Which railway lines are the least used in this country?

[cjw714]

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.

Wouldn't that mean the stations between Stalybridge and Huddersfield lose their direct service to Manchester which wouldn't be very popular.

 

[Iskra]

Wouldn't that mean the stations between Stalybridge and Huddersfield lose their direct service to Manchester which wouldn't be very popular.

Just switch onto the express train behind/the stopper at Stalybridge, giving a choice of Picc or Vic. Stockport is still a useful destination for many connections.

Or if it’s that contentious, run it to Piccadilly after Stockport.

 

[The exile]

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.

Two very similar towns in terms of what’s on offer - other than specific employment - in separate counties with the North Downs between them. Very little reason to have long-established flows and not many to establish them now.

 

[Tetchytyke]

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.

I think the Far North line is varied in terms of traffic. From what others have said it seems that the first train down from Wick is busy and the last train back to Wick is busy, as people from the Far North head to Inverness for the day for shopping. The others will probably depend.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Jun 2025 ==

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?

And that one return passenger train trip is normally pretty well loaded because of the ferry.

AFAIK no any freight uses the line anymore. The rails are still in place for the connection into the nuclear power station- you cross them in a car when heading to the terminal- but I'm not sure if they're still connected.

 

[The Planner]

Just switch onto the express train behind/the stopper at Stalybridge, giving a choice of Picc or Vic. Stockport is still a useful destination for many connections.

Or if it’s that contentious, run it to Piccadilly after Stockport.

They would want the Manchester service way above anything to Stockport.

 

[mike57]

Just switch onto the express train behind/the stopper at Stalybridge, giving a choice of Picc or Vic. Stockport is still a useful destination for many connections.

Or if it’s that contentious, run it to Piccadilly after Stockport.

Just to satify my curosity I did wonder if there was room for a Stockport - Altrincham to Manchester - Airport chord, but there is no room, the cross over point is hemmed in. So no good even getting the crayons out!!

Back in the day when TPE was an hourly loco hauled service I used the Stalybridge connection to Stockport a couple of times when travelling to Hereford. From what I can remember, (hazy) it wasnt busy, very few people got on or off at intermediate stops, and most people seemed to be doing what I was doing which was connecting into a south-wards service at Stockport. Then when I was working back there in the early 90s of course you just went straight into Piccadilly.

 

[Amlag]

The Burngullow to Parkandillack China Clay Freight line has seen at most only one train each way a week for the last year or so, yet much was relaid some years ago with new steel slprs and CWR.
However there is a possibility in next few years of use by trains in connection with the emerging Cornish Lithium business.
The Lostwithiel to Fowey line currently only sees use by a single clay train each way on normally just two days a week. This line has had some relaying done on it in last couple of years but is mostly welded up lengths of bullhead rail on concrete sleepers of early 1950’s vintage, which were second hand from some branch line recoveries in Devon and Cornwall including from stretches of the Lydford to Launceston and Lydford to Tavistock South lines recovered by rail in 1966/67.

 

[WirralLine]

Another example could be the Wrexham to Bidston line. Whilst the line has a frequent passenger service (every 45 minutes - looking to be brought to every 30), the fares are extremely cheap compared to other routes TfW operate. I believe the service receives (and requires) a lot of subsidy. So although it is well used passenger wise I cant imagine it brings much in at all to contribute to its costs.

Obviously it also has a bit of freight work to Penyffordd cement works and Dee Marsh steelworks to bring in a few quid. It's also controlled by manual signal boxes and is notorious for bridge strikes, slippy rails etc.

Despite adult fares being as low as £1.80 (technically lower with a railcard) its funny how many people try to evade paying!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Despite adult fares being as low as £1.80 (technically lower with a railcard) its funny how many people try to evade paying!

A discussion for another thread, no doubt, but there's always some folk who have the mindset "to pay is to fail". Many do end up on here, albeit on the "Disputes & Prosecutions" sub-forum.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Could I nominate Andover-Ludgershall? "Q"-paths most days but no real trains for a long time.

 

[JKF]

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.

Portishead is actually owned by the local authority, bought from Railtrack many years ago, the purchase of which unfortunately resulted in the loss of grandfather rights to run trains and meant a new application and associated planning process had to be gone through to reopen, just one of the many expensive cock-ups contributing to the delay in opening. It’s also not connected at Portbury, points for the junction were produced but not installed.

The line in to Portbury had nothing but maintenance trains for the best part of two years prior to the steel traffic commencing last summer, which now means it gets a daily (or twice daily) train.

 

[321362]

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.

Supply creates demand. If you run a more frequent service, it will encourage more people onto trains rather than cars.

If there was a 6tph express Horsham-Dorking-Epsom-Sutton-CLJ-Victoria or something of the like, with timings that could compete with Thameslink via Gatwick, that would become the more used route.

Likewise, if Stockport to Stalybridge was a modern, efficient 4tph service, even if it was just a shuttle and didn't go to Huddersfield like others have suggested, it would see much more passengers. This is similar to what the Lea Valley Lines saw in London once taken over by London Overground and having their frequency doubled: look at the pax numbers for London Fields after the takeover in 2015.

https://railstats.co.uk/LOF

 

[nr758123]

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.

Yes, let's inconvenience the hundreds of passengers who use this service every day to travel into Manchester and yes, I'll declare an interest here. It's far more important to cater to the miniscule number of passengers who might want to visit a semi-derelict wasteland on the edge of Denton.

The stopping service is also, at least for the time being, the direct service between Wakefield and Manchester. TPE are seeing a developing market for a direct service between Wakefield and Manchester. It's difficult to see the same potential if it becomes Wakefield-Stockport instead.

Wouldn't that mean the stations between Stalybridge and Huddersfield lose their direct service to Manchester which wouldn't be very popular.

Just switch onto the express train behind/the stopper at Stalybridge, giving a choice of Picc or Vic. Stockport is still a useful destination for many connections.

Or if it’s that contentious, run it to Piccadilly after Stockport.

The connections at Stalybridge for Victoria don't work since Northern reduced their service on this route to hourly. If you divert the stopping service to Stockport you have then reduced the Stalybridge to Piccadilly service to hourly, on the opposite half hour, and added half an hour each way on to the daily commute of all the passengers who use it to travel into Manchester.

 

[Deepgreen]

Supply creates demand. If you run a more frequent service, it will encourage more people onto trains rather than cars.

If there was a 6tph express Horsham-Dorking-Epsom-Sutton-CLJ-Victoria or something of the like, with timings that could compete with Thameslink via Gatwick, that would become the more used route.

Likewise, if Stockport to Stalybridge was a modern, efficient 4tph service, even if it was just a shuttle and didn't go to Huddersfield like others have suggested, it would see much more passengers. This is similar to what the Lea Valley Lines saw in London once taken over by London Overground and having their frequency doubled: look at the pax numbers for London Fields after the takeover in 2015.

https://railstats.co.uk/LOF

However, there is no way that trains on that route could compete with the BML owing to the geography of the Dorking route and the consequent far lower line speeds. There used to trains from Waterloo to Horsham via Dorking too, whch were semi-fast nearer London, as well as Victoria to Bognor Regis trains which called at Sutton, Dorking, Horsham and then onto the coast. The intermediate places on the BML (Crawley, Gatwick, Croydon) provide far greater patronage than on the Dorking route.

 

[devon_belle]

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 use the line nearly daily, at varying times. It seems much busier than it was, say, winter 2023/24. Passenger numbers seem to be shifting more to the peaks from my own observations. If you have ever got the last train(s) on a Friday (23:25) or Saturday (17:41), you will also find this to be very well used (standing to Epsom, full to Dorking), albeit usually only 4 coaches. This makes me think a proper Saturday evening service would attract a lot more London day-trippers from the likes of Holmwood (Beare Green) and Ockley (Capel). I would certainly make good use of it.

Journey times from Horsham–Victoria (via Gatwick), and Dorking/Epsom–Waterloo are much better than via Sutton, which probably doesn't help with loadings, even on the stretch where there is a 7-day service.

A Sunday service would also be very helpful, for obvious reasons. There are something like 4-5 buses per day on Sunday. Not everyone in Surrey drives, despite what the council would have you think! As for the peaks, you wouldn't want the train to fill up between Horsham and Dorking, otherwise the good people of Sutton–Mitcham wouldn't have a chance!

Waffle over: I agree, it would probably contend for least used, particularly if taken in the context of its location and service level (hourly 5.5 days per week is something).

 

[Spartacus]

1Q46 seems to be doing a bit of time travelling, randomly switching from 180L to 20E esp. around Loughborough!

Wonder what causes RTT (and/or internal systems) to misrepresent it like this. Or has it done an extremely roundabout route, calling at some places before others?

Realtime Trains | 1Q46 0742 Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Rugby Depot Access Line | 09/06/2025

Real-time train running information for 1Q46 0742 departure from Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Rugby Depot Access Line on 09/06/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Usually happens with multiple reversals. We used to split a schedule if it went through the same location more than twice, sometimes less if there’d been previous issues, to stop it happening, but that seems to have gone by the wayside since the move to MK.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Wednesday at 16:55 ==

Back to topic, leaving aside mothballed or otherwise out of use lines, the line eastwards from Shirebrook must be a contender. Barely sees any traffic, boxes being manned specially when it does, but is is still in use.

 

[devon_belle]

However, there is no way that trains on that route could compete with the BML owing to the geography of the Dorking route and the consequent far lower line speeds. There used to trains from Waterloo to Horsham via Dorking too, whch were semi-fast nearer London, as well as Victoria to Bognor Regis trains which called at Sutton, Dorking, Horsham and then onto the coast. The intermediate places on the BML (Crawley, Gatwick, Croydon) provide far greater patronage than on the Dorking route.

London Victoria to Horsham calling Epsom is done in about 45 minutes when mainline trains are diverted. Even with extra calls this could still be competitive with the Gatwick route. However, that would probably only improve Horsham-Clapham numbers, rather than drive more local journeys by saving a few mins between Horsham and Dorking.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Supply creates demand.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Horsham to Dorking was, at one point, the main line, but the demand was elsewhere. So the trains went elsewhere. Same thing happened with Redhill to Tonbridge. I'm amazed both weren't shut at the same time the Spa Valley line was tbh.

Similar with Stockport to Stalybridge, if we're being honest.

Back to topic, leaving aside mothballed or otherwise out of use lines, the line eastwards from Shirebrook must be a contender. Barely sees any traffic, boxes being manned specially when it does, but is is still in use.

I was wondering the same, is the High Marnham test track still used at all?

 

[telstarbox]

To put a bit of science on it and disregard both 'one off' stations like Teeside Airport and junction stations which might serve both busy and quiet lines, why not look at strings of 5 consecutive stations? For example:

Mallaig to Lochailort - total 110,000 passengers last year (2023-24)

Warnham to Box Hill & Westhumble - total 986,000

 

[A S Leib]

To put a bit of science on it and disregard both 'one off' stations like Teeside Airport and junction stations which might serve both busy and quiet lines, why not look at strings of 5 consecutive stations? For example:

Mallaig to Lochailort - total 110,000 passengers last year (2023-24)

Warnham to Box Hill & Westhumble - total 986,000

The five centred on Ridgmont (Woburn Sands to Millbrook) came to ~43,000 in 2023-4, of which almost half were at Woburn Sands.

 

[Railworker101]

I was wondering the same, is the High Marnham test track still used at all?

Still in use, it doesn't see many trains as such though, there is one going up there tomorrow (12/05) then I believe there's a Loram Grinder and the HOBC paying a visit in the coming months.

The test track is still fairly busy with other, non-train related things.

 

[6Gman]

In their glory days the mere absence of track and bridges wouldn't have deterred the hardcore Saltley men

Oh, they'd have happily taken the job! On overtime!

 

[Travelmonkey]

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.

Looking at that the Derby to Rugby NR train doing a reversal on the mothballed Burton to Leicester line at the Burton Leicester Junction. Although there is lots of mothballed or abandoned infusteructure with tracks in situ alot of the time but not seen a train

Other ones to note Lichfield>Brownhills
Widnes>Warrington bank Quay low Level > Latchford ship cannal Bridge
North Staffs line Stoke>Leek>Alton towers
March>Wisbeach

Besides the line under Churnett Valley railway control the rest have been left in a state of rotting.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Wednesday at 20:43 ==

Likewise, if Stockport to Stalybridge was a modern, efficient 4tph service, even if it was just a shuttle and didn't go to Huddersfield like others have suggested, it would see much more passengers. This is similar to what the Lea Valley Lines saw in London once taken over by London Overground and having their frequency doubled: look at the pax numbers for London Fields after the takeover in 2015.

https://railstats.co.uk/LOF

To be fair even as a shuttle it would probably get as much use as the Romford to Upminster although with a more varied places to change at the termini of the route. Although I know that I would need a pricy TOC taxi of I want any intermediate destinations as Denton & Reddish South aren't step free.

 

[The Planner]

Other ones to note Lichfield>Brownhills

Going to be turned into a cycleway

Widnes>Warrington bank Quay low Level > Latchford ship cannal Bridge

Thats still open.

North Staffs line Stoke>Leek>Alton towers

Not coming back anytime soon.

March>Wisbeach

Nor is that.

 

[izvor]

I don't see Appledore to Dungeness NPS mentioned so far, I think about 1 train per month recently, and presumably slated for closure when the power station is fully decommissioned.

Regarding Dorking - Horsham, another factor is poorly sited stations, Horsham being about 10 minutes walk from the centre and Dorking 15. The bus may be slower but it has the same frequency, serves the town centres and will be more attractive to shoppers and casual traffic. Plus the £3 max fare and free travel for seniors.

The line comes into its own when the BML has a major closure: 2 tph Gatwick to Victoria, reversing at Horsham, can shift huge numbers quickly and in more comfort than multiple coaches.

 

[Travelmonkey]

Thats still open.

The line East of Warrington isn't and the bridge over the ship cannal has certainly seen better days.

 

[Gostav]

I think Settle - Carlisle Line is the mainline has least traffic with double-track? if not count the single-track section on the Ribblehead Viaduct.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I think Settle - Carlisle Line is the mainline has least traffic with double-track? if not count the single-track section on the Ribblehead Viaduct.

Surely Settle Junction to Carnforth (via Bentham), which is also double-track, has even less traffic. Or maybe that's not 'mainline'?

 

[The Planner]

The line East of Warrington isn't and the bridge over the ship cannal has certainly seen better days.

Latchford Sidings etc aren't shut. Bridge over the canal closed decades ago, you can't get to it by rail as there is a headshunt with buffers aay before it.

 

[Cletus]

Here's a recent cab video up to the end of Latchford Sidings in a 153 by Ben Elias.