A least used station is a station that received the fewest entries/exits (described as a passenger) as defined by Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in a given timeframe. These statistics are released by the ORR every November,December or January,for the previous financial year.
The publicity around these stations is fuelled by the nature of how unusual they are. Railway enthusiasts are known to visit them either to be able to say they have been there,or in order to boost the stations' usage statistics. Geoff Marshall,a YouTuber known for his railway-related content,has a series dedicated to visiting these stations.[1]
There has also been news coverage on a few of the least used stations,for example Berney Arms had an ITV reporter sent to cover it when it was announced in the 2019/20 period.[2]
The Office of Rail and Road acknowledge that by highlighting the least used stations,this impacts the statistics in future years.[3]
Statistics
Period between 2024 and 2025
Elton and Orston railway station was announced as being the least used station for the second time having previously been least used in the 2021/22 period. The statistics for this year showed the top five least used stations to be:[4]
Denton was announced as being the least used station that was open throughout the year for the second year in a row. The statistics for this year showed the top five least used stations to be:[5]
The data between April 2022 and March 2023 was the first set of data with all stations having at least 1 passenger since the 2019/2020 period. The least used station in the whole country for this period was Teesside Airport,which had 2 passengers due to the platforms being closed over safety fears in May 2022. Ordinarily,the station would only have 1 train a week,on a Sunday. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[6]
One of the National Rail platforms at Heathrow Terminal 4 in 2008,which was the only station with 0 passengers this year due to its closure.
The only station to receive zero passengers in this period was Heathrow Terminal 4,[7] which was due to its closure between 9 May 2020 and 14 June 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9]
Stations above zero
Elton &Orston,the 2021/22 least used station,seen in 2010.
The least used station in this statistic period was Elton &Orston,which is in that position for the first time.[7] Kirton Lindsey maintained its position at number 5 for the second year running. Stanlow &Thornton had its services suspended in February 2022 (before the end of the year) due to safety concerns about the footbridge.[10] Teesside Airport's services were suspended after the end of the year,and - whilst this did not affect these statistics - this was thought it might affect its passenger numbers for next year.[11] Other than Heathrow,the statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[7]
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great effect on the railway network in Great Britain. Usage fell approximately 78% in the period between April 2020 and March 2021.[7] Some stations were even closed for long periods of time due to inability to social distance,caused by short platforms.
Zero stations
Abererch Station
There were six stations which were used by zero people in this period,those being:Abererch,Beasdale,Llanbedr,Sampford Courtenay,Stanlow and Thornton,and Sugar Loaf.[7] Abererch,Llanbedr,and Sugar Loaf were some of a few stations closed during the pandemic due to social distancing measures.[7] Sampford Courtenay was last served by Great Western Railway in summer 2019,and had all of its services withdrawn in December 2019 not long before the Dartmoor Heritage Railway went into administration,and no trains have served it since.[12] Beasdale and Stanlow &Thornton had low passenger usage before the pandemic,so the restrictions impacted this even further.[7] These stations will not be shown in the table for this period,but will be shown in the overview table.
Tygwyn Station
Stations above zero
The least used station in this period (other than zero stations) was Teesside Airport,see period 2013 and 2014 for further information on this station. The second least used was Tygwyn in Gwynedd. Before the pandemic,this station got around 2000 passengers annually. However,it was closed during the pandemic due to social distancing measures,and when it was re-opened it never gained back its previous form. This is the same for most stations which fell dramatically in this period. Other than zero stations,the statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[7]
Berney Arms on a rather more busy day back in 2009
Due to the stats for this period finishing recording in March,this release was not completely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The least used station in the whole country for this period was Berney Arms,a small request stop on a lesser-used line between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It dropped by approximately 90% from its statistics last year,due to it being closed for 15 months for signalling work.[13] The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[14]
The least used station in this period was a tie,the title being taken by both Stanlow and Thornton and Denton. Denton has always been very underused,being on a line that only gets one 2-way journey on a Saturday only. Stanlow and Thornton used to get an hourly service in the 1980s,but it has now been reduced to two trains in each direction a day.[15] The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[16]
The least used station in this period was Redcar British Steel. It suffered a massive drop in passengers in this period,going from above 1000 passengers in 2014/15 dropping to just 40 in this period.[17][circular reference] This is due to the steel works which this station served being closed,[18] and the station having no access other than from the train. The station itself had all of its services suspended in December 2019. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[19]
The least used station in this period was Barry Links. Originally opened by the Dundee and Arbroath Railway,Barry Links is located on the Dundee–Aberdeen line just east of the town of Barry. It's always been fairly unused due to a very sparse train service (one train a day in each direction).[20] The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[21]
The west-bound platform of Shippea Hill,the level crossing and now defunct signal box behind
The least used station in this period was Shippea Hill. Originally opened as 'Mildenhall Road' in 1845,it has since been through two name changes;one in 1885 which saw it named as 'Burnt Fen',and again in 1904 where it was renamed to its current name,Shippea Hill.[22] It's located on the Breckland line,approximately six miles west of Ely. Its location is the reason of it being so least used. The statistics for this period show the top five least used stations to be:[23]
Reddish South station,which came 4th in the rankings for this period
The least used station in this period was Shippea Hill (It had this honour three times in a row). See above for background information on this station. The second least used was Coombe Junction Halt,a station which always seems to find itself in the top five or ten. This is due to its location (on a small industrial estate near Liskeard) and its sparse service.[24] The statistics for this period show the top five least used stations to be:[25]
The footbridge at Teesside Airport,as seen from platform 2
In this period,the least used station was Teesside Airport for the fourth time in a row. It is a very sparsely served station on the Tees Valley line. It only receives one train a week as of the December 2020 timetable coming into effect.[26] It has two platforms but only one is used due to there being only one service a week. It serves Teesside International Airport,which by airport-standards is also fairly under-used. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[27]
A Colas Class 70 on the Moorswater to Aberthaw return freight service.
In this period,the least used station was Teesside Airport for the third time in a row. See above for background information on the station. The second least used was Coombe Junction Halt,a small halt on the Looe Valley Line. It only gets four trains a day (two in each direction) as most trains reverse at the level crossing around 50ft down the track. See Looe Valley Line for more information. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[28]
In this period,the least used station was Teesside Airport for the second time in a row. See above for background information on the station. The second least used station was Dorking West. The only reason it gets this title is due to a supposed anomalous result caused by a 'computer predicting system'.[29] This station would usually see around 50,000 passengers each year.[28]
Breich Station (placed 5th) with a Class 385 in the platform
The least used station in this period was Teesside Airport. See above for background information on this station. The second least used station was Dorking West. This station got second place twice in a row (see above) due to a supposed anomalous results caused by a 'computer predicting system'.[29] See above for background information on this station. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
The northern entrance to Coombe Junction,at one side of the road bridge just past the station
The least used station in this period was Coombe Junction Halt,a small halt on the Looe Valley Line. Owing to its sparse service of four trains a day,[24] and its location on an industrial estate near Liskeard,this station is always very under used. More background information on this station is available in the section for the period between 2012 and 2013. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
A view of the single bay-platform at Denton from the stairs
The least used station in this period was Teesside Airport. Background information for this station is available in the section for the 2013 and 2014 period. The second least used station in this period was Denton. Located on the Stockport–Stalybridge line,it only receives two services (one to Stalybridge and one to Stockport) on a Saturday. Owing to this,this station is always hovering around the top five,but very rarely actually going top. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
The least used station in this period was Crosskeys. The only reason it earnt this title was due to the station only being reopened during this period,and there was not enough time for the station to get a proper usage. It is located on the Ebbw Valley Railway in Wales and is served with one train an hour in each direction on Monday to Saturday,and approximately one train every two hours on a Sunday. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
An image showing the single platform of Tyndrum Lower
The least used station in this period was Tyndrum Lower. One of two stations in the small village of Tyndrum,this one is located on the West Highland Line. With only six trains calling at this station on Monday-Saturday,and the local village only having a population of 167,[citation needed]this station is always rather unused,now getting around 5,000 passengers modern-day. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
The least used station in this period was Gainsborough Central. It had this honour twice in a row. The station earned this title due to its sparse Saturday-only service which were introduced in British Rail in 1993.[31] Located on the Sheffield–Lincoln line it only three of these Saturday only trains. It has since gained a better service after a long campaign for better service on the line finally succeeded.[31] The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
The overgrown platform and track of Watford West in 2005
The least used station in this period was Gainsborough Central. It had this honour twice in a row. See above for background information on this station. The second least used station in this period was Watford West. Despite the station being closed by this time,25 people still purchased a ticket to this station,causing the statistics to count it. The station closed in 2002,the line itself being closed a year later. See Watford West for more information. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
Statistics for this period were not produced due to a change in the methodology used.[32]
Period between 2002 and 2003
Golf Street in 2019
The least used station in this period was Barry Links and Gainsborough Central. For background information on these stations,see period 2004 and 2005 for Gainsborough Central and period 2016 and 2017 for Barry Links. The third least used station for this period was Golf Street. Located on the Dundee–Aberdeen line,the station only gets three trains a day,and to this day it remains in the top five least used stations in Scotland.[33] The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30][b]
A picture showing the extremely short platform of Beauly
The least used station in this period was Beauly. It only gained this title as the station was opened during this period,so it did not have enough time to gain a significant number of passengers. It's located on the Far North Line between Inverness and Muir of Ord. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
The path leading to the distant platform 2 of Buckenham
The least used station in this period was Buckenham. This station is rather unique in the way that it only receives services on weekend. This is not unheard of but also not common. It has this irregular service pattern due to its popularity with walkers and bird-spotters[34] as it is located next to the RSPB Buckenham Marshes and RSPB Strumpshaw Fen. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
The least used station for this period was Ditton,despite having no services since 1994. The reason it still ranks in this period despite it having no services is because someone purchased a ticket to and from this station. Unusually,this period,a station was created in the data under the name of "King's CrossSt Pancras" which recorded only 41 passengers despite the usage for both stations individually being many thousands of times greater. The statistics for this period showed the top five least used stations to be:[30]
12May not be due to this, but this seems to be the only logical theory
↑The spreadsheet provided for this period does not provided the added together entries and exits, so this has been done manually.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
212
68
