Tube geek (6)Station to station
The average distance between stations on the London Underground is almost precisely one mile (1600m). But neighbouring stations are only precisely the same distance apart on Harry Beck's topologically morphed tube map, not in real life. Some stations are so close that the train barely has time to accelerate out of the platform before braking to stop at the next, whereas trains can travel for well over five minutes between certain other 'neighbouring' stations. With the aid of Ian's marvellous map annotated with inter-station mileages (via Annie), here's my list of the stations on the tube that are the closest and the furthest apart:
Closest together (Zone 1) 1=) Leicester Square → Covent Garden (0.16 miles, 260m) 1=) Embankment → Charing Cross (0.16 miles, 260m) 3) Cannon Street → Mansion House (0.19 miles, 305m) 4) Cannon Street → Monument (0.21 miles, 340m) 5) Leicester Square → Tottenham Court Road (0.24 miles, 390m) next 5: Holborn → Chancery Lane, Waterloo → Southwark, Edgware Road → Marylebone, Goodge Street → Warren Street, Embankment → Waterloo. tubegeek comment: That's a very strong showing for Leicester Square station and for the Northern line (Charing Cross branch). In fact from Euston to Waterloo there are seven Northern Line stations in less than two miles, which feels a little excessive. Plus you can see why they close Cannon Street station after 9pm and at weekends, given that it's so close to the two stations on either side (and to Bank too).
Closest together (outside Zone 1) 1) Rotherhithe → Canada Water (0.20 miles, 320m) 2=) Bow Road → Mile End (0.30 miles, 480m) 2=) South Ealing → Northfields (0.30 miles, 480m) 4) Rotherhithe → Wapping (0.32 miles, 510m) 5) Stamford Brook → Turnham Green (0.33 miles, 530m) next 5): Canada Water → Surrey Quays, Earls Court → West Brompton, Holloway Road → Caledonian Road, Finchley Road → West Hampstead, Finchley Road → Swiss Cottage. tubegeek comment: The East London line features strongly here, mainly because they added a new station at Canada Water to allow interchange with the Jubilee line. And look, there's good old Bow Road right up at the top of the list too, which is just as well when they keep closing it for renovation work and you have to walk between the two instead.
Furthest apart 1) Finchley Road → Wembley Park (4.50 miles, 7¼km) 2) Chalfont & Latimer → Chesham (3.95 miles, 6½km) 3) Heathrow Terminal 4 → Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 (2.71 miles, 4½km) 4) Rickmansworth → Chorleywood (2.24 miles, 3½km) 5) Chorleywood → Chalfont & Latimer (2.15 miles, 3½km) next 5: Finchley Road → Baker Street, Moor Park → Rickmansworth, Debden → Theydon Bois, Chalfont & Latimer → Amersham, Moor Park → Croxley. tubegeek comment: No surprise to see the outer limits of the Metropolitan line dominating this top 10 because the Met is more of a suburban railway than an inner city metro. There are five Jubilee line stations between Finchley Road and Wembley Park, however, so some would argue that Chalfont to Chesham should be top of this list instead.
Tube geek (6) Station to station
