Trivia: Large towns in UK with no railway station

[Comstock]

Shaftesbury, Houghton-le-Spring? (served by Gillingham and Fencehouses respectively)

What about Kirkwall and Stornoway? Populations of 8 and 9 thousand respectively, definitely in the UK and definitely never had rail service.

 

[Fred26]

Slightly off topic, but what is the largest town never to have had a rail service?

Canvey Island. Population circa 40 000. Closest it came was a horse drawn tram.

 

[Comstock]

That's gonna take some beating, to be fair.

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

At least there's been a long established regular bus corridor towards Bangor/ Llandudno, which suggests that there's a market for rail, week in week out. Pwllheli, I'm less convinced about though.

Likwise, and good luck trying to fit a narrow gauge line, a standard gauge line and a long distance footpath onto the same formation!

If the unlikely event of the Caernarfon - Afonwen line being reopened it would make more sense for trains to continue on down the Cambrian coast line via Porthmadog rather the heading off to Pwllheli.

 

[Jonathan1990]

Is Sandwich in Kent without a railway station?

 

[Cricketer8for9]

No. It is not.

 

[startingaparty]

Uppingham in Rutland. I always thought that should have a station.

 

[PTR 444]

Slightly off topic, but what is the largest town never to have had a rail service?

Skelmersdale?

 

[Djgr]

Skelmersdale?

No. It had one until 1956.

 

[urbophile]

No. It had one until 1956.

When it was a small town!

 

[Bletchleyite]

When it was a small town!

I suppose it depends if you consider Old Skem/Blaguegate to be the same place as the New Town, it arguably isn't really. It's a bit like considering Middleton/MK Village as the same place as the greater MK.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

When it was a small town!

Wasn’t the station axed not longer before the new Town was created similar to Washington in North East.

 

[Whattraintoday]

What about towns with a railway station, but almost no railway service?
Like Denton (36.5k) - one return a week

 

[bastien]

How about towns whose populations must swell during the holiday season? Glastonbury, Cheddar, Bridport, Lyme Regis, Padstow, Bude, Ilfracombe...

 

[ChiefPlanner]

How about towns whose populations must swell during the holiday season? Glastonbury, Cheddar, Bridport, Lyme Regis, Padstow, Bude, Ilfracombe...

I think (whether you like it or not) , that the late Doctor Beeching had a bit to say about that facet of summer / seasonal demand.

 

[class26]

Louth , which of course did have a station on the line between Grimsby and Boston line
Pop 16.5 thousand (2011 census)

 

[Scotrail84]

Haddington in East Lothian?

Penicuik in Midlothian?

 

[xotGD]

Plenty in the north east: Consett, Sttanley, Anfield Plain, Lanchester, Crook, Barnard Castle, Spennymoor, Blyth, Ashington, South Shields, North Shields, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, Washington, Peterlee and of course Gateshead.

 

[Ken H]

Plenty in the north east: Consett, Sttanley, Anfield Plain, Lanchester, Crook, Barnard Castle, Spennymoor, Blyth, Ashington, South Shields, North Shields, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, Washington, Peterlee and of course Gateshead.

Alnwick

 

[Scotty]

Plenty in the north east: Consett, Sttanley, Anfield Plain, Lanchester, Crook, Barnard Castle, Spennymoor, Blyth, Ashington, South Shields, North Shields, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, Washington, Peterlee and of course Gateshead.

Gateshead has Heworth

 

[xotGD]

Gateshead has Heworth

There are several stations in the borough but none serve the town.

Edit: Indeed, Newcastle Central is the closest station to Gateshead town centre.

And that's in a different county (ducks for cover!)

 

[ElectroSoldier]

Newport - Isle of Wight isnt rail served
Cowes - Isle of Wight isnt
The entire Western side of the Isle of Wight isnt rail served either.

 

[WideRanger]

West Bridgford. Largish and prosperous population, but quite close to Nottingham station - which I assume is the reason it never had its own station. It used to have the Nottingham to Melton line running through it.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Louth , which of course did have a station on the line between Grimsby and Boston line
Pop 16.5 thousand (2011 census)

I'm not normally one to regret the closing of railway lines that did no business, but I've always regretted that the line from Spalding to Grimsby no longer exists. I'd have thought that a single track with simplified signalling would have come at least close to paying its way.

 

[transmanche]

Plenty in the north east: [...] South Shields, North Shields, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, [...] and of course Gateshead.

Oooh, that's a bit sneaky! They do have railway stations, they're just not on the national rail network anymore.

 

[tavistock]

What are the largest Towns in the UK that have no Railway Station?

it depends if you include metro stations, or mean no stations on the national rail network. If not, then Birkenhead and Gateshead have to rely on Newcastle and Liverpool for their network connections. Both very large towns.

 

[NorthOxonian]

it depends if you include metro stations, or mean no stations on the national rail network. If not, then Birkenhead and Gateshead have to rely on Newcastle and Liverpool for their network connections. Both very large towns.

I'd distinguish between the two - there is full through ticketing from Merseyrail, but the arrangements for the Metro are much more murky (I think LNER offers through tickets from some destinations, and any rail ticket valid from Sunderland to Newcastle is also valid on the Metro due to interavailability).

 

[70014IronDuke]

Uppingham in Rutland. I always thought that should have a station.

I believe the directors of the LNWR agreed with you. There were even special trains from/to Euston to Uppingham at the beginning and end of the school terms in the town.

Mind you, the school didn't treat the railways with any sympathy - the Southern named a Class V 4-4-0 Uppingham and the school complained, and it was renamed.

Yet having been so ungrateful, I'm told the school has one of the nameplates on display somewhere on the premises. BICBW.

 

[SeanG]

I'd distinguish between the two - there is full through ticketing from Merseyrail, but the arrangements for the Metro are much more murky (I think LNER offers through tickets from some destinations, and any rail ticket valid from Sunderland to Newcastle is also valid on the Metro due to interavailability).

There is no Metro through ticketing sadly

 

[NorthOxonian]

There is no Metro through ticketing sadly

There does appear to be a destination of H665, which allows travel to any Metro station as an add-on (from most stations at least), but you can't buy this at Metro stations, and it isn't available online either.

Some Metro stations appear to have better through ticketing, such as East Boldon and Newcastle Airport - the former possibly as a relic from when there was a Northern stopping service between Newcastle and Sunderland. I can find these online easily, but they aren't available for all stations (such as Gateshead), nor are they available to purchase at Metro ticket machines (not even local journeys like Airport to Durham or Darlington).