wrexham

Night trains
to Aberdeen, Aviemore, Dundee, Edinburgh, Fort William (Scottish Highlands), Glasgow, Inverness and Perth

For full details see the journey guides

From and to Marylebone station

Marylebone station is served by the Bakerloo line of the Underground

2 x trains per hour 
to Bicester, Birmingham, Leamington Spa and Oxford

From and to Paddington station

Paddington station is served by the Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines of the Underground and by the Elizabeth line.

More than 4 x trains per hour
to Heathrow Airport and Slough (for Windsor)

2 x trains per hour 
to Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Oxford and Swansea

1 or 2 x trains per hour
to Exeter and Plymouth

1 x train per hour
to Moreton-In-Marsh (The Cotswolds) and Worcester

Less frequent trains
to Carmarthen, Great Malvern, Hereford, Llanelli, Penzance, St Austell, Torquay and Truro

Night train
to Penzance, Plymouth, St Austell and Truro

For full details see the journey guides

From and to Waterloo station

Waterloo station is served by the Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern and Waterloo & City lines of the Underground

3 x trains per hour 
to Southampton and Winchester

2 x trains per hour 
to Alton (for the Mid-Hants Railway), Bournemouth, Brockenhurst-New Forest, Dorchester, Portsmouth, Salisbury, Weymouth and Windsor

1 x train per hour
to Axminster, Exeter and Yeovil

For full details see the journey guides

Journey times from London:

Less than 1 hour
Cambridge, Colchester, Folkestone, Greenwich, Oxford, Rochester, Tunbridge Wells and Windsor

Less than 2 hours
Alton (for the Mid-Hants Railway), Arundel, Bath, Bicester, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Broadstairs, Brockenhurst-New Forest, Brussels, Canterbury, Cardiff, Chichester, Deal, Derby, East Grinstead (for the Bluebell Railway), Eastbourne, Ely, Hastings, Hove, King’s Lynn, Leamington Spa, Lewes, Lille, Margate, Moreton-In-Marsh (The Cotswolds), Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Southampton, Salisbury, Whitstable, Winchester and York (fastest trains)

Less than 3 hours
Axminster, Bexhill-on-Sea, Bradford, Dorchester, Durham, Chester, Exeter, Great Malvern, Harrogate, Hereford, Llandudno Junction, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxenholme - The Lake District, Paris, Sheffield, Weymouth, Worcester and Yeovil

Less than 4 hours
Amsterdam, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Blackpool, Holyhead (for ferries to Dublin), Penrith North Lakes and Plymouth

Less than 5 hours
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Penzance, St Austell, Torquay and Truro

More than 5 hours
to Aberdeen, Aviemore, Dundee, Fort William (Scottish Highlands), Inverness, Leuchars (for St Andrews) and Perth

From Birmingham

The primary station in Britain’s second largest city is Birmingham New Street which has been transformed as part of the reconstruction of the Grand Central mall -  so it's never been easier to head off by train.

4 x trains per hour 
to London Euston (2 x Avanti, 2 x LNWR)

3 x trains per hour 
to Shrewsbury

2 x trains per hour
to Bristol, Cheltenham, Derby, Liverpool, London Marylebone*, Manchester, Stratford-upon-Avon* and Worcester*
*= from Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill

1 or 2 x trains per hour
to Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Leamington Spa, Oxford, Newcastle, Reading, Sheffield and York

1 x train per hour
to Bournemouth, Brockenhurst (New Forest), Cambridge, Cardiff, Great Malvern,  Ely, Hereford, Leeds, Nottingham, Plymouth, Southampton, Stansted Airport, Winchester and Worcester

Less frequent trains
to Aberystwyth*, Barmouth*, Chester*, Glasgow, Holyhead (for ferries to Dublin), Llandudno Junction, Oxenholme - Lake District*, Penrith-North Lakes*, Penzance, St Austell, Torquay and Truro
*= mostly at least every other hour

Journey times from Birmingham

Less than 1 hour
Cheltenham, Derby, Great Malvern, Leamington Spa, Shrewsbury*, Stratford-upon-Avon and Worcester
*= fastest trains

Less than 2 hours
Bristol, Cardiff, Chester, Hereford, London*, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield
*= fastest trains

Less than 3 hours
Blackpool,  Brockenhurst (New Forest), Cambridge, Ely, Exeter, Llandudno Junction, Oxenholme - Lake District, Penrith-North Lakes, Southampton, Winchester and York

Less than 4 hours
Aberystwyth, Barmouth, Bournemouth, Durham, Edinburgh*, Glasgow, Holyhead (for ferries to Dublin), Plymouth, Newcastle and Torquay
*= fastest trains

Less than 5 hours
Penzance, St Austell, Torquay and Truro

From Bristol

Bristol is a rail hub, because it is where the main cross-country route between northern England and Devon / Cornwall, meets the route between London and South Wales and the older route between London and Devon / Cornwall via Bath.

A junction station named Bristol Parkway is where many connections can be made, but the station which serves the city centre is Bristol Temple Meads.

4 x trains per hour 
to Bath

2 x trains per hour
to Bradford on Avon, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Birmingham, Exeter, London and Salisbury

1 x train per hour
to Berwick-upon-Tweed, Derby, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Worcester and York

Less frequent trains 
to Dorchester, Penzance, St Austell, Torquay, Truro, Weymouth and Yeovil

1 x train per day
to Aberdeen, Glasgow and Leuchars for St Andrews

From Edinburgh

The primary station in the Scottish capital is Edinburgh Waverley, but the destinations marked below with an * are also served by trains which also call at Edinburgh Haymarket.

The comparative frequency of the trains which use Edinburgh Waverley results in the city being a great base for exploring Scotland by train.

3 or 4 x trains per hour
to Newcastle

2 or 4 x trains per hour
to Glasgow (fastest trains via Falkirk)

2 or 3 x trains per hour
to London King’s Cross, Stirling* and York

2 x trains per hour
to Dundee* and Leuchars* for St Andrews

1 or 2 x trains per hour
to Aberdeen*, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Birmingham* and Perth*

1 x train per hour
to Bristol, Derby, Durham, Exeter, Leeds, Oxenholme - Lake District* (most hours), Penrith-North Lakes* (most hours), Plymouth and Sheffield

1 x train every other hour
to Manchester*

Less frequent trains
to Aviemore*, Cardiff, Inverness*, Penzance, St Austell and Truro

Night train
to London Euston

For full details see the journey guides

Journey times from Edinburgh

Less than 1 hour
Glasgow, Leuchars* for St Andrews, Stirling
*= fastest trains

Less than 2 hours
Dundee, Durham, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Newcastle, Oxenholme - Lake District, Penrith-North Lakes, Perth
*= fastest trains

Less than 3 hours
Aviemore, Leeds, York

Less than 4 hours
Birmingham*,  Inverness, Manchester and Sheffield
*= fastest trains

Less than 5 hours
Derby and London

More than 5 hours
Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Penzance, Plymouth, St Austell and Truro

From Glasgow

Due to the size of Scotland’s largest city, it is served by two major stations - Glasgow Central serves destinations to the south; and Glasgow Queen Street serves destinations that are to the north.
Thanks to the multitude of routes which lead off from both stations, the city is a great base from which to explore Scotland by train.

From and to Glasgow Central

2 x trains per hour
to Ayr, Lanark, and Wemyss Bay (for Bute)

1 x train per hour
to Ardrossan (for Arran), Largs, London Euston, Oxenholme - Lake District* and Penrith-North Lakes*
*= most hours

1 x train every other hour
to Manchester

Less frequent trains
to Birmingham, Dumfries, Leeds and Liverpool

1 x train per day
to Berwick-upon-Tweed, Bristol, Derby, Exeter, Newcastle, Plymouth Sheffield and York

Night train
to London Euston

For full details see the journey guides

From and to Glasgow Queen Street

2 to 4 x trains per hour
to Edinburgh (fastest route via Falkirk)

2 or 3 x trains per hour
to Stirling

1 or 2 x trains per hour
to Dundee and Perth

1 x train per hour
to Aberdeen

Less frequent trains
to Aviemore, Fort William, Inverness, Mallaig and Oban

2 x trains per day
to Newcastle and London King's Cross  

For full details see the journey guides

Journey times from Glasgow

Less than 1 hour
Ardrossan (for Arran), Ayr, Edinburgh, Lanark, Perth* and Stirling
*= fastest trains

Less than 2 hours
Dumfries, Dundee, Largs, Oxenholme - Lake District*, Penrith-North Lakes, Wemyss Bay (for Bute)
*= fastest trains

Less than 3 hours
Aberdeen, Aviemore, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Newcastle

Less than 4 hours
Fort William, Inverness, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Oban and York

Less than 5 hours
Birmingham (fastest trains), London and Mallaig*

More than 5 hours
Bristol, Derby, Exeter, Plymouth, Sheffield and York

From Leeds

Leeds City is one of Britain’s busiest stations outside London, as it’s a gateway to exploring many of the most beautiful locations in Yorkshire and beyond.

6 x trains per hour 
to York

4 x trains per hour 
to Bradford, Manchester (fastest route) and Sheffield

2 or 3 x trains per hour 
to Keighley and Skipton

2 x trains per hour 
to Durham, Halifax, Harrogate, Hebden Bridge, Ilkley, Liverpool, London, Newcastle and Saltaire

1 x train per hour 
to Berwick-upon-Tweed, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bristol, Cheltenham, Chester*, Derby, Edinburgh, Exeter, Lincoln*, Manchester Airport, Plymouth and Scarborough
*= not on Sunday

Less frequent trains
to Carlisle, Lancaster, Morecambe, Penzance, Settle, St Austell and Truro

1 x train per day
to Cardiff

From Manchester

Manchester is served by multiple stations - Manchester Piccadilly serves destinations to the south; and Manchester Victoria serves destinations that are to the north.

Thanks to the multitude of routes which lead off from both stations, the city is a great base from which to explore northern England by train.

From and to Manchester Piccadilly

*= also from and to Manchester Airport

3 x trains per hour 
to London Euston

2 x trains per hour 
to Birmingham, Blackpool*, Buxton, Liverpool* and Sheffield and York

1 x train per hour
to Bournemouth, Bristol, Brockenhurst (New Forest), Cardiff, Carlisle*, Edale, Ely, Grange over Sands, Hereford, Leeds*, Nottingham, Oxenholme - The Lake District*, Oxford, Norwich, Penrith-North Lakes*, Shrewsbury, Southampton and Winchester

1 x train every other hour
to Chester*, Edinburgh*, Glasgow* and Llandudno

Less frequent trains
to Exeter, Torquay and Windermere

From and to Manchester Victoria

4 x trains per hour 
to Leeds (fastest route)

3 x trains per hour
to York

2 x trains per hour 
to Bradford, Hebden Bridge and Liverpool (fastest route)

1 x train per hour
to Chester, Durham, Newcastle and Scarborough

For full details see the journey guides

Journey times from Manchester

Less than 1 hour
Bradford, Chester*, Edale, Hebden Bridge, Leeds*, Liverpool, Sheffield*
*= fastest trains

Less than 2 hours
Blackpool, Birmingham, Buxton, Grange over Sands, Nottingham, Oxenholme - Lake District, Penrith-North Lakes, Shrewsbury, Windermere and York

Less than 3 hours
Durham, Hereford, Llandudno, London, Oxford, Newcastle and Scarborough

Less than 4 hours
Bristol, Cardiff, Ely, Edinburgh and Glasgow

Less than 5 hours
Bournemouth, Brockenhurst (New Forest), Exeter, Norwich, Southampton and Torquay

All images taken by Simon Harper