The 2,520 railway stations on the National Rail network in Great Britain are classified into six categories (two of which are each divided into two subcategories) by the Department for Transport. The scheme was devised in 1996 [1] and there was a review in 2009 when 106 stations changed categories. [2] The categorisation scheme is owned by Network Rail, the site landlord of most of the stations. [1]
Some stations are in more than one category: for instance, at London St Pancras International, the surface platforms are in category A and the Thameslink platforms are in category C1.
Stations in Scotland are categorised and counted in the totals below, for example Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley are both category A, [1] but are not included in the lists of stations for each category. [2]
Category | Number (2011 [3] [ may be outdated as of November 2022 ]) | Description | Trips per annum | Examples | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | 28 | National hub | over 2 million | Birmingham New Street, London King's Cross | |
B | 67 | Regional interchange | over 2 million | Clapham Junction, Preston | |
C | C1 | 248 | Important feeder | 0.5–2 million | Grantham, Plymouth |
C2 | Burgess Hill, Tamworth | ||||
D | 298 | Medium staffed | 0.25–0.5 million | Abergavenny, Penrith | |
E | 679 | Small staffed | under 0.25 million | Boston, Oakham | |
F | F1 | 1,200 | Small unstaffed | under 0.25 million | Beccles, Bishop Auckland |
F2 | Llanfairpwll, Winchelsea | ||||
Total | 2,520 |
Category C stations are sub-divided into C1 (city or busy junction) and C2 (other busy railheads). The only exception is Worthing, which has not been given a subcategory; it is listed by DfT as "C". [2]
Category F stations are sub-divided into F1 (over 100,000 journeys per annum) and F2 (others). [2]
Network Rail Limited is the owner and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's length" public body of the Department for Transport with no shareholders, which reinvests its income in the railways.
Clapham Junction railway station is a major railway station and transport hub near St John's Hill in south-west Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is 2 miles 57 chains from London Victoria and 3 miles 74 chains from London Waterloo; it is on both the South West Main Line and Brighton Main Line as well as numerous other routes and branch lines passing through or diverging from the main lines at this station. Despite its name, Clapham Junction is not located in Clapham, a district situated approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south-east and is instead sited in Battersea.
Leicester railway station is a mainline railway station in the city of Leicester in Leicestershire, England. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway and owned by Network Rail. The station is served by CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway services.
Old Street is a National Rail and London Underground station at the junction of Old Street and City Road in central London, England. The station is on the Bank branch of the Northern line between Angel and Moorgate stations and on the Northern City Line between Moorgate and Essex Road stations. The station is in the London Borough of Islington. It is in Travelcard Zone 1.
Cardiff Central railway station is a major station on the South Wales Main Line, located in the capital of Wales, Cardiff. It is one of the city's two urban rail network hubs, along with Cardiff Queen Street. Opened in 1850 as Cardiff station, it was renamed Cardiff General in 1924, and then Cardiff Central in 1973.
Cricklewood railway station is on the Midland Main Line in England, serving the town of Cricklewood in the London Borough of Barnet, north London. It is 5 miles 9 chains (8.2 km) down the line from St Pancras and is situated between West Hampstead Thameslink to the south and Hendon to the north. Its three-letter station code is CRI.
Haymarket railway station is the second largest railway station in Edinburgh, Scotland, after Waverley railway station.
Derby railway station is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and two daily Northern services.
Worthing railway station is the largest of the five stations serving the town of Worthing in West Sussex. It is 10 miles 46 chains (17.0 km) down the line from Brighton. The station is managed by Govia Thameslink Railway who operate all the services. It is one of the main stations on the West Coastway Line; all timetabled trains stop here.
Dore & Totley railway station serves the south-western Sheffield suburbs of Dore and Totley in South Yorkshire, England 4+3⁄4 miles (7.6 km) south of Sheffield. The station is served by the Northern service between Sheffield and Manchester, East Midlands Railway service from Liverpool to Norwich and the TransPennine Express service between Manchester and Cleethorpes, all three running via the Hope Valley Line.
Stapleton Road railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and Cross Country Route, serving the inner-city district of Easton in Bristol, England. It is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is SRD. The station has two platforms, four running lines and minimal facilities. It is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station, and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, the standard service being two trains per hour along the Severn Beach Line and an hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.
The Ebbw Valley Railway is a branch line of the South Wales Main Line in South Wales. Transport for Wales Rail provides an hourly passenger service each way between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central, and an hourly service each way between Crosskeys and Newport.
Lawrence Hill railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and Cross Country Route, serving the inner-city districts of Easton and Lawrence Hill in Bristol, England. It is 1.0 mile (1.6 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is LWH. The station has two platforms, four running lines and minimal facilities. It is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, the standard service being two trains per hour along the Severn Beach Line and an hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.
Bedminster railway station is on the Bristol to Exeter line and serves the districts of Bedminster and Windmill Hill in Bristol, south-west England. It is 0.9 miles (1.4 km) to the west of Bristol Temple Meads, and 119 miles (192 km) from London Paddington. Its three letter station code is BMT. It was opened in 1871 by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, was resited slightly further to the west in 1884 and was rebuilt in 1932. The station, which has three through-lines and two island platforms, but minimal facilities, is managed by Great Western Railway who operates all train services that serve the station, mainly an hourly service between Bristol Parkway and Weston-super-Mare.
The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, was a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London. The development facilitated new cross-London journeys, which means that passengers no longer have to change trains in London. Work included platform lengthening, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure, and new rolling stock. The project was originally proposed in 1991 following the successful introduction of the initial Thameslink service in 1988. After many delays, planning permission was granted in 2006 and funding was approved in October 2007. Work started in 2009 and was completed on 18 September 2020, although trains over the new routes began running in 2018.
Old Oak Common (OOC) is a railway station under construction on the site of the Old Oak Common traction maintenance depot to the west of London in Old Oak Common, approximately 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) south of Willesden Junction station. When built, it is expected to be one of the largest rail hubs in London, at about 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) in length and 65 ft (20 m) below surface level.
Kirkstall Forge railway station is a suburban station serving the Kirkstall area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is on the Leeds to Bradford Line between Leeds City and Shipley and was opened on 19 June 2016, near the site of an earlier station with the same name.
Network Rail planned to spend £5 billion on modernising the Great Western Main Line, its South Wales branch and other associated lines. The modernisation plans were announced at separate times but their development time-scales overlap in the 2010s. The work included electrification, resignalling, new rolling stock and station upgrades. According to Network Rail, the modernisation started in June 2010 and was due to end in 2017. As of December 2019, electrification was complete as far west as Cardiff Central, and also from Reading to Newbury.
Watford Vicarage Road is a proposed London Underground station in Watford, Hertfordshire. The station is proposed to be part of the approved, but currently suspended due to funding, Croxley Rail Link project, a scheme to extend the Metropolitan line to Watford Junction railway station, served by Metropolitan line trains between Watford Junction and Central London via Baker Street. Originally the station was to be named either Watford Hospital or Watford General Hospital. On 25 January 2017, the Watford Observer newspaper published an update on the Croxley Rail Link confirming work had stopped as there was an ongoing funding issue.