I didn't mean much North! Heh, another of those BrE words like 'quite'.
Oxford/Cambridge is a classic example, yes. (For those unfamiliar, they're like two spokes right next to each other on quite a small rim where London is the hub. But large enough (or close enough spokes) that 'in and back out' seems silly.)
This is actually being fixed. Someone put huge telescopes on part of the old line, but they are building a new one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_West_Rail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullard_Radio_Astronomy_Observ...
Re:How far can you go by train in 5h?
by AdamGibbins on Friday July 29, 2022 @07:31PM
(#32282868)
That's being fixed in theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_West_Rail
Re:How far can you go by train in 5h?
by nonethewiser on Saturday July 30, 2022 @01:33AM
(#32284511)
Actually, it seems like the fastest driving route goes down to London as well.
In fact, since Oxfordshire isn't very far north of London it's kind of a bad example. Of course it goes through London.
You don't need to go that much North - I used to live in Oxfordshire, trying to get to Cambridge for work was a joke (I don't drive). It would take 3.5h+ for a 140km journey from Oxford to Cambridge because train journeys were only through London (+ a railway station change), and there was only one coach that stopped in every town along the way (and which has been axed into two separate legs since the pandemic, making it 4h+ now).
In the end I moved to London, so that's manageable now...