London's Worst Station

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Sydenham Hill is beautifully located but feels really dangerous at night time, with a narrow path through a wood between the station and College Road.

These pics are from a few years ago, maybe it's been brightened up.

 

[bramling]

There are far worse places than Edgware station!

Don’t disagree, but when people are being robbed at knifepoint on the station at 1100 on a weekday morning then there is a problem.

 

[Turtle]

Clapham junction has to be up there horrible all round.

Why? Admittedly its layout is very disorganised due to its history of growth over many, many years but it has been improved of late. I appreciate it needs rebuilding and a revised layout (cue those lethal curved platforms) but apart from that I've used it as since the late 1940s until and have survived.

 

[Dr_Intoxicated]

I'll put a bid in for Kew Bridge. Unstaffed, basically in the middle of a one way system with it's most scenic attraction the nearby M4 flyover. The pub next to it has improved over the years which is about all you can say in way of improvements.

Can't agree the pub was much better back in the 80s when it was run by two little old ladies. The problem with the station is the very large gap in height between the train and the platform. Especially on the up platform at the station exit end.

 

[sh24]

I used Elephant & Castle twice today. It really isn't that bad, well lit, in decent decorative order, manned ticket office and the Columbian empanada and coffee place outside and to the right is excellent.

 

[marko2]

That staircase is indeed quite beautiful, it looks like it belongs to a heritage line!

It kind of is - particularly Essex Road and Old Street stations (Moorgate got retiled a few years back). Just not the type of heritage anyone is clamouring to keep.

 

[Wolfie]

It kind of is - particularly Essex Road and Old Street stations (Moorgate got retiled a few years back). Just not the type of heritage anyone is clamouring to keep.

Old Street is, in the round (i.e. both National Rail and Underground), very very "tired".

 

[marko2]

One station which I don’t think has been mentioned yet is Finsbury Park. Another place which has become almost horrific to use over the last couple of decades. Awful place, both NR and LU.

FPK has seen a few improvements over the last few years, but none of these were holistic solutions to the ills of the station. There are now lifts to all platforms, and part of the original concourse has opened as a tunnel at street level.

The lack of gates previously made it an attractive station for druggies and beggars to use to access the network (the area has a reputation of being destination for buying drugs). It's now properly gated at all entrances (rather than at the top of the stairs on the NR platforms). Those wishing to not pay just jump the barriers with staff seemingly not caring.

The New City North Place entrance has seen the grim Wells Terrace tunnel replaced with a proper, gated ticket hall, leading on a new street with retail and cinema. Just about every expense seems to have been spared on finishes in the ticket hall, an its interface to the rest of the station.

The Seven Sisters Road tunnel still remains, and along with the NR passage, leak when it's wet. The former, with Sewage. It's been closed all week.

Station Place is still sketchy - invariable at night there is a group of black-clad, hooded youths smoking weed in the bus station - which is fairly intimidating. The TFL surface transport bye-laws apply here (same as the railway byelaws - so offences for begging and loitering), but it's at the boundary or Islington, Haringey and Hackney Met Police divisions. The BTP have an office about 200m away. Between them. they can't work out who should police it.

The station needs a London Bridge style reconstruction, but even in its current state, there are far worse.

 

[Busaholic]

No longer exists but North Woolwich over 20 years ago was my worst London experience. Got off the 313 in dark evening to find the ferry and as I exited some possible drugged up stone throwing crazy appeared from the nearby estate. I became a good runner.

You're lucky he didn't follow you onto the ferry! I had a horrible experience on there back in 1984, such that I would never use it again: indeed, it was the initial catalyst to my wife and I moving from the area.

 

[Mikey C]

I'll put a bid in for Kew Bridge. Unstaffed, basically in the middle of a one way system with it's most scenic attraction the nearby M4 flyover. The pub next to it has improved over the years which is about all you can say in way of improvements.

As the new Brentford FC stadium is next door, the station has become a lot more important than it used to be.

 

[miklcct]

Clapham North and Clapham Common.

These are probably the only stations I don't feel safe using because the island platform is so narrow.

 

[Turtle]

Clapham North and Clapham Common.

These are probably the only stations I don't feel safe using because the island platform is so narrow.

Understanble.
I grew up using Clapham Common as my local station so I suppose I was kind of immunised to the dangers. However, if I were to walk down those stairs to the platform now I'm sure I'd feel very wary and safety conscious.

 

[Russel]

* And to add a cherry on top of all this, Euston Square LU station is horrible to use as well

What is wrong with Euston Square?

It's a little bit grotty yes, but I've never had an issue using it, I always find that after getting off a long distance train at Euston, the 5 minute walk to Euston Square is quite welcome.

 

[bramling]

Awful place. It’s not too bad at platform level, but the booking hall and street entrances are awful - especially from the north side of Euston Road. The station is also surprisingly crowded for what it is. Essentially it’s a complete pain to use.

 

[Recessio]

Awful place. It’s not too bad at platform level, but the booking hall and street entrances are awful - especially from the north side of Euston Road. The station is also surprisingly crowded for what it is. Essentially it’s a complete pain to use.

Agreed, it's my station for work and it's always crowded because of the subway full of people using it to cross the Euston Road. The station really needs an additional entrance closer to Euston, and the pedestrian subway needs to be seperated from the passenger flow.

I think it's really bad news that the proposed new entrance on Gordon Street/Gower Place linking Euston Square to Euston Station has been scrapped.

 

[stuu]

I think it's really bad news that the proposed new entrance on Gordon Street/Gower Place linking Euston Square to Euston Station has been scrapped.

I know the LNWR wasn't interested when the Metropolitan Railway was built, but it has always amazed me that at no point in the following 160 years did anyone think to fix that and build a second entrance

 

[Geogregor]

Sydenham Hill is beautifully located but feels really dangerous at night time, with a narrow path through a wood between the station and College Road.

These pics are from a few years ago, maybe it's been brightened up.

It might have got a lick of paint but it didn't change much.

Yes, the setting is lovely, feels more like middle of the rural countryside rather than zone 3 in London.

But it is still dark, with very steep access and with rather rudimentary facilities.

Speaking of darkness. I'm surprised how badly lit many stations are. Sometimes I do wonder how can drivers and guards safely dispatch trains. Surely with modern LED lighting things could be a bit brighter.

 

[Wolfie]

It might have got a lick of paint but it didn't change much.

Yes, the setting is lovely, feels more like middle of the rural countryside rather than zone 3 in London.

But it is still dark, with very steep access and with rather rudimentary facilities.

Speaking of darkness. I'm surprised how badly lit many stations are. Sometimes I do wonder how can drivers and guards safely dispatch trains. Surely with modern LED lighting things could be a bit brighter.

Re your last para that's an awkward one particularly if station platforms are elevated in urban areas. Your brighter platforms are light pollution for nearby properties. You would see many of the same complaints as for overly loud PA systems.

 

[Revaulx]

What is wrong with Euston Square?

It's a little bit grotty yes, but I've never had an issue using it, I always find that after getting off a long distance train at Euston, the 5 minute walk to Euston Square is quite welcome.

With luggage?

Euston Square’s entrance is at the other end of the platforms from Euston Square itself. Its original name Gower Street was a lot less misleading.

Re your last para that's an awkward one particularly if station platforms are elevated in urban areas. Your brighter platforms are light pollution for nearby properties. You would see many of the same complaints as for overly loud PA systems.

Most of the stations that have been criticised here for gloominess (Clapton, Sydenham Hill etc.) are in deep cuttings.

 

[Bletchleyite]

What is wrong with Euston Square?

It's a little bit grotty yes, but I've never had an issue using it, I always find that after getting off a long distance train at Euston, the 5 minute walk to Euston Square is quite welcome.

The entrance is crowded and small, and is at the wrong end of the platforms for Euston station!

I think it's really bad news that the proposed new entrance on Gordon Street/Gower Place linking Euston Square to Euston Station has been scrapped.

It was too complex and expensive - basically a KX/SP style totally new Euston station ticket hall etc. Much cheaper works would deliver a simple entrance with lifts at that end.

 

[londonmidland]

Out of interest, why is Network Rail’s way finding signage at Euston so dated?

It’s the same type Birmingham New Street used to use, prior to its rebuild.

 

[TrainGeekUK]

Bank station by a country mile.

It's like an unending maze to get around and when crowded it’s a horrible experience.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Bank station by a country mile.

It's like an unending maze to get around and when crowded it’s a horrible experience.

Maybe not the "worst" station in London, but quite possibly one of the most annoying to negotiate.

 

[NSE]

Interesting to see what people have as parameters for ‘worst’. I never mind mazes. Frustrating as they can be, I’d rather a maze than one where homeless and drunk people congregate. I guess that also depends on time of day. If my little sister said she was stuck at Brixton midday, I wouldn’t be too concerned. But after the last train would be a different story.

 

[BJames]

I’d probably put most WAML stations on here. Visiting Turkey Street and Enfield Lock are certainly stations I wouldn’t want to hang around at gone dark.

I’ve noticed loads of SE stations have palisade fencing which give it that ‘prison/unsafe’ look and feel to them.

+1 and I would like to add Ponders End on this stretch - horrible anyway during the day but a really unsavoury place to be at night, I would go to any other station to avoid having to use it.

Sydenham Hill is beautifully located but feels really dangerous at night time, with a narrow path through a wood between the station and College Road.

These pics are from a few years ago, maybe it's been brightened up.

Interesting this came up. I have used a few times during the day and always thought that I'd not like to be going through there at night. Nice station but a bit too isolated. I tend to get dropped back at Herne Hill instead simply because it is both busier and more trains are available. Definitely not London's worst though.

 

[maniacmartin]

Here's some that I don't particularly like, but they're probably not the worst:

• Barking - an ugly concrete box that's half boarded up inside.
• Canada Water Overground platforms - dark and gloomy because of the dark grey tiles and lack of daylight. Even the light fittings and benches are grey. There's a reason tube stations have bright tiles usually.
• Green Park - very long walks between all three tube lines.
• Elephant & Castle - haven't been in a while but it was very grotty last time I was there.

Unlike some here I quite like Essex Road. I think the NSE branding on that branch is quite retro.

 

[GatwickDepress]

I've never liked Wembley Central, particularly the slow mainline platforms and the concourse. Dingy, damp, and in disrepair.

Hopefully it's improved since I used it a few years ago.

 

[Dave W]

Seven full pages of this and not a single one of you has got the right answer:

Harringay.

Not had the TfL treatment, is now mostly unstaffed unlike sister stations at Hornsey and Ally Pally, and is reached by a narrow, creaking, much weakened footbridge.

All that to be deposited in a wind tunnel across a barren 6+ tracks of ECML. Awful.

It would have been worse in the not too distant past before the Ladder became Yummy Mummy Central, too.

 

[Geogregor]

Bank station by a country mile.

It's like an unending maze to get around and when crowded it’s a horrible experience.

Maybe not the "worst" station in London, but quite possibly one of the most annoying to negotiate.

It is much improved after the recent rebuild. Nowhere near "London worst"

Re your last para that's an awkward one particularly if station platforms are elevated in urban areas. Your brighter platforms are light pollution for nearby properties. You would see many of the same complaints as for overly loud PA systems.

As other said, the darkest stations are often in cuttings. But in general they could use more directional lighting, barriers blocking light pollution etc.

 

[Lucan]

I'll put a bid in for Kew Bridge. Unstaffed, basically in the middle of a one way system with it's most scenic attraction the nearby M4 flyover.

Things must have changed a lot recently then. Last time I was there it is on a fairly typical 2-way London main road, and you would need to demolish a lot of buildings to get a glimpse of the M4 viaduct. From the platforms you would also need a very high stepladder, their being below road level. Closer than the flyover and in the opposite direction is an area alongside the Thames which is one of the most pleasant parts of London.