Southampton to Liverpool

[Jazzbo]

We will be arriving in Southampton in April 2025 at the end of a TA. We will likely stay one night in Southampton to see family, and will head to Liverpool for bout a week to see family and friends and will stay in Liverpool City Centre in an apartment. It seems to me that the best way for us to get to Liverpool is by train. Thoughts?

[PORT ROYAL]

5 minutes ago, Jazzbo said:

We will be arriving in Southampton in April 2025 at the end of a TA. We will likely stay one night in Southampton to see family, and will head to Liverpool for bout a week to see family and friends and will stay in Liverpool City Centre in an apartment. It seems to me that the best way for us to get to Liverpool is by train. Thoughts?

Did this on business, there was a train that departed Southampton around 10.30 and took just over 4.5 hours with a train changes.  Checkout the timetables and do purchase ticket in advance and if available book seats

[exlondoner]

I would try and find a route that means you don’t have to change at Birmingham New Street, particularly if you have a lot of luggage. It is a large, chaotic, and badly polluted station. This may be easier said than done.

[Globaliser]

16 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

... badly polluted station.

 

Really? I thought it looked pretty smart when I was there about six months ago.

 

Anyway, the OP's only going to be there for about 45 minutes between trains, so it's probably not enough time to get poisoned. A quick search suggests that it will be the change point for any single-change route between Southampton and Liverpool.

 

The most obvious alternative would be to cross London. But London Euston is at least as big and chaotic as Birmingham New Street; my personal experience is that Euston's been a zoo every time I've used it recently.

[exlondoner]

11 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

Really? I thought it looked pretty smart when I was there about six months ago.

 

Anyway, the OP's only going to be there for about 45 minutes between trains, so it's probably not enough time to get poisoned. A quick search suggests that it will be the change point for any single-change route between Southampton and Liverpool.

 

The most obvious alternative would be to cross London. But London Euston is at least as big and chaotic as Birmingham New Street; my personal experience is that Euston's been a zoo every time I've used it recently.

I agree that crossing London with luggage is a bit of a task, but possibly preferable to BNS. Every time I go there with Cross Country I am delayed and miss my connection, spending much more than 45 minutes there, and the air pollution at platform level can be horrendous. Furthermore most platforms have two ends, and while one can move between all platforms at one end, at the other end one can only do so by going through the barrier, which means one has to get in again. I usually end up in tears when I make the mistake of changing there. 

[exlondoner]

The 10.15 from Soton should enable you to change at Stafford for the Liverpool train, which may be less stressful.

[Ocean Mouse]

Might I suggest the Crosscountry train towards Manchester with a change at Stockport to Liverpool Lime street, Stockport is quite a small station and although the platforms are upstairs there are lifts to the central walkway between platforms 

[markeb]

Not at all helpful to the OP, but I’m having visions of Monty Python’s Agatha Christie/Railway Timetable sketch…

[Harters]

11 hours ago, Ocean Mouse said:

Stockport is quite a small station

But it does have the locally infamous Platform 0 - for the trains to nowhere. 😀

[exlondoner]

50 minutes ago, Harters said:

But it does have the locally infamous Platform 0 - for the trains to nowhere. 😀

Kings Cross has one of those too.

[SellaVee]

I looked recently and I think there was a train that had a change at Wolverhampton.  In the end though, because of potential rail strikes, we've booked a one way car hire.  We’re from the UK so used to driving here.  Hopefully the train strikes will have been resolved long before you travel.