[Trivia] Unstaffed stations - busiest and largest?

[leytongabriel]

Wondering what the busiest and largest unstaffed stations in the UK might be.

Kicking off the post with two Lea Valley possibilities - Lea Bridge @ 617,000 entries and exits in 22/23 and Meridian Water, built in anticipation of still unfinished building development with lifts, permanently open ticket gates and, I think, 4 platforms.

Sure there must be more.

 

[Mojo]

You may be interested in a thread from last time this topic came up, which also includes a link to the time before when someone asked this.

[Trivia] Busiest unstaffed station?

I've been asked what's the busiest unstaffed station on the national rail network. Network Rail station categories F1 and F2 are supposed to mean unstaffed but there are exceptions, e.g. Filton Abbey Wood, which I believe has a ticket office. Many staffed stations are unstaffed in the evenings...

www.railforums.co.uk

This refers to numbers from pre-Covid so things may have changed since then, but lsleworth which was mentioned in that thread is possibly still a contender as busier than Lea Bridge.

 

[D6975]

Away from London, Filton Abbey Wood must be in with a shout. 4 Platforms and just a little booth that only sees occasional use, most of the time it's unstaffed.

 

[CPG]

Clifton Down (Severn Beach line) has overtaken Filton Abbeywood. Latest figures Filton Abbeywood 0.521m, Clifton Down 0.609m and is totally unstaffed and many fares go uncollected, as is well documented.

 

[DarloRich]

Cheddington. 4 platforms on WCML south

 

[ScotGG]

Deptford never seems to have staff. 1.5m a year.

Many Southeastern Metro stations appear similar. Even if technically meant to be staffed some almost never see any.

 

[kacper]

Meridian Water is staffed on event days, whereas i don’t think Lea Bridge ever gets staffed

 

[Taunton]

I think the last time this came up Canary Wharf DLR (18m in 2019) was far away the winner.

 

[RailWonderer]

Clifton Down (Severn Beach line) has overtaken Filton Abbeywood. Latest figures Filton Abbeywood 0.521m, Clifton Down 0.609m and is totally unstaffed and many fares go uncollected, as is well documented.

Especially given the student population that uses it.

 

[stadler]

Cheddington. 4 platforms on WCML south

Cheddington is a tiny minor quiet station serving a small rural village. It does not even come close to being the busiest unstaffed station. I have used this station a lot and have often been the only person boarding or alighting here.

 

[hassaanhc]

The Hounslow line has four fully unstaffed stations which had usage of over 1 million passengers before COVID.

Kew Bridge: 952k in 2022-23 (peak of 1.282m in 2018-19)
Isleworth: 780k in 2022-23 (peak of 1.399m in 2018-19)
Barnes Bridge: 685k in 2022-23 (peak of 1.019m in 2019-20)
Syon Lane: 668k in 2022-23 (peak of 1.307m in 2018-19)

Barnes Bridge and Kew Bridge (as well as the partially staffed Chiswick), were the last Zone 3 stations to have 1tph all day on Sundays, which changed in 2015.

 

[Western Lord]

In terms of size I imagine that nothing will beat the previous incarnation of Birmingham Snow Hill in it's dying days.

 

[Revilo]

Away from London, Filton Abbey Wood must be in with a shout. 4 Platforms and just a little booth that only sees occasional use, most of the time it's unstaffed.

It is officially staffed during the afternoons though (presumably related to the MOD establishment next door). So it can’t really be counted as an unstaffed station.

Though it does get marginal. For example Bescot Stadium is only manned for a few hours on three days a week.

 

[Mojo]

It is officially staffed during the afternoons though (presumably related to the MOD establishment next door). So it can’t really be counted as an unstaffed station.

Filton Abbey Wood has had schedule 17 hours for a ticket booth staffed during the evening peak for as long as I can remember. During Wessex Trains days this was a man in the hut with an Avantix machine like many other stations in the area such as Yate and Keynsham. When the Greater Western franchise started the station was permanently unstaffed for years (even though Schedule 17 and consequently NRE said it was still staffed), but about ten years ago, when First Great Western expanded their revenue department in the Bristol area they had the station staffed with Assistant Ticket Examiners during the morning and evening peak, and consequently the hut was opened for staff to store their equipment and sell tickets (although they would sell tickets from the staff checking also). The AM and PM ticket checking still takes place, although the “ticket office” (which is staff with mobile machines rather than a permenant TIS) is still not staffed for the correct hours, as the ticket checking staff are not present throughout the entire schedule 17 hours.

 

[The exile]

Especially given the student population that uses it.

As a former student user of Clifton Down (albeit 35 years ago), I would suggest that the lack of opportunity to purchase a ticket at the station and the short journeys taken by many (there being no viable bus alternatives for many of the flows) are more relevant.

 

[Dr Hoo]

In terms of size I imagine that nothing will beat the previous incarnation of Birmingham Snow Hill in it's dying days.

Nottingham Victoria when it just had the isolated shuttle to Rugby Central? (I know that it was soon truncated to a re-opened Arkwright Street.)

 

[camflyer]

Especially given the student population that uses it.

I was a student in Bristol and lived just around the corner from the Clifton Down station. Can't remember ever paying...

What's the Statute of Limitations on unpaid tickets?