What Major UK City Centre Rail Stations Have You Not Used?

[Purple Orange]

Inspired by the thread on your first visit to a London terminal, my mind wondered: what major station have I not used that is in existence today? Given this is a railway forum I’d expect most people to have travelled through a lot of rail terminals, but that makes it more interesting.

For instance, I’ve never used Glasgow Queen Street and nor have I stepped foot inside the station, although I have used Glasgow Central at least a dozen times. In London I have not used Marylebone, Fenchurch Street or Cannon Street.

I’ve not used Brighton or Norwich either.

 

[Ianno87]

Probably the biggest station I've never passed through at all would be Paisley Gilmour Street.

Biggest station I've passed through but not boarded or alighted at would be Taunton or Winchester.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Never used Fenchurch Street in London. Was once on an inbound train into the station but instead alighted at Limehouse so didn't ever make it to the terminus.

 

[Gloster]

There are a few that I have passed through but I don’t think I have ever set foot on (Leicester, Stoke, Worcester Shrub Hill) and at least one I have set foot on but never caught a train from or to (Birmingham Snow Hill). However, I don’t think I have ever used Liverpool Lime Street: on my one visit to the city I think I just went from the Wirral to Southport with a change at Moorfields.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you mean city in the purest sense i.e. places with city status, I'm pretty sure I have been to them all, as I have been to every mainland city for a running challenge a few years ago.

But as it says UK, I've never been to Northern Ireland, so I guess the ones there are the exception for me.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Of London termini, the only ones I haven't used are Cannon Street and London Bridge (low-level). Outside of London the biggest glaring omissions would be Norwich, Cambridge and anything west of Teignmouth (not that I'm suggesting Teignmouth itself is a "major station" of course). Newcastle I've only ever passed through, never alighted.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

In London, I've never used Fenchurch Street or Cannon Street stations.

Closest I've been to using Fenchurch Street was on a London-bound c2c service, but got off at Barking to catch the Underground into London (because it was cheaper!)

 

[Purple Orange]

Cannon St and Fenchurch St comes up a lot it seems. To clarify re ‘city’, the question is posed in the loosest sense, essentially to mean any significant large station that you consider fits the definition.

 

[Cambus731]

Still never been to Northern Ireland.
I've never used Manchester Oxford Road, although I've used Piccadilly and Victoria loads of times.
I've never been to Swanses.
I've changed trains at Haymarket quite a few times but I've never entered or exited there.
Never used Birmingham Snow Hill.

 

[Taunton]

I've used Birmingham Snow Hill - but only before it was abandoned first time round in 1967!

Not used Norwich (despite visiting multiple times by car) which seems a common omission, likewise Lincoln. Nor Salisbury.

 

[The exile]

Going by station usage figures and excluding London suburbia, top 5 unvisited stations for me are Winchester, Luton, Farnborough, Basildon, Gravesend - all but one being outside Ranger/Rover areas! The other side of the Irish Sea is still a blank canvas.

 

[sftfan1909]

I've been through Cambridge a few times, and I've stood on the platform, but I've never caught a train to/from!

 

[xotGD]

Warrington - either station
Exeter - any station
Wigan - either station
Canterbury - either station
Bolton
Taunton
Anywhere in Essex other than Harwich PQ

And put me down for Cannon Street too.

 

[D6130]

The only one I can think of is Birmingham Snow Hill....I've passed through, but never boarded or alighted there.

 

[NoMorePacers]

Lancaster, Stalybridge, Retford, Gloucester and Swansea spring to my mind for the "passed through but not got off/got a train from" list.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Leeds, Glasgow Central, Bristol Temple Meads, Mancester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Airport, Liverpool Central - never passed through any of these stations. There are a lot I haven't used too be honest. I've used all the London Termini but outside that I'm missing a lot.

 

[ivorytoast28]

I've never been to Liverpool at all and only driven through Glasgow so Liverpool Lime Street, Glasgow Queen street and Glasgow Central are the main ones in terms of big cities. Depends how major a city but in the south west I've been to most major places, in the south east I've never used the train to get to Brighton or Southampton, east anglia Norwich and Cambridge I've only ever driven too and never been to Ipswich. Never been to places like Preston/Crewe/stoke/stafford/Glouster in the west midlands/north west. In Yorkshire, the two Bradfords, and I've been pretty much every station in the North east.

In terms of station numbers Highbury and islington, East Croydon, Canada water, Fenchurch street and Cannon street

 

[NorthWestRover]

Warrington - either station

!!

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Only used stations in England and Cardiff. So all Scottish, Northern Ireland, Swansea stations are not visited by me.

In England, never been to any stations in the following official cities: Truro, Plymouth, Exeter, Southampton, Portsmouth, Chichester, Brighton-&-Hove, Canterbury, Rochester, Salisbury, Winchester, Cambridge, Bath, Bristol, Oxford, Coventry, Hereford, Carlisle, Wakefield, Stoke (This one I want to visit in the future), Lichfield, Saint Albans, Chelmsford, Bradford and Wolverhampton.
Also Ripon and Wells cities have no stations at present.
Also never used Blackfriars in London, Worcester Foregate Street, and Birmingham Moor Street.

Places I consider cities due to catholic or anglican cathedrals that I haven't used stations at include: Bury St Edmunds, Guildford, Southwell, Brentwood, Northampton, Shrewsbury, Arundel, Aldershot, Sherbourne.

Largest "city-sized" towns I haven't used stations at include: Huddersfield, Milton Keynes, Ipswich, Southend, Bournemouth, Swindon, Dudley, Telford, Croydon, and probably many more.

 

[Peter Sarf]

The only one that springs to mind is very local to me - Cannon Street !. Although I never got to Broad Street it is long gone now !.

Thinking about it Holyhead, Fishguard, and Scarborough. Salisbury. They are on routes I never did. There must be others that I merely passed through.

 

[PHILIPE]

The only one that springs to mind is very local to me - Cannon Street !. Although I never got to Broad Street it is long gone now !.

Thinking about it Holyhead, Fishguard, and Scarborough. Salisbury. They are on routes I never did. There must be others that I merely passed through.

Only Salisbury of those is a city

 

[Peter Sarf]

Only Salisbury of those is a city

Yes. I was stretching my memory to cover what might be considered major stations. Albeit ones at the end of a line - some that are basically only a port on reflection ?.

Someone mentioned Arundel - I have passed through but I believe I have never lighted there (nearest I did was Amberley for the chalk pits museum).

I think Cannon Street is my most glaringly unused station. Bit surprised I had not had to use it during weekend diversions away from Charing Cross when I lived in Strood.

I wonder how many people have never used Rochester ?. I can imagine Chatham or Strood would be more likely to be used for the City of Rochester upon Medway.

 

[Gloster]

Yes. I was stretching my memory to cover what might be considered major stations. Albeit ones at the end of a line - some that are basically only a port on reflection ?.

Someone mentioned Arundel - I have passed through but I believe I have never lighted there (nearest I did was Amberley for the chalk pits museum).

I think Cannon Street is my most glaringly unused station. Bit surprised I had not had to use it during weekend diversions away from Charing Cross when I lived in Strood.

I wonder how many people have never used Rochester ?. I can imagine Chatham or Strood would be more likely to be used for the City of Rochester upon Medway.

Rochester is not a city and has not been since 1998. It sometimes tries to pretend it still is, but it is the only city in England that has lost its city status and not regained it.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I wonder how many people have never used Rochester ?. I can imagine Chatham or Strood would be more likely to be used for the City of Rochester upon Medway.

I certainly haven't, but as @Gloster points out, Rochester is no longer a city and it's scarcely seems to be a major UK rail(way) station either I would suggest, (although a contrary argument could perhaps be made as regards its relative importance given its 2mln+ annual patronage).

 

[swt_passenger]

Manchester, Leeds. I’ve only ever been in Leeds once and went by car. I’ve never been to the Manchester area at all.

 

[Purple Orange]

Manchester, Leeds. I’ve only ever been in Leeds once and went by car. I’ve never been to the Manchester area at all.

Oh you should visit! Manchester is a great place for a weekend away!

 

[MikeWM]

I think I've done everywhere that could be considered 'major' in England now - the last two I had remaining were Luton and Woking, and I did those in the last couple of months.

Wales : not been to Aberystwyth. Does that count as 'major'?

Scotland : passed though, but never got off at, Dundee, Perth or Stirling. Or Haymarket. Never been to or through Paisley, Kilmarnock, Ayr etc. or either Falkirk station.

NI : never been.

 

[Purple Orange]

To aid the question, perhaps I should have stated something like DfT Category A and B stations only. Would that help?

 

[Peter Sarf]

Rochester is not a city and has not been since 1998. It sometimes tries to pretend it still is, but it is the only city in England that has lost its city status and not regained it.

Crickey. Is Rochester the only city in modern times to lose said status ?. I did think the whole of Medway became the city when the Medway towns amalgamated (Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham iirc). I moved away in 1988 so I have lost touch !.

 

[Gloster]

From memory, several other cities have lost their city status, but all later regained it. In Scotland I think that Elgin also lost its city status and has failed to regain it, despite the football team being Elgin City.