Suggestions for trains with very few passengers

Steve Hammond · 25 May 2018

Following on from a previous post asking for information regarding parliamentary trains could any members of the forum provide me with information regarding interesting passenger workings/routes with very few if any passengers using the service.

Looking for rare rail adventures to enjoy over the summer months. Thanks in advance for any info offered which would be much appreciated.

RailUK Forums

PudseyBearHST · 25 May 2018

I went on the London Paddington to High Wycombe Chiltern service a few months back and I was the only passenger on board.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72036/2018/05/25/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C71972/2018/05/25/advanced

Kite159 · 25 May 2018

Leeds - Goole is normally lightly loaded after Knottingley although that normally requires an overnight stay on weekends.

Sheffield - Cleethorpes via Brigg is an interesting line

SteveyBee131 · 25 May 2018

I second the Sheffield-Gainsborough-Cleethorpes line

but it can be fairly well used (I've been on it with over 40 before) but not always.

One that used to be very lightly loaded was the Ellesmere Port to Helsby. The actual parliamentary bit is only 5 miles long as such but on weekdays the morning trip starts at Liverpool Lime Street (albeit at 05:10! o_O

) the evening trip might be more appealing, 19:10 from Ellesmere Port, ending up at Manchester Victoria at 20:17.

JBuchananGB · 25 May 2018

I don’t think you would find many people on the 0530 Saturdays only service from Liverpool Street to Enfield Town. This is a ‘parliamentary’ service due to being routed (without calling) via South Tottenham, making use of the Tottenham South curve and the Seven Sisters Chord.

High Dyke · 25 May 2018

The 21:02 Skegvegas - Nottingham usually has very few passengers after Sleaford; train only calls at Bingham once it's departed Sleaford.

CarltonA · 27 May 2018

A Challenge said:
I can't imagine the train is empty (unlike, say, the Chiltern service to Paddington)

The 10:57 South Ruislip to Paddington does sometimes run empty but often there are a few passengers and not just gricers getting the track. A few normal customers are aware of the service, I use it a couple of times a month. When this service started from Gerrards Cross at 10:03 and called at Denham and West/South Ruislip it had quite a few customers.

Kite159 · 27 May 2018

Some of the Sheffield - York via Baghill services can be empty for part of the journey

A Challenge · 27 May 2018

If we're going for empty - try the 06:03 Mallaig to Glasgow Queen Street, especially in the winter and when leaving Mallaig!

IanXC · 27 May 2018

Kite159 said:
Some of the Sheffield - York via Baghill services can be empty for part of the journey

Quite the opposite in my experience - its not unusual to find passengers with suitcases and advance tickets making legs in much longer journies, before we even get to the number of people that are aware of it and make local journies.

Kite159 · 28 May 2018

IanXC said:
Quite the opposite in my experience - its not unusual to find passengers with suitcases and advance tickets making legs in much longer journies, before we even get to the number of people that are aware of it and make local journies.

I only made that suggestion based on loadings when I've used that service, all 4 times the loadings were minimal (a 153 had plenty of space). Although that was before Northern started using cheap advances

306024 · 28 May 2018

Jbuchanangb said:
I don’t think you would find many people on the 0530 Saturdays only service from Liverpool Street to Enfield Town. This is a ‘parliamentary’ service due to being routed (without calling) via South Tottenham, making use of the Tottenham South curve and the Seven Sisters Chord.

Stops at a few other places though, and if it simply went via Stoke Newington it could call at a few more and get to Enfield Town quicker. Any passenger actually awake to see this convoluted route must wonder why they are taken on this magical mystery tour.

Cricketer8for9 · 28 May 2018

Lots of Gatwick Expresses are pretty empty, particularly the ones that do not go on to Brighton.

Kite159 · 28 May 2018

306024 said:
Stops at a few other places though, and if it simply went via Stoke Newington it could call at a few more and get to Enfield Town quicker. Any passenger actually awake to see this convoluted route must wonder why they are taken on this magical mystery tour.

I can remember doing it a couple years ago, boarding at Hackney Downs and there was a couple which refused to believe that the Enfield service was going from platform 2 (instead of 4). I think in the end they still didn't believe the train when it rolled into P2 and missed it "must be going to Chingford"

Intercity 225 · 30 May 2018

There used to be a Northern service from Manchester Piccadilly to Macclesfield at 07:32 (I think - going from memory) every weekday morning that I used to use regularly a few years ago. I was sometimes the only passenger and it was rare to ever have more than three on board. It was also one of the very few services to pass Stockport without stopping. The reason it was so quiet was because it was close to two Virgin and Cross Country services in the timetable - both of which had a slight time improvement on paper. The novelty of having a private train more than made up for it though! When it returned to Manchester from Macclesfield it’d be far more heavily loaded because it’d be taking people on a rush hour service in the direction of the major city. The only reason it really ran was to get the stock to Macclesfield in order to run that service.

Sadly it looks like it’s been dropped as part of the recent timetable change - unfortunate timing as that’d have been ideal for what you’re looking for! Maybe some of the more learned members of the forum will be able to advise of similar services that are still in use.

gazthomas · 30 May 2018

St Albans Abbey Line off peak, especially first thing on a Saturday morning. You could forget you're somewhere quite built up

ChiefPlanner · 30 May 2018

Moor Park - Watford Met - especially midday off peak !

AM9 · 30 May 2018

PudseyBearHST said:
I went on the London Paddington to High Wycombe Chiltern service a few months back and I was the only passenger on board.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C72036/2018/05/25/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C71972/2018/05/25/advanced

Did the same a couple of years ago, same passenger situation. I only went to South Ruislip as I was on a Travelcard.

Kite159 · 30 May 2018

AM9 said:
Did the same a couple of years ago, same passenger situation. I only went to South Ruislip as I was on a Travelcard.

Likewise, although that was when the service from Paddington called at South & West Ruislip, instead of running non-stop to High Wycombe

Kite159 · 31 May 2018

West Ealing - Greenford shuttles during the off-peak hours most likely :smile:

pitdiver · 1 Jun 2018

What about Bletchley to Bedford preferably off peak.

thaitransit · 14 Jun 2018

If you want very lightly loaded train service.

Try the following services:

Brisbane to Charleville.
Departs Brisbane at 7.15pm Tuesday and Thursday only Arriving at Charleville at 11.45am Wednesday and Friday only. This service has been known to carry as few as 4 passengers throughout its 17 hour overnight journey.

Quietest trains are in the summer which runs from October to April. Be warned it can be relentless 40 degree plus heat on this line for weeks at a time.

and

Townsville to Mount Isa
Departs Townsville at 12.40pm Wednesday and Saturday
Arrives Mount Isa at 9.35pm Thursday and Sunday only!

This service is known for carrying as few as 10 passengers over its 21 hour trip. However there are less than 100000 people living along the entire 1000km long railway line.

Much of the route operates through extremely remote areas well beyond phone reception. In fact the mount isa line is home to the smallest settlement still regularly serviced by train. The town of Duchess has a population of just 3 people and is only accessible by rail and is 3 hours by train from any other town.

The point of sharing this to show that there are some extremely low use lines out there both of these are worth riding if you get to Queensland Australia. But check the weather conditions before travel as its not uncommon for extreme weather to cut services for days at a time without any bus replacement or alternative train services.

Intercity 225 · 29 Jul 2018

Today I took the 1136 from Stockport to Hazel Grove... I was the only passenger on board.

I’d suggest that it’d have been busier had it started at Manchester Piccadilly, does anyone know why the 1136 only runs between Stockport and Hazel Grove?

Timetable link for those interested

Suggestions for trains with very few passengers

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