Trivia: What are the UK's most awkward stations? (infrequent services)

[LowLevel]

Peartree used to be quite bad as the footpath down to the stations was full of trash and brambles but its got better recently although there is an intercom to enter the station with is rather unique.

It's been cleaned up a lot at platform level of late too. The gates there because of owing to persistent anti social behaviour and unfortunate folk chucking themselves under trains as it's rather isolated. You'll only be allowed in when a train is due. They did go wrong recently and the mobile operations manager was deployed to allow several stuck regulars to enter (there are some!).

 

[swt class 450]

Some more to add to the list:

Pevensey Bay
Normans Bay
Three Oaks
Doleham
Winchelsea
Beaulieu Road

 

[DarloRich]

do we mean most difficult to access by train or most difficult to access?

For instance, Teesside Airport is hard by train but easy by car. British Steel Redcar is hard by all means!

 

[THC]

It's not much of a comparison to some of the others but I always think of Angel Road on the Lea Valley line as "awkward" in that it faces quite the wrong way for the surrounding facilities. I understand that it will be replaced by a new Meridian Water station in the coming years, however. Geoff will know all about it of course as it's on his patch.

THC

 

[Phil.]

Dorking(Deepdene). The only entrance is via two flights of extremely steep stairs. The street level alternative on that line is Dorking West with it's limited stopping service.

 

[dk1]

I'd take Brundall Gardens off your list. Almost every Norwich - Great Yarmouth train stops there in both directions as do a handful of Norwich - Lowestoft services.

That one shocked the hell out of me. Thought I'd missed something

 

[Leyland155]

You can also add Manchester United Football Ground, which is only served on match day (although may be unused at present due to security issues)

The station is actually back up and running, and it can be visited this Saturday with two services arriving from Crewe and one from Manchester Airport The only problem is that you would either have to go and watch the match, or wait around for a return service a few hours later (unless there is a way of leaving the station without passing through the turnstiles, but I have a feeling there isn't.)

 

[tbtc]

do we mean most difficult to access by train or most difficult to access?

For instance, Teesside Airport is hard by train but easy by car. British Steel Redcar is hard by all means!

I don't know - is this thread meant to be a list of:

• Stations that don't get a frequent service?
• Stations that you can't access with a wheelchair/ buggy?
• Stations that are hard to get to by car?
• Stations that are can only be reached by going down a narrow path/ up steep stairs?
• Stations that have restricted access due to security reasons or are only open for special events (Manchester United, British Steel Redcar, IBM)?

So, Pontefract Baghil may appear to get a limited service, but twenty eight departures and twenty eight arrivals each week is significantly more than any definition of "parliamentary". However, it's arguably the closest of Pontefract's three stations to the actual town centre (and Slutwell Lane).

Breich gets a fairly token service, but is located at a crossroads where two relatively major roads intersect (A71 and A706). However, it's a wee walk from the actual village of the same name - maybe that should be a criterion?

Maybe "most awkward" should mean stations that are badly laid out, badly numbered platforms (like the bay at Preston we sometimes discuss)?

I'm not really sure - interesting idea for a thread, but I don't know what definitions to use. One historic example would be Attercliffe Road in Sheffield - a station at the end of a viaduct, so not very accessible (though with frequent bus services passing by, so the area was "accessible" in that sense).

 

[gnolife]

do we mean most difficult to access by train or most difficult to access?

For instance, Teesside Airport is hard by train but easy by car. British Steel Redcar is hard by all means!

Based on the contents of the OP, he means by train, given that he lists ones like Reddish South and Denton, both of which have high frequency bus services to Manchester, Pontefract Baghill, which is just outside the town centre and Pilning, a not too difficult walk from Severn Beach.

 

[Trainfan344]

Eturia, Wedgewood and Barlaston I'd say are pretty darn awkward.

 

[DarloRich]

Eturia, Wedgewood and Barlaston I'd say are pretty darn awkward.

they have a good bus service don't they?

 

[Kite159]

The station is actually back up and running, and it can be visited this Saturday with two services arriving from Crewe and one from Manchester Airport The only problem is that you would either have to go and watch the match, or wait around for a return service a few hours later (unless there is a way of leaving the station without passing through the turnstiles, but I have a feeling there isn't.)

Based on previous reports you can exit the stadium area by saying you are visiting the burger van

Although as it is the Manchester Derby you might want to avoid it this weekend

 

[stut]

Newhaven Marine, now that's a pain to get to!

 

[LowLevel]

Eturia, Wedgewood and Barlaston I'd say are pretty darn awkward.

Etruria has been formally closed and demolished for years.

 

[stut]

Etruria has been formally closed and demolished for years.

That's pretty awkward, you must admit.

 

[geofftech]

Hey all, this is fabulous - thanks!! there are some weird stations that i didn't know about with limited services. Just compiling a list of them all, plotting them on a map, etc.. just to see how awkward they really are! Redcar and Commando sound like the two "best" ones though, where you can't get off unless you've got business there.

and YEs, hello! this is Geoff from Londonist Geofftech, that's me. i lurk on these forums a lot and read, but rarely post. This is one of my rare posts!

 

[BigCj34]

Green Road is a mile away from The Green, the nearest settlement. Only a single-tracked road leads to it. It has a regular service and is still frequented by 9,000 passengers a year, free parking outside probably helps.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Dent station is a devil to get to when the snow arrives although as the first train to Leeds doesn't arrive until after 10.00 there's a good chance that one of the farmers in Cowgill will have already been up it.

I think it's worth mentioning here that in Winter the road up to Newby Head is not great in snow and again you are largely reliant on local farmers clearing the road. The point being that if the road at Newby Head is blocked you can't get to Ribblehead either!

 

[thenorthern]

When they were open I once tried to find Sinfin Central and Sinfin North stations but it was hard as they were in the middle of Rolls Royce property. Even though Sinfin Central had a path from Wilmore Road it only technically had a public access link.

One thing I never understood was in 1993 the trains on the Sinfin branch were replaced by a taxi until it closed in 1998 how do you get a taxi to Sinfin North given it didn't have any road access?

 

[Up_Tilt_390]

Polesworth station between Tamworth and Atherstone on the West Coast Main Line is perhaps the most awkward station I know of on the network. One train per day in the Down direction, but none in the Up direction because of the footbridge having been removed. The 06:35 London Midland train from Northampton to Crewe.

Tough luck if you want to get to London, cause you have to get that early train to at least Tamworth, then double back to go to London. But when you get to Euston, there's no way of getting back. The first train that stops at Northampton is the 05:34 to Birmingham New Street, and it arrives at Northampton at 06:56, so there's no way you can get there in time to change.

 

[PHILIPE]

Dyfi (Dovey) Junction which has no road access. Access is by means of a footpath 0.62 miles in length to and from village of Glanrhyd. Mind you, the rail service is pretty good and can be used as a connectional station for the Cambrian Coast but more comfortable to change at Machynlleth if possible.

 

[tsr]

Did anyone mention Smallbrook Junction?

 

[Kite159]

Altnabreac & Corrour are quite hard to reach by vehicle (unless you have permission from Corrour estate)

 

[syorksdeano]

Crowle station is bloody awful.

No departure screens, no help point and to access platform 2 you have to cross the track.

Oh and its nowhere near the village

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[DasLunatic]

How about MUFC Halt? It's on a loop, only open on match days and is subject to many people in red looking at you funny if you're not in red and have a Chevrolet logo on the front of your shirt.

 

[DEE-DE]

Barry Links is quite useful as it is the cheapest ticket from a certain nearby city that is just outside the Plusbus zone. With a railcard it comes to £4.40 on weekdays while the day passes for the local buses are already three pound something valid on just one of the bus companies.

 

[backontrack]

How about MUFC Halt? It's on a loop, only open on match days and is subject to many people in red looking at you funny if you're not in red and have a Chrysler* logo on the front of your shirt.

*Chevrolet

What about Dovey Junction?

 

[Parallel]

Chapelton and Portsmouth Arms on the Tarka line both only get two trains a day in either direction. One each way in the morning and one each way in the evening.

Newton St. Cyres gets more services than the two above, but the first train you can get from southbound (i.e Exeter) arrives at 18:04...

I guess Okehampton and Sampford Courtenay kind of count too - in the way they only get 4 national rail services each direction a week... In the summer. On Sundays.

 

[greaterwest]

Tan-y-Bwlch (Ffestiniog railway) must register high on the list, as you need to change at either Blaenau Ffestiniog or Minffordd to get to it (and you need to get to those first!)

For whatever reason, it has its own entry in realtimetrains and trains.im with the station code TYB

 

[bradford758]

When they were open I once tried to find Sinfin Central and Sinfin North stations but it was hard as they were in the middle of Rolls Royce property. Even though Sinfin Central had a path from Wilmore Road it only technically had a public access link.

One thing I never understood was in 1993 the trains on the Sinfin branch were replaced by a taxi until it closed in 1998 how do you get a taxi to Sinfin North given it didn't have any road access?

Seem to remember the taxi service didn't serve Sinfin North, but I didn't know why...

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