Which railway lines are the least used in this country?

[PP57601]

Coombe no.1 GF - Coombe Halt ?

 

[Bald Rick]

How are we defining ‘used’? Or for that matter, ‘line’?

 

[Iskra]

Least Used and Least Profitable are not necessarily exactly correlative, but I suspect the total passenger numbers on the Brigg, Far North, West Highland and Heart of Wales lines will take some beating.

There’s no way that the West Highland Line falls into that category when it’s running 7 carriage trains that are busy, and a sleeper train. If instead you mean the West Highland Extension, I’d suggest that if Jacobite passengers were included even that wouldn’t be near the bottom of the list.

 

[Vanmanyo]

Surely the least used railway lines would be those which are mothballed and haven't seen trains in years such as the line to Ironbridge or Portishead which are both still owned by the Rail Authority.

 

[NSE]

How are we defining ‘used’? Or for that matter, ‘line’?

And that’s another point. NR lines don’t sit like tube ones, services venture down many lines. The ECML is incredibly well used, do we count the pax from The Highland Chieftain as ECML pax or Highland Mainline ones for example.

Its an interesting question nonetheless.

 

[Essan]

There’s no way that the West Highland Line falls into that category when it’s running 7 carriage trains that are busy, and a sleeper train. If instead you mean the West Highland Extension, I’d suggest that if Jacobite passengers were included even that wouldn’t be near the bottom of the list.

In the summer, daytime (Scotrail) trains on the Mallaig extension are often standing room only. The early morning and late night trains a different matter, especially in winter.

 

[The Mercian]

Helsby to Ellesmere Port must be up there.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Helsby to Ellesmere Port must be up there.

Aren't there a couple of daily Northern workings, each way, SuX, over that particular section of line? Certainly will keep the rust off!

 

[Jan Mayen]

Dorking to Horsham has to be a very strong contender. That line is always extremely quiet. I have had at least ten occasions now over the years where i have had the entire train to myself for the whole journey. There is rarely more than ten people onboard. You might get twenty maximum on some rare occassions. Even during peak times i have had extremely quiet trains with just a couple others onboard. So even the peak trains are quiet. I use this line regularly and i think it has to be a contender for the least used line in the country. It has always baffled me why it gets such poor usage considering it gets an hourly service and links two major towns.

I last travelled on that line (well, Horsham to Holmwood, anyway) was on 29 March to see if the Permit to Travel machine was still there.
It was, as you ask, but not working.

 

[The Mercian]

Aren't there a couple of daily Northern workings, each way, SuX, over that particular section of line? Certainly will keep the rust off!

There are. Must admit I’d read the “least used” as passengers actually using trains as opposed to trains on lines. The Helsby/EP service though is notoriously unreliable and I was more than shocked when “ticking off” Ince and Elton station that it actually turned up.

 

[Grumpy]

The new 20-mile Bletchley-Bicester line must be a very poor performer at the moment, with no revenue-earning trains 8 months after it was declared open for traffic.
Some Chiltern ECS and light loco workings are evident today, presumably road-learning trains.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...25-06-09/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

With signalling from Rugby, operating costs will at least be low.

It was reported as costing £760m. Given interest on new Government borrowing costs over 5% pa then it is costing the taxpayer approx £800k/week in interest alone. To sit there unused.

 

[thedbdiboy]

Dorking to Horsham has to be a very strong contender. That line is always extremely quiet. I have had at least ten occasions now over the years where i have had the entire train to myself for the whole journey. There is rarely more than ten people onboard. You might get twenty maximum on some rare occassions. Even during peak times i have had extremely quiet trains with just a couple others onboard. So even the peak trains are quiet. I use this line regularly and i think it has to be a contender for the least used line in the country. It has always baffled me why it gets such poor usage considering it gets an hourly service and links two major towns.

I suspect it's poorly-used mainly because it runs through an area of extremely high car ownership. Intermediate stations are virtually halts and the journey from London/Croydon to Horsham is far quicker via Gatwick.

It is of course the old Victoria - Portsmouth main line, but the growth of Croydon, Gatwick and Crawley resulted in the progressive diversion of through services. It was seriously considered for closure in the 80s. Although it avoided that fate it is never going to trouble the overcrowding statistics based on locally-generated traffic

 

[The exile]

It was reported as costing £760m. Given interest on new Government borrowing costs over 5% pa then it is costing the taxpayer approx £800k/week in interest alone. To sit there unused.

Though of course if any passenger services using it require subsidy...

 

[Howardh]

How are we defining ‘used’? Or for that matter, ‘line’?

There must be a lot of sidings, still attached to the main lines, which haven't had a train on it for years. I'm sure I've seen some rusting away on the Bolton to Manchester line, I'll have a proper look!

So in the spirit of the thread I wonder what is the longest time a rail siding, still attached to a "proper" line, has stood there unused? Maybe one that could still be used (perhaps in emergency)?

 

[A S Leib]

My experience of the Far North is that it’s empty and a complete waste of time North of Dingwall. I was only 1 of 3 passengers until Dingwall on my return from Wick. Obviously, it’s got its defenders on here but it’s incredibly wasteful. However, if the Scottish government is happy to fund it then that’s all that matters really.

Apart from the negative impact of closing any railway, I wonder if delays to dualling the A9 have made the Scottish government reluctant to reduce options for Highland to Central Belt travel, even if a bus to Inverness and trains south of there might be cheaper and quicker.

How profitable is Reedham to Great Yarmouth? I'm sure there are some people who visit for the novelty of Berney Arms station alone, but I can't imagine Greater Anglia / DfT's finances would be significantly worsened, if not improved, by its closure. On the other hand, it's a six-mile line with twenty (regular passenger) trains per week; is more money spent on ensuring that e.g. Ipswich to Lowestoft has an hourly service?

 

[bunnahabhain]

Cleethorpes to Barton has to be up there especially with the frequency of trains it gets.

 

[InkyScrolls]

There must be a lot of sidings, still attached to the main lines, which haven't had a train on it for years. I'm sure I've seen some rusting away on the Bolton to Manchester line, I'll have a proper look!

So in the spirit of the thread I wonder what is the longest time a rail siding, still attached to a "proper" line, has stood there unused? Maybe one that could still be used (perhaps in emergency)?

I don't know about the recent unused... But Crossley Evans Siding in Shipley is still in situ and with functioning signalling, but hasn't seen a train since 2015 (I believe)? The scrapyard it serves doesn't even exist anymore.

 

[steamybrian]

Heysham Port branch carries only one passenger train per day each way to connect with the IOM ferry. I do not know what freight traffic uses the line?

 

[sad1e]

Brentford dock branch sees one freight a week if it's lucky if I remember correctly. No idea the last time it saw passenger use.

The Acton northolt line (new north mainline) is still officially open although severed at Friars Jn. No idea last time that saw a regular train. Freight or passenger.

The Dudding hill freight only line , still has quite a large amount of freight on it almost every day but the last time it saw a regular passenger service was pre WW1.

All decent contenders of you ask me.

 

[Kite159]

I don't know about the recent unused... But Crossley Evans Siding in Shipley is still in situ and with functioning signalling, but hasn't seen a train since 2015 (I believe)? The scrapyard it serves doesn't even exist anymore.

Isn't that the place which was getting turned into an EMU depot for when access to Neville Hill is cut off?

 

[dk1]

How profitable is Reedham to Great Yarmouth? I'm sure there are some people who visit for the novelty of Berney Arms station alone, but I can't imagine Greater Anglia / DfT's finances would be significantly worsened, if not improved, by its closure. On the other hand, it's a six-mile line with twenty (regular passenger) trains per week; is more money spent on ensuring that e.g. Ipswich to Lowestoft has an hourly service?

No East Anglian (or any UK for that matter) branch is profitable and wouldn't be expected to be.

During the early 1980s BR wanted to close the Reedham-Yarmouth single line on maintenance grounds but Yarmouth Borough Council stumped up £300k towards the cost of renewing some track/sleepers.

 

[Magdalia]

How profitable is Reedham to Great Yarmouth? I'm sure there are some people who visit for the novelty of Berney Arms station alone, but I can't imagine Greater Anglia / DfT's finances would be significantly worsened, if not improved, by its closure. On the other hand, it's a six-mile line with twenty (regular passenger) trains per week; is more money spent on ensuring that e.g. Ipswich to Lowestoft has an hourly service?

Reedham-Yarmouth is not just about Berney Arms station. The trains via Berney Arms are part of the overall Norwich-Yarmouth service, and the trains carry a share of the total Yarmouth traffic; the trains won't be empty if nobody gets off or on at Berney Arms. There are also more than 1000 journeys per year each way Yarmouth-Reedham; not a big number but larger than the number of people getting off or on at Berney Arms.

It is of course the old Victoria - Portsmouth main line, but the growth of Croydon, Gatwick and Crawley resulted in the progressive diversion of through services. It was seriously considered for closure in the 80s. Although it avoided that fate it is never going to trouble the overcrowding statistics based on locally-generated traffic

I am an occasional user of Dorking-Horsham. I agree that off peak it is very quiet.

Looking at the data, Holmwood then Ockley have a bit of London traffic, plus local trips to Dorking and Horsham. But overall the biggest flows are local from Horsham to Dorking, Leatherhead, Epsom and Sutton. Taken together these have about 20k one way journeys, probably heavily tilted towards peak times.

Care has to be taken with the data which is for Dorking BR and arbitrarily split between Main and Deepdene.

 

[Zomboid]

Care has to be taken with the data which is for Dorking BR and arbitrarily split between Main and Deepdene

Though anyone going Horsham to Deepdene is making a choice to go the long way round.

 

[mike57]

I am 100 percent certain that if you ran an hourly train from Stalybridge to Stockport the passenger numbers would "mysteriously" go up!!

My understanding is that the routing of all TPE North services into Piccadilly made the service pretty much redundent. However a lot of TPE North services now use Victoria, so you are back to the situation where if you need South of Manchester or routes that start at Piccadilly and head out through Stockport then you have the perennial headache of the Vic-Pic connection, which adds 30 mins + anyway, and also comes with the added hassle that tram transfer is not included in the rail fare. The nominal hourly service around the Ordsal chord is not much help either.

So maybe a half hourly or hourly service, connecting with the TPE North services to and from the east might get some use again. As to how much of a priority it is, I am less sure. Its a shame it couldn't carry on to the Airport, but there is no practical route from Stockport to the airport as far as I can see although tracks do cross. I think a Stalybridge - Airport service might be more popular, avoiding the Manchester changes, particularly by those with luggage, but I realise we are in 'crayon' territory.

 

[65477]

Until this morning the Leiston (Sizewelll) line was probably a contender here. Now that Sizewelll C has the go-ahead I guess the plan to update the line will also have the green light.
..

 

[styles]

Until this morning the Leiston (Sizewelll) line was probably a contender here. Now that Sizewelll C has the go-ahead I guess the plan to update the line will also have the green light.
..

Came to this post to say the exact same thing! Also good to see some sensible energy investment.

 

[Magdalia]

Though anyone going Horsham to Deepdene is making a choice to go the long way round.

Most (all?) will not be making that choice. Most (all?) of the Horsham-Dorking BR journeys are likely to be to/from Dorking(Main) but the ORR algorithm splits them between Dorking (Main) 6.5k and Dorking (Deepdene) 1.4k.

The same can be seen, much more blatantly, with Reigate-Dorking BR. The ORR has 28.8k journeys Reigate-Dorking(Main) and 11.9k journeys Reigate-Dorking (Deepdene), but my guess would be that most are to/from Dorking (Deepdene).

What the ORR hope is that, aggregated over all stations, they have the Dorking (Main)/Dorking (Deepdene) split about right.

 

[Iskra]

My understanding is that the routing of all TPE North services into Piccadilly made the service pretty much redundent. However a lot of TPE North services now use Victoria, so you are back to the situation where if you need South of Manchester or routes that start at Piccadilly and head out through Stockport then you have the perennial headache of the Vic-Pic connection, which adds 30 mins + anyway, and also comes with the added hassle that tram transfer is not included in the rail fare. The nominal hourly service around the Ordsal chord is not much help either.

So maybe a half hourly or hourly service, connecting with the TPE North services to and from the east might get some use again. As to how much of a priority it is, I am less sure. Its a shame it couldn't carry on to the Airport, but there is no practical route from Stockport to the airport as far as I can see although tracks do cross. I think a Stalybridge - Airport service might be more popular, avoiding the Manchester changes, particularly by those with luggage, but I realise we are in 'crayon' territory.

Personally, I think the sensible solution for this is for a stopper to run from Stockport to Huddersfield operated by Northern, calling all stations in place of the current Manchester-Huddersfield stopper.

 

[frodshamfella]

Dorking to Horsham has to be a very strong contender. That line is always extremely quiet. I have had at least ten occasions now over the years where i have had the entire train to myself for the whole journey. There is rarely more than ten people onboard. You might get twenty maximum on some rare occassions. Even during peak times i have had extremely quiet trains with just a couple others onboard. So even the peak trains are quiet. I use this line regularly and i think it has to be a contender for the least used line in the country. It has always baffled me why it gets such poor usage considering it gets an hourly service and links two major towns.

I dont know this line, but its very surprising, between two reasonable size towns, is there a better bus service ?

 

[stadler]

I dont know this line, but its very surprising, between two reasonable size towns, is there a better bus service ?

The bus is hourly as well and takes double the time and finishes earlier on in the evening. So that is definitely not it. The train is a much better and faster option.

It is very surprising to me too. Two major nearby towns and you almost never get more than ten people maximum and sometimes even get the entire train to yourself. There has to be the demand and lots of people in both towns do not have cars.

People going from Horsham to London always take the Gatwick Airport route as this is far more frequent (4tph instead of 1tph) and quicker. The three intermediate stations (Holmwood and Ockley and Warnham) are all very rural small places so they of course get little use. But that still does not explain why there is such little demand for train travel from Dorking to Horsham and vice versa.