Bleakest / loneliest mainline station

[GlitterUnicorn]

The OP's original criteria were for stations on mainlines with at least 3tph and to specifically exclude obvious stations like Corrour

Ah, I did not read that far back. Apologies.

 

[Ibex]

Rugby was a bit grim one February evening back in 2012 (during the height of London Midland's traincrew woes), cold and absolutely nothing open.

Yes, Rugby gets my vote too. It's got next to no facilities and a low footfall for a station of its physical size. It's awfully cold and windswept.

 

[Llandudno]

In ambiance terms it doesn't differ massively from Liverpool Central, which isn't really bleak either, and it's similarly suitable for Metro which is similar to Merseyrail in concept other than being light rail. Must be grim when a DMU is in there giving off fumes, though.

No need to spend much time at Liverpool Central though, some cracking pubs nearby plus a plethora of fast food outlets!

 

[Whistler40145]

I wouldn't want to be left stranded at Battersby on the Esk Valley line, just a bit exposed

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I wouldn't want to be left stranded at Battersby on the Esk Valley line, just a bit exposed

Neither would I, but it's not really a main line station, with 3 tph each day throughout the day, as per the OP.

 

[yorksrob]

I wouldn't want to be left stranded at Battersby on the Esk Valley line, just a bit exposed

Neither would I, but it's not really a main line station, with 3 tph each day throughout the day, as per the OP.

I've often commented on the need for a more frequent service on the Esk valley, but even I think 3tph would be overdoing it.

That aside, I'd be hard put to describe the place as bleak. It's always struck me as the very epitome of bucolic charm.

 

[Bletchleyite]

No need to spend much time at Liverpool Central though, some cracking pubs nearby plus a plethora of fast food outlets!

Indeed, and a train every half hour to all destinations at worst.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Queenstown Road is pretty bleak - sitting on a viaduct with two others passing overhead, and most trains passing through non-stop. There are nine tracks including the Ludgate Lines, plus six more on the overpasses, but only one island platform.

 

[The Albion]

Tipton. Why? Because it's in Tipton. So if you miss a train, got 29 minutes to wait for the next one what do you do ?

 

[Whistler40145]

Could Euxton Balshaw Lane be classed as a mainline station?

 

[matacaster]

Bradford forster Square before rebuild. Only 1 platform for ilkley / skipton, then later 2 for lkx in use. 4 or 5 large disused platforms et, windswept, no facilities at all.

 

[Andyh82]

Another vote for Wakefield Kirkgate. One of the issues is that the island platform is miles away from Platform 1 so if you are on that platform you are just looking out over nothing but numerous tracks and the roofs of industrial units. It’s the same if you are on the island. Then there is the fact that it’s in the middle of knowhere.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Diss has at least 2tph GEML stopping each way throughout the day. It’s also up on an embankment, offers little shelter from the wind and rain, and is a long walk from the town centre. A truly miserable station.

At least East Anglia is the drier side of the country albeit still gets a bit of rain!

Some stations on the Brno to Praha line seemed pretty desolate (Brno being Czechia's second city). The Czech Republic is spending an absolute fortune on modernizing its main towns and their stations however there are these halts whereby you wonder if anybody actually boards or alights there, yet said villages and towns have a train every hour or two hours!

Carstairs is pretty grim and isolated

Does it ever stop raining there

Manchester's nearly as dry as London compared to that part of Scotland!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Manchester's nearly as dry as London compared to that part of Scotland!

That's as may be, a lot of the "rain" that falls in Manchester seems to be wind driven drizzle, which tends to wet you quite thoroughly although the volume of water might not be all that great, certainly not good at stations in the area with little by the way of shelter!

 

[SuspectUsual]

Tamworth High Level

Littleborough - the only cover is a shelter with a six inch gap under the sides so it has a fierce wind ripping through it

Another vote for Kirkgate, even after the “improvements”

Birmingham International is a wind tunnel

 

[Bletchleyite]

Birmingham International is a wind tunnel

That it is, but to be fair its concept (and vintage) is similar to Euston - the idea is that, like an airport, you stay in the lounge (which unlike Euston has somewhere to sit!) until just before your train arrives.

 

[Timmyd]

West Dulwich is a sea of grey paint and a rudimentary bus shelter on the (elevated) platforms. In the days of 2tph on that line it could be a horrible place to wait.

Totally agree with this - really basic for quite a busy station especially on the up side which only has one of those small NSE era shelters with no sides, terrible in the rain and wind

 

[jfollows]

I vote for Carstairs, too.

Early morning (05-something) from Manchester to Glasgow during the first iteration of the Virgin Pendolino timetable. Voyager of course at the time. Get off at Carstairs for a connection to Edinburgh. First train through (without stopping) was the morning ECML service from Glasgow Central to King's Cross. Second train arrived empty from Polmadie to form the Edinburgh service, Pendolino, at Edinburgh formed the only Virgin Edinburgh-Euston WCML service.

I was travelling First Class, which was OK, but the lengthy wait (although booked, trains running to time) at Carstairs was a bit bleak. Still early morning, daylight, but not very warm.

I think that's the only time I've "used" Carstairs, though. In the distant past I will have stopped there to detach/attach portions on trains.

 

[greyman42]

I think the coldest I’ve ever been on a railway station was three quarters of an hour waiting on the down main platform at Grantham. A really windswept station in the winterl

Peterborough is similar and the waiting rooms are barely warmer than the platforms.

Sunderland is not great, even though it was done up a few years ago.

I never even noticed.

 

[Altrincham]

Although not recent experiences, I always associate a topic like this with the following stations:

Long Eaton
Burton-on-Trent
Retford (mid-morning in the mid 1990s and eerily quiet)
East Midlands Parkway (uncomfortably isolated)
Stockport (bleak on a cold and damp Sunday night)

 

[janb]

Tipton. Why? Because it's in Tipton. So if you miss a train, got 29 minutes to wait for the next one what do you do ?

Take a photo with the station sign and pop Britwres twitter by posting something like "it is real" #ifyouknowyouknow

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Here's a few nominations:
Bristol Temple Meads when everything is closed late at night (although when things are open, it's excellent!)
Birmingham New Street - the platforms are horrible, but upstairs is quite nice.
Newport - it'll be good when they finish the new station! (What, you mean they have ... ? I haven't noticed!)

There are others, but I can't remember them at the moment.

 

[ambi23]

Another vote for East Midlands Parkway, unless you like the view of Ratcliffe Power Station. Add the point that there's no connections to stations not on the Midland Mainline and no bus connection to East Midlands Airport.

Also Rugeley Trent Valley station, though the cooling towers there will disappear completely over the next year or two.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Got that wrong should have said Smethwick Galton Bridge which is where you would change if you where travelling Wolverhampton to Worcester for example ive corrected the original post.

I arrived at SGB once to change trains, desperate for a no 1 as there were no working toilets on the EMU from Jewellery Quarter. This unwelcoming major interchange station was unstaffed and had no toilets open. My connection to Crewe also had no working toilets forcing me to dive out in agony at Wolverhampton. As a consequence of this experience, I am a lot more careful about how much I drink before embarking on a long train journey.

 

[Gathursty]

Cooden Beach could be very bleak if the weather is foul. Also Crowhurst in that part of the country.

 

[bramling]

My vote is for London Bridge High Level platforms. Despite the shelters, it's still a wind tunnel if the wind is blowing in the right direction; the infrastructure is bland and I've seen more amicable staff in HMP Belmarsh! I find it very oppressive

However, downstairs is a complete (and welcome) contrast... I wait there until my train is due.

Agree about London Bridge HL. Awful place to wait in rain, especially when the wind is blowing. The canopies provide virtually no shelter at all. Blackfriars is preferable.

They built, to their mind, a decent 1960's "modern" station which reflected the architectural style and thought of the day. Regardless i have never found Sunderland a bleak station. Horrible, but not bleak.

I don’t see the issue with Sunderland. For sure it’s a weird setup in that it’s effectively an underground station, but for starters you’re not going to get wet waiting for a train there, the entrance is well sited, and the access route from street to train is pretty straightforward and easy. It’s not going to gain any award for beauty, but as a station it does the job and there’s far worse out there.

 

[DarloRich]

I don’t see the issue with Sunderland. For sure it’s a weird setup in that it’s effectively an underground station, but for starters you’re not going to get wet waiting for a train there, the entrance is well sited, and the access route from street to train is pretty straightforward and easy. It’s not going to gain any award for beauty, but as a station it does the job and there’s far worse out there.

Agreed. It is better on the platforms than it was. Not only because of the absence of a class 56 powering up as it hauls another rake of HAA's out of the Durham coalfield

 

[DustyBin]

Agreed about Essex Road, although I do like it's quirkiness below ground. Odd to go down in a lift then walk up stairs.

South Bermondsey has a deserted feel, in spite of being in a built up area and a frequent service. The station appears to have been built as cheapley as possible, and barely updated since. Is the platform still wooden timbers?

Yes South Bermondsey is a little ‘minimalistic’ in its architecture.... It’s like a temporary version of Queens Road Peckham, which could be considered rather bleak in itself!

Is it Queenstown Road between Vauxhall and Clapham Junction? That station always looks abandoned when I pass it (needless to say I’ve never been on a train that actually stops there!).

 

[Statto]

Walsall is pretty bleak, nothing much to look at, hemmed in by a multi story car park on one side & a row of shops on the other side, i was there on a mild September day couple of years ago & it was pretty cold with the wind swirling around.

 

[theageofthetra]

Elephant & Castle.

Virtually no amenities, exposed platforms, steep staircases and monstrous high rise flats overshadowing it

That or Loughborough Junction offers a similar vibe.