Is there a more pointless railway station in the UK? It seems deserted, poorly placed, terribly used and a massive white elephant. Does it serve any real purpose?
opinions/comments???
As a regular user of EMP I'm well placed to comment.
The short answer is it depends what you compare it to. It's less well used than many of the other stations on the line: Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Kettering, Market Harborough etc.........but that's not surprising is it given it's not a big city station and it's not prime London commuter belt either.
I would disagree that it's terribly used. It has a healthy level of usage compared with many stations, but EMT don't try very hard to attract more passengers to it. My biggest criticisms are:
1. Train departures to London for most of the day are at xx.35 and xx.42 - i.e only 7 minutes apart. So for anyone passing through on a non-stopping train at another time of the hour, it will look quiet.
2. You can only travel to it by car, but excessive car parking charges deter some potential users.