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OMG - It was a draw!
Stuart Boyd • 3 February 2020
Yep, it was a tie, unbelievable ain't it? Here is a look at the TWO new least used stations in Britain, along with some others that interested me.
The date was Tuesday 14th January 2020. I was sat at Lancaster station on my way to work, sat on the ORR (Office of Rail & Road) website hitting the refresh key every few seconds until they released the new figures. Up on loading I quickly saw that Denton was at the top of the pile for least used stations... Did a post on Twitter only to the realise that it was in fact a draw! A blooming draw! The millions of train tickets sold a year and the two least used stations were tied! So I quickly deleted my first tweet and posted a new tweet.
While I continued my journey to work, I decided to try and sneak away a little earlier than planned and head to Stanlow & Thornton to mark the occasion. Looking at Real Time Trains you could see why it was the least used station. I boarded the train at Warrington Bank Quay and headed all the way to Stanlow & Thornton. The train getting more and more empty, by the time we reached Stanlow & Thornton there was no more than a handful of people on board the train. They all remained on board to Ellesmere Port. On the return journey there was even less people on board the train, and to make it even more frustrating I was unable to purchase a ticket as the guard had no machine! (Don't worry, I got some tickets when I changed trains at Lancaster).
Stanlow & Thornton
The joint least used station in Britain. To be honest I had a good little laugh to myself when I found out that Stanlow & Thornton was the least used station. I work in the Petroleum Industry and spend much time talking with tanker drivers who are based at Stanlow Oil Refinery. I suppose it's a rare occasion when my railway hobby gets a connection with my job!
I first visited Stanlow & Thornton back in June 2019 as part of a awkward station day that also involved Heysham Port and Ince & Elton, the next station down from Stanlow & Thornton.
I also visited on the 14th January, the day that it was announced as a least used station.
The station itself sits within the refinery and is mainly there to serve the workers of the refinery. The station has a similar feeling to it as that at Redcar British Steel. The only difference here is that you can leave the station platforms and exit the station using a footpath and a road through the Oil Refinery.
Road access is restricted and says authorised access only on a sign at the start of the road towards the station. I would assume if you had to access the station for a train that would make you authorised to use the road? If anyone knows please let me know. I might drop Essar, who operate Stanlow Oil Refinery an email to ask them about access to the station on the road. Once I get a reply, I will post it to my social media channels.
The station opened 23rd December 1940. The station was built to serve Aero Engine Laboratory who were responsible for developing fuels and oils for the Royal Air Force, one assumes during World War 2.
Although the station opened in 1940 it was originally listed for closure as part of the report by Dr. Beeching called "The Reshaping of British Railways".
Despite being listed for closure, it survived. It even went on to have 17 services per day in each direction (Mon to Fri), 13 services per day in each direction on a Saturday. There were no services on a Sunday.
Annual station usage over the last 9 years:
- 2010/11: 342
- 2011/12: 468 (Up)
- 2012/13: 260 (Down)
- 2013/14: 314 (Up)
- 2014/15: 158 (Down)
- 2015/16: 88 (Down)
- 2016/17: 128 (Up)
- 2017/18: 92 (Down)
- 2018/19: 46 (Down)
As you can see in the screengrabs from Real Time Trains the service frequency is alot less than it was in the 1980's. I want to say that therefore the station usage figures are so low. Unfortunately though I'm pretty sure it is probably the other way round.
The service frequency reflects the passenger usage of the line. The next station down the line towards Helsby only received 552 passengers in the latest figures.
Northern are contractually obliged to operate a service on this line, but I would not be in the least surprised to see it cut down even further. From three services per day to two services. It isn't totally impossible to see it completely put back to one parliamentary service.
There is hope for Stanlow & Thornton... In the form of the Liverpool City Region - Long Term Rail Strategy.
It could be possible in the future to see MerseyRail operating services along the stretch of line that serves Stanlow & Thornton, these would be the services that currently operate on the Wirral line to Ellesmere Port. It is hoped these services could be continued through to Helsby using battery power which will be available on the new Merseyrail class 222 and will enter testing in 2020 according to the report.
It is unknown if these services would call at Stanlow & Thornton, one would assume they will definitely call at Ince & Elton. It could be possible that Stanlow & Thornton is a two hourly stop, hourly in peak. Maybe MerseyTravel could consult with the refinery staff about what would make using the station a more attractive option.
Either way, the future for Stanlow & Thornton isn't all doom and gloom. I will continue to make enquires and update as I get answers.
Denton
Now on to the other joint least used station... Denton!
Now to anyone that knows anything about Denton station it won't have come as a surprise to find Denton as the least used station. The station received 2 services per week, both on a Saturday. Now in 2018 RMT industrial action meant there was 25 consecutive Saturdays in a row with no service at all. Not even a rail replacement bus/taxi.
If services had ran on these days then the passengers figures potentially would of been higher. 52 weeks is give or take a full year, meaning you can basically double the figures. This would have left Stanlow & Thornton well and truly alone at the bottom of the pile...
Denton station is located on the line between Guide Bridge and Stockport in Greater Manchester. The line only has 2 passenger services per week. One towards Stockport and then one back in the opposite direction to Stalybridge.
The location of Denton station isn't great for the centre of the town. With busses into Manchester city centre pretty much every 10 minutes it does seem the hope of Denton figures rising is pretty low.
When travelling to the stations the other weekend I was chatting to the rail user groups for the stations and they mentioned that their is hope that trams could end up serving the area... Is this answer to the problems? Personally I don't think so.
Now, while researching for this blog I made a disturbing discovery. The Northern website doesn't actually list Denton, or Reddish South, as one of their stations. This isn't going to exactly help with passenger usage. I have tweeted Northern, the thread can be seen here.
The current weekly services are:
- 1023 to Stockport
- 1054 to Stalybridge
Both Denton & Reddish South stations have groups that are committed to the fight to improve services on the line through these stations. As of yet they have limited success, but I am sure that there is still a fight to be had, one I am happy to join in with.
As can be seen in the 1986/87 timetable you can see that the station used to get 15 services per day, 8 towards Stockport and 7 towards Stalybridge. All these services even in the mid 80's only stopped here if requested.
The service frequency was cut in 1992, it had been reduced to just a single weekly train (the statutory minimum level necessary to avoid the requirement for formal closure proceedings).
Annual station usage over the last 9 years:
- 2010/11: 52
- 2011/12: 30 (Down)
- 2012/13: 194 (Up)
- 2013/14: 110 (Down)
- 2014/15: 120 (Up)
- 2015/16: 74 (Down)
- 2016/17: 144 (Up)
- 2017/18: 70 (Down)
- 2018/19: 46 (Down)
Is there any hope for Denton going forward into the future?
Back in 2013 Northern spokesperson said the following: “Although passenger numbers are low, we continue to work closely with the Friends of Denton station group and the South East Manchester Community Rail Partnership on a local level. We would look to industry partners such as the Department for Transport to specify a higher level of service to the station and help us to contribute funding for it.” Unfortunately fast forward 7 years there is no evidence of any signs of improvement. A few rumours of different idea's but nothing solid getting put forward by anyone.
Is there actually any options for the future of Denton?
I believe that there are a few options that can be looked at by the relevant people.
- The Manchester Victoria to Preston services could be extended through to Stockport. The service is currently hourly in both directions. If they alternated hourly, one could terminate at Manchester Victoria and the next one continue to Stockport, giving Reddish South & Denton a two hourly service in each direction. In addition to that there would be a direct connection between Stockport and Manchester Victoria which is currently missing on the rail network in Greater Manchester.
- Similar to the previous idea, the Kirkby to Manchester Victoria service could be extended to Stockport. Exact same idea as above for two hourly service. There could even be the option to combine the two, one every four hours from Preston to Stockport and one every four hours (two hours after Preston service) from Kirkby to Stockport.
- Buxton currently gets two trains per hour from Manchester Piccadilly. I can see no reason why one train can't go to Piccadilly and one train go to Victoria. That would give an hourly service between Stockport and Manchester Victoria. This could potentially give Denton and Reddish South an hourly service, could be two hourly with a non stop every other hour.
- Use a similar unit to what they currently use on the Marston Vale Line, Vivarail class 230. One of these could be used as a shuttle service running from Stockport to Stalybridge to Bolton via Manchester Victoria. This service could serve the many little stations such as Reddish South, Denton, Ashton-under-Lyne, Clifton, Kearsley, Farnworth and Moses Gate. This would allow for other services to operate quicker between Manchester Victoria and Bolton.
The rest of the Top 10
Other stations of interest
Teesside Airport
13th Least Used Station
Teesside Airport saw a 178% increase in passengers in the latest set of figures (from 74 to 206).
The 2018/19 figures are the first full year where the station has only had the one platform. Platform 2 was removed in the December 2017 timetable change due to unsafe platform & Footbridge. The removal of platform 2 services made more people aware of the station leading to during 2018 many enthusiasts visiting the station.
It can't be much longer until platform 1 is deemed unsafe and no services stop there.
Breich
24th Least Used Station
In the lastest figures Breich saw an increase of 235.3% (from 102 to 342).
Breich story for the huge increase is along the lines of 'Build it and people will use it'. I know the station was there before, but Network Rail Scotland made significant improvements to the station and then ScotRail improved services to the station. If Stanlow & Thornton and Denton ever want hope, take a good look at Breich!
Redcar British Steel
25th Least Used Station
In the latest figures Redcar British Steel saw a whopping increase of 800% (from 40 to 360).
In the 2017/18 figures Redcar British Steel was Britain's least used station! It's hardly surprising as there is no way of entering or exiting the station. Being the least used station led to enthusiasts visiting from far and wide.
I predict even more passengers will use the station in the 2019/20 figures due to service removal in the December 2019 timetable change and the mass visit by people in the lead up to the closure.
Pilning
33rd Least Used Station
In the latest figures Pilning saw a slight decrease of 4.2% (from 478 to 458).
The minimal drop in passenger numbers at Pilning is a credit to the determination of Pilning station group who never seem to give up the fight with GWR and Network Rail.
Visit www.pilningstation.uk, visit the station and take part in one of the competitions they run.
Keep going Pilning folk. I support and respect your efforts!
Top 10 Busiest Stations in Britain
Top 5 Busiest Stations in Scotland
Top 10 Busiest Stations in Wales
Disclaimer:
* I am no rail engineer or expert, I am just a rail enthusiast like many of you reading this blog. I do not know how signalling works and points work etc. Any suggestions I have made in the above blog are just those, suggestions from an enthusiast. Saying that, I am happy to learn more about the ins and outs of how the railways work. If you know anyone who would be able to explain this to me then feel free to get in touch with me.
* Not all stations used in photo's are stations I have yet visited. Where I do not have my own photos as of yet I have used photos that are on www.geograph.org.uk and are licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.
* All station data is from the ORR website which can be visited at orr.gov.uk.
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A blog about the new Northumberland Line that is scheduled to start opening in the Summer of 2024.
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