The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has released statistics on Great Britain’s most and least used railway stations for 2016-2017.
There are no surprises for which station is ‘top of the stops’. Waterloo, with almost 100 million entries and exist, takes the title for the 14th consecutive year.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the charts, Shippea Hill station, a request stop in Suffolk, has experienced a surge from 12 to 156 entries and exits after it was named the least used station in 2015-16.
While there were few changes in Britain’s most used stations, the same can’t be said for the least used stations.
10. Stanlow & Thornton AND Elton & Orston – 128 entries and exits each
Stanlow & Thornton station is situated on the doorstep of the Shell Oil Refinery in Cheshire and is managed by Northern. The number of passengers travelling to and from the station is up from 88 in the previous period when it was the seventh least used station in Britain. East Midlands Trains’ Elston & Orston station, Nottinghamshire, also recorded 128 entries and exits in 2016-17, down from 296 previously.
9. Buckenham – 122 entries and exits
This Norfolk station, managed by Abellio Greater Anglia, is a request stop and only served by services at weekends. The number of entries and exits has changed little from last year (134).
8. Havenhouse – 106 entries and exits
Served and managed by East Midlands Trains, this stop is situated on the Grantham to Skegness ‘Poacher’ line. The ORR said that 162 entries and exits were made at this station in the previous period.
7. Golf Street – 104 entries and exits
Located in Angus, Scotland, Golf Street station is served by one train each day in each direction, Monday to Saturday. Managed by Abellio ScotRail, 168 entries and exits were made in 2015-16.
6. Reddish South – 94 entries and exits
After it was dubbed a ‘ghost station’ in 2016 for being the second quietest station in Britain, the number of entries and exits has risen from 38 to 94 at Reddish South station. Another request stop, only one train a week – on Fridays – passes through this station. Managed by Northern.
5. Kildonan – 76 entries and exits
Located at the end of an unnamed lane in the Scottish Highlands, 76 entries and exits were made at Kildonan station, another request stop, down from 170. Managed by Abellio ScotRail.
4. British Steel Redcar – 50 entries and exits
When the majority of the steelworks at Redcar closed in 2015, the number of entries and exits fell dramatically. From 740 in 2015-16, the number of journeys to and from dropped to 50 in 2016-17 from this station, which is managed by Northern. Not surprising when you realise there is no public access to the station.
3. Breich – 48 entries and exits
Breich was one station Network Rail recently considered closing but after an “overwhelming response” from the public it will now benefit from an enhanced timetable. Entry and exit figures for 2015-16 were 138. Managed by Abellio ScotRail.
2. Teesside Airport – 30 entries and exits
Such is the low frequency of services (one a week in one direction) to and from Teesside Airport that on National Rail’s website customers are advised to take a bus from either Darlington or Middlesbrough station to reach the airport. In 2015-16, 98 journeys were made to and from this Northern stop, which does not feature on Teesside Airport’s website.
- Barry Links – 24 entries and exits
A stop down from Golf Street station is Barry Links, the least used station in Britain. It was the fifth least used station in the previous period with 68 entries and exits being recorded. Another Abellio ScotRail station.
The locations of the 10 stations:
As Britain’s railways are not gated, the ORR commissioned consultancy firm Steer Davies Gleave to produce the annual usage estimates.
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Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe will be doing this all over again in 2027 as more new railway stations will be added to the UK’s railways. But what they have done is incredible. Been watching all their videos on YouTube and they took the experience of their lives by traveling from Penzance to Wick by visiting every single railway station in England, Wales and Scotland. They could also do with visiting railway stations in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland if they plan to set out their adventure in the future. Possibly they could do that next year. To #AllTheStation. Love you guys. Big fan of you.
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