Official figures have unveiled the UK's most and least frequented railway stations, highlighting a stark contrast in passenger numbers across the nation. The data, released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), covers the year to the end of March 2024.
London Dominates the Top Stations
London Liverpool Street has retained its crown as the country's busiest station, recording a staggering 98.0 million entries and exits. This marks a 3.7% increase from the 94.5 million recorded the previous year. The station's owner, Network Rail, is seeking approval for a £1.2 billion redevelopment, which includes plans for a 97-metre tower block above the concourse.
In second place was London Waterloo with 70.4 million entries and exits, a notable climb from fourth position the year before. Waterloo had been the UK's busiest station for 17 of the 18 years leading up to 2021/22, before being overtaken following the opening of the Elizabeth line.
The transformative impact of the Elizabeth line was further evident, with two of its stations, London Paddington (69.9 million) and Tottenham Court Road (68.1 million), securing third and fourth place respectively. London Bridge completed the top five with 54.7 million passenger movements.
Regional Leaders and National Trends
Outside of the capital, Birmingham New Street was the busiest station in England, with 36.6 million entries and exits. It was followed by Manchester Piccadilly (27.4 million) and Leeds (27.3 million). In Scotland, Glasgow Central led with 25.3 million passengers, while Cardiff Central was top in Wales with 12.5 million.
The ORR reported that a total of 1.73 billion passenger journeys were made across the network in the year, representing a 7% rise from the 1.61 billion journeys made in the previous 12-month period.
The UK's Quietest Railway Halt
At the opposite end of the scale, Elton and Orston in Nottinghamshire was the least-used station in 2023/24, with just 68 recorded entries and exits. The station is served by a single East Midlands Railway train per day in each direction from Monday to Saturday, with one service to Nottingham and the other towards Skegness. No trains stop there on Sundays.
The station is unstaffed and lacks basic amenities like seating or toilets. Railway stations are often kept open despite extremely low usage because it is often administratively simpler to maintain an infrequent service than to secure formal permission for closure.
The estimates for station usage are primarily calculated based on ticket sales data. The City of London Corporation is expected to decide on the controversial Liverpool Street redevelopment proposal next year.
