People's least favourite stations

[mm333]

The Bradford stations currently have roughly 2 departures per platform per hour which is about 1/3 that of Charing Cross/Cannon Street - I think that leaves a little spare capacity (though the buildings need improving)

Forster Square has a 321 stabled in platform three for over seven hours every weekday, so plenty of spare there!

And one platform of the Interchange seems to be GC-only, so is empty quite a lot.

 

[waterlooroader]

My least favourite stations are all the unstaffed, unloved halts that have had their station building boarded up and abandoned. To this end I would choose Shifnal (Shropshire) as my least favourite; 1 TPH in each direction and bus shelters are probably enough for a rural village, but it is made worse by the fact that the former building is left to fall into rack and ruin. (Doesn't look as if it has been painted since BR days)

Wolves to Shrewsbury and the Cambrian Line suffers from this more than most, although it isn't as bad at stations where the former station building has a new use (Such as the excellent Station Pub at Codsall)

 

[Antman]

Elephant & Castle....access is through a down at the heel shopping centre, when thats closed its via a back street entrance where there are likely to be various dodgy individuals hanging about, if you've got heavy luggage you'll have to struggle up the.stairs because there are no lifts, and when you get up to the platforms you can admire the boarded up block of flats that are awaiting demolition.

 

[317666]

I'm not a fan of either Kings Cross or St Pancras. As others have said I still think that St Pancras has been made too much like a shopping centre, it's a pain to get from either of them to the Underground, and at Kings Cross platforms are announced with far too little time before the train's departure.

I'm also not a massive fan of Cambridge either, the ticket office is woefully inadequate at the best of times. If you ask me they should close the M&S and open a new ticket office in there with more windows.

 

[Antman]

I'm not a fan of either Kings Cross or St Pancras. As others have said I still think that St Pancras has been made too much like a shopping centre, it's a pain to get from either of them to the Underground, and at Kings Cross platforms are announced with far too little time before the train's departure.

I'm also not a massive fan of Cambridge either, the ticket office is woefully inadequate at the best of times. If you ask me they should close the M&S and open a new ticket office in there with more windows.

I'd certainly agree about Cambridge, just manic there at times

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Saltaire was built with stone shelters, a nod to the environment (wasn't on UNESCO list then!) and there isn't room for much else. I think that's OK for a station whose main loadings are college students and commuters. And public toilets are IIRC only about 200m away if you can't wait for the next train, better than a lot of non-London stations.

The Bradford stations currently have roughly 2 departures per platform per hour which is about 1/3 that of Charing Cross/Cannon Street - I think that leaves a little spare capacity (though the buildings need improving)

At the time I think those stone shelters were a standard(ish) design WYPTE were quite keen on: Deighton and Slaithwaite (fellow 1980s reopenings) had the same, but only Saltaire still has them I think.

 

[SETCommuter]

Folkestone Central. One platform with another abandoned, nasty looking station, long slope up to platform. Just a horrid, horrid place.

 

[yorksrob]

Folkestone Central. One platform with another abandoned, nasty looking station, long slope up to platform. Just a horrid, horrid place.

Shame the buffet‘s closed. The approach looks a bit grim but I don‘t mind the platform area. Has a certain "of its time" charm.

 

[nathanclass323]

Folkestone Central. One platform with another abandoned, nasty looking station, long slope up to platform. Just a horrid, horrid place.

True, true...

 

[bennunn]

St Pancras - for reasons already stated.

London Bridge - for the through platforms being miles away from London Bridge (I swear the Eastern ends must be nearer to Tower Bridge!) and the fact that the trains themselves make it even worse by stopping further down... I wish the Thameslink 2000 work included platforms/exits actually in the high street / bridge approach, rather than being set back so far from the road.

Colchester - for the unintuitive platform layout/numbering. One platform there (possibly 4) is almost impossible to find, and there's something like 3 and 6 on opposite sides of an island or something equally silly...

Lewisham - for the needlessly inaccessible design and lack of exits where people might actually want to go. There's nothing worse - especially if you're struggling with a walking stick - than having to walk past the same platform and stairwell a second time 10 minutes later, just because they didn't put an exit gate in the wall, and they keep the gate from platform 4 locked at all times now.

Kings Cross - for the disorienting sideways concourse

 

[fusionblue]

Elephant & Castle....access is through a down at the heel shopping centre, when thats closed its via a back street entrance where there are likely to be various dodgy individuals hanging about, if you've got heavy luggage you'll have to struggle up the.stairs because there are no lifts, and when you get up to the platforms you can admire the boarded up block of flats that are awaiting demolition.

I have to second this one. For a station that, for NR purposes, is in zone 1 it's easily the most neglected compared to its zone 1 counterparts. All the money that goes towards the Thameslink Programme (including a complete rebuild of Blackfriars just one stop north) and it had absolutely nothing done to it.

At the southern end of the island platform there isn't seats, just blue stumps that have been there for years.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Manchester Oxford Road, Stafford, Birmingham International, Tamworth Low Level & Coventry.

Along with Wigan North Western, they all have that same look of the late 1960s to early 1970s.

More like late 1950s for Oxford Road, 1961-ish for Stafford/Coventry.

Oxford Road is the worst for me.
It has an enormous footfall, but manages to radiate dinginess in all directions - no lift, narrow bridge, chaotic atmosphere, small crowded noisy café.
Trains go to Norwich, Holyhead, Edinburgh, Scarborough and other far-flung places but the staff just treat them all like stoppers to Wigan.
I know it is going to get a revamp with Northern Hub - can't come too soon.

But then the northern half of Liverpool Lime St is pretty shabby too.
The relatively recent shiny black architecture between the two halves doesn't help - gloomy even on a nice day.
The station frontage looks great now, and the southern half is OK too. It's time the northern half had an upgrade.
My other grumble is that there are four barriers in the northern half but only two are ever open, one in and one out, so you have a queue for no reason whenever a train arrives.
Meanwhile there are no barriers in the southern half, so if you arrive from Runcorn there are no checks, but if you arrive from Wigan there are.
From Manchester it's pot luck depending on which half of the station you arrive at.

 

[yorksrob]

I do rather like the Sydney Opera House style of architecture at Oxford Road. The rockers pub down the steps serving Old Peculiar is also a bonus.

 

[nathanclass323]

I quite like Oxford Road as well.

Now what do people think to Berney Arms station?

 

[bicbasher]

I have to second this one. For a station that, for NR purposes, is in zone 1 it's easily the most neglected compared to its zone 1 counterparts. All the money that goes towards the Thameslink Programme (including a complete rebuild of Blackfriars just one stop north) and it had absolutely nothing done to it.

At the southern end of the island platform there isn't seats, just blue stumps that have been there for years.

The neighbouring shopping centre is to be redeveloped, which may see some improvements to the station.

Like others, I'd like to see the Elephant Road entrance replaced with another with access when then the shopping centre is closed.

 

[Roverman]

Some of the reasoning on here is a little harsh, some of the stations were built in the 1960s during the 'Brutalist' era and as such reflect the style of that era.

I'm happy with any station that is clean, well lit and reasonably well thought out.

I agree with the comments about St Pancras. The distances one has to walk from one set of platforms to another must be on a par with walking from check in to the departure lounge at Gatwick!

New Street, in its current form, bemuses me greatly, rather than retain its entrances that face the direction of the (new) Bullring which is now very much the 'centre' of the city it is hellbent on moving traffic, pedestrian and motor, around to the rear of the building. Yes I know there will be a new shopping centre built around it but I seriously doubt that will overtake Bullring so why make it harder for through flow from the centre of the city into the main railway station and vice versa?

 

[nathanclass323]

Some of the reasoning on here is a little harsh, some of the stations were built in the 1960s during the 'Brutalist' era and as such reflect the style of that era.

I'm happy with any station that is clean, well lit and reasonably well thought out.

I agree with the comments about St Pancras. The distances one has to walk from one set of platforms to another must be on a par with walking from check in to the departure lounge at Gatwick!

New Street, in its current form, bemuses me greatly, rather than retain its entrances that face the direction of the (new) Bullring which is now very much the 'centre' of the city it is hellbent on moving traffic, pedestrian and motor, around to the rear of the building. Yes I know there will be a new shopping centre built around it but I seriously doubt that will overtake Bullring so why make it harder for through flow from the centre of the city into the main railway station and vice versa?

If I'm honest, I preferred the old Birmingham New Street station

 

[southern442]

never been to it, but stratford parkway seems a bit of a dump

 

[tractakid]

never been to it, but stratford parkway seems a bit of a dump

Don't you mean a bit of a STY?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Shame the buffet‘s closed. The approach looks a bit grim but I don‘t mind the platform area. Has a certain "of its time" charm.

I was there coincidentally a week before the buffet closed, I can't remember if the lady running it said she was retiring or it had turned unprofitable but it was a nice cafe (from my only experience!) and a shame to see it go: local independent cafes, especially the more traditional one that FKC had, are so much nicer than the national chains and often are much better VFM too.

Regarding the platforms, I believe the original plans were to keep both islands and close the outer faces (e.g. the inner face of the now-closed island would be for Ashford trains and the current Ashford platform would be for Dover trains), but something somewhere down the line changed (presumably the current arrangement was easier to engineer and negated larger maintenance costs at the station?) and it is as it is now.

 

[315804]

Maryland (near Stratford, London)... had a job to fix something there, it's just so run-down... but not as bad as St James Street near Walthamstow :cry:

 

[nathanclass323]

never been to it, but stratford parkway seems a bit of a dump

I don't think it is!

 

[yorksrob]

I was there coincidentally a week before the buffet closed, I can't remember if the lady running it said she was retiring or it had turned unprofitable but it was a nice cafe (from my only experience!) and a shame to see it go: local independent cafes, especially the more traditional one that FKC had, are so much nicer than the national chains and often are much better VFM too.

Regarding the platforms, I believe the original plans were to keep both islands and close the outer faces (e.g. the inner face of the now-closed island would be for Ashford trains and the current Ashford platform would be for Dover trains), but something somewhere down the line changed (presumably the current arrangement was easier to engineer and negated larger maintenance costs at the station?) and it is as it is now.

Indeed.

I remember using the station when it was mainly the outer platform lines in use.

I suspect it was switched to one island because you only need one set of buildings and facilities (the up island used to have it's own cafe and waiting room etc) although sadly it wasn't enough to save the remaining buffet.

I agree about the independent buffets. I remember going in the one on the down side at Haywards Heath when it used to serve cask ale. I've not managed to establish whether its still there !

 

[lukeobrien02]

Euston = functional but horrible looking
Shawford = fine when ASDO come in it will be ok but one door opening is just frustrating
Essex Road= Dark dingy and the tunnel to the platform just sends a shiver down my spine
Doleham = i have never ever seen anyone get on a train from here
London Bridge= its just depressing

 

[johntea]

Would I be unpopular if I mentioned Reading?

I'll give them credit they've redeveloped (/redeveloping) it but at the moment there is basically just a huge empty space with stairways to the platforms

 

[33056]

My pet hate station-wise is Wembley Central, they have had a couple of attempts at doing it up over the years but it still leaks like a sieve following heavy rain.

On the subject of St. Pancras one of my least favourite stations on the other side of the channel is Brussels Midi, the Eurostar bit and "ticket hall" area are OK but the domestic platforms are an absolute dump!

 

[maniacmartin]

Oh, if we're allowed foreign stations, then I propose Paris's Gare d'Austerlitz. Truly dire inside, especially if you're stuck there at night waiting for a sleeper service.

 

[lukeobrien02]

in italy Ercolano some much graffiti its just dirty grimy and depressing and dark not somewhere you want to be alone at night

 

[james2trains]

I remember Wakefield Kirkgate to be bad but I haven't been there in a while.

 

[plastictaffy]

Worst stations - I go through several every day!!
Top of the list must be "The Hole" - aka Birmingham New Street. I know they're spending a lot of dosh on it, but you can't polish a turd.

Rugby comes next - it's too far to walk into the town when you have a PNB there.

Cheddington ( I know, where??) is next. It's a station in the middle of nowhere, serving nowhere in particular, with nothing and no-one there.

Northampton is next on the list - due to the fact that to get to the top of the temporary footbridge requires a sherpa with oxygen and hot drinks halfway up.

And another station that I detest is Newport. Not one I visit frequently, thank christ. It was revamped at a not inconsiderable expense to NR, but it still serves a vile city that has vile people in it. Not the best place to walk round late at night, Newport.