(TRIVIA) Busy stations which hardly anybody walks to

[The exile]

Only someone called the Northern could say this!

All London terminals have large numbers of commuters who walk to and from their place of work, especially those in the City or near to Whitehall and Westminster. Even the terminal stations on the north side of central London have lots of destinations that are within walking distance.

I think that of the northern termini it is only KXStP / Liverpool St where there won’t be a significant flow of those in the know walking to a “different” underground station as it’s quicker (quite apart from those doing the whole journey on foot). Euston to Euston Square, Marylebone to Edgware Road and Paddington to the nearest Central Line station (that one possibly down a bit since Crossrail).

 

[Western Sunset]

Castle Cary similar. There is a pavement about 18" wide alongside a long stretch of unlit A road, you could never let children go along there to/from school in winter. No houses around. Big car park.

There's a footpath from Ansford down the side of a field to CC station. Downhill to the station, but uphill the other way...

 

[Smylers]

Only someone called the Northern could say this!

All London terminals have large numbers of commuters who walk to and from their place of work, especially those in the City or near to Whitehall and Westminster. Even the terminal stations on the north side of central London have lots of destinations that are within walking distance.

It depends whether the question is specifically walk to from their homes, or at least as the start of an outbound journey, or whether return journeys also count.

The stations already mentioned near places like the big shopping centres and the NEC will have plenty of passengers walking to them for return journeys — which is equivalent to commuters returning on foot from their offices to central terminals — but far fewer foot passengers making outbound journeys from them.

Whereas the Parkway-type stations will have few foot arrivals at all, even those starting return journeys. Both are interesting questions, but they are different.

 

[D1537]

Oxenholme is another pretty obvious one.

Oxenholme station is literally a few hundred yards from the southern residential areas of Kendal. I suspect quite a few people walk that.

 

[Bald Rick]

Only someone called the Northern could say this!

All London terminals have large numbers of commuters who walk to and from their place of work, especially those in the City or near to Whitehall and Westminster. Even the terminal stations on the north side of central London have lots of destinations that are within walking distance.

Indeed! Many people walk over a mile from their London station of choice to get to their place of work, because it is usually quicker (and obviously cheaper) then using the tube or bus.

 

[Jimini]

Indeed! Many people walk over a mile from their London station of choice to get to their place of work, because it is usually quicker (and obviously cheaper) then using the tube or bus.

Amen to that. London Bridge northbound any time between 7-9am, anyone? Rinse and repeat at 4-6pm southbound.

 

[Bald Rick]

Amen to that. London Bridge northbound any time between 7-9am, anyone? Rinse and repeat at 4-6pm southbound.

Also see Waterloo Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge.

 

[consettman]

Amen to that. London Bridge northbound any time between 7-9am, anyone? Rinse and repeat at 4-6pm southbound.

Indeed. From the remotest platform at London Bridge (was it 17, in the 1980s?) to my desk in the City, 1.5 miles each way, every day, for many years. And feeling like an extra in a certain TS Eliot poem.

 

[Purple Train]

Stretching the definition of "busy", but Seamer (near Scarborough) would have been a contender fairly recently, although there's a bit more housing round there than I think there used to be. It was originally built primarily as an interchange between the Hull and York lines.

 

[Plagiomnium]

Stretching the definition of "busy", but Seamer (near Scarborough) would have been a contender fairly recently, although there's a bit more housing round there than I think there used to be. It was originally built primarily as an interchange between the Hull and York lines.

I was at Seamer a few months ago and quite a few of the people getting off my Hull train left the station on foot while I stayed to wait for the York train!

 

[Purple Train]

I was at Seamer a few months ago and quite a few of the people getting off my Hull train left the station on foot while I stayed to wait for the York train!

Yes, I was quite surprised at that last time I was there. I wouldn't be surprised if more and more stations on this list go the same way in terms of foot traffic.

 

[sheff1]

Horwich parkway springs to mind, but the car park isn't as big as Lostock Parkway a couple of miles away on the same line. I doubt many would walk up to either (other than an event/match at Middlebrook adjacent to Horwich Parkway) - and another on the same line would be Buckshaw Parkway.

I have walked from/to a high proportion of stations mentioned on this thread, but Lostock Parkway has me stumped. I know, and have walked to, Lostock station but where is Lostock Parkway ?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I know, and have walked to, Lostock station but where is Lostock Parkway ?

Previous name when 'Lostock Junction' station was re-opened in or around mid May 1988 after having been closed for a couple of decades. Since renamed 'Lostock'. So essentially the same place.

 

[Falcon1200]

Not sure it really counts when one worked at the station concerned, but the first two years of my BR career were at Harlow Town and I usually walked there from and to my lodgings in the Staple Tye area of the town. Partly to save money, but also because the bus operator, London Country, had a flat fare system with IIRC the fare set at an awkward 28p!

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Marylebone to Edgware Road and Paddington to the nearest Central Line station (that one possibly down a bit since Crossrail).

I think Baker Street is closer to Marylebone than Edgware Road and also nearer most potential destinations. The Central Line station for Paddington is or was Lancaster Gate.

 

[Snex]

Kings Cross from a percentage perspective has to be low surely?

A fair chunk of people on the local lines have direct trains on Thameslink, and to Finsbury Park and Moorgate which are closer the main job hubs.

Intercity traffic is more likely to just go straight down into the tube and/or straight into St Pancras next door (do these count?) since Kings Cross isn't exactly the tourist hot spot.

 

[Magdalia]

Kings Cross from a percentage perspective has to be low surely?

No. Nearby there is the British Library, the Francis Crick Institute, and lots of employment and retail in Kings Boulevard and the Granary.

Lots of people also walk to Euston, up Pentonville Road to Angel, and along the canal to Camden.

 

[mrd269697]

Hooton station (730k entrances & exits/year + 94k interchanges) is in the middle of nowhere. It's about a mile down a poorly lit road to the village of Willaston and a little less, maybe 1 km, to Hooton itself. The bus service is poor, hourly SSuX, with none at all in the evenings or at weekends.

As a result, hardly anybody goes there by foot. Almost all passengers use the cheap & secure £1.50/day car park or use the station to interchange between Chester and Ellesmere Port services. Nevertheless Hooton attracts far greater passenger numbers than any of the three stations on the Ellesmere Port branch, all of which are in densely populated areas. Fare anomalies and lack of secure parking are major contributory factors. Hooton also outperforms Eastham Rake (371k), the next station up the line, which is in a populated area.

There must be many similarly busy stations outside London where hardly anybody arrives by Shanks Pony. Which are the most striking examples? "Parkways" are obvious contenders.

I work at this station quite frequently. It’s quite common for people buying tickets to be speaking welsh to one another, whjch suggests they have travelled from Gwynedd or Anglesey/ynys mon - easily a two hour drive. I jokingly refer to it as North Wales Parkway

 

[Snex]

No. Nearby there is the British Library, the Francis Crick Institute, and lots of employment and retail in Kings Boulevard and the Granary.

Lots of people also walk to Euston, up Pentonville Road to Angel, and along the canal to Camden.

Surely the vast majority of people aren't going to those places though? Euston, in particular, it's heading South to head back North. The Angel area being closer to the Moorgate Line.

I'm not saying no-one does it of course, hence the percentage comment.

 

[BeijingDave]

Only someone called the Northern could say this!

All London terminals have large numbers of commuters who walk to and from their place of work, especially those in the City or near to Whitehall and Westminster. Even the terminal stations on the north side of central London have lots of destinations that are within walking distance.

I'm Northern and I wouldn't claim such a thing.

Poster must be the type of Northerner who goes to London once every three years to watch Les Mis or Cats with the missus (and maybe have a drink in the Punch and Judy!)

 

[Magdalia]

Euston, in particular, it's heading South to head back North.

North of London is almost devoid of radial routes. There is no east to west rail route from the ECML south of Peterborough, lots of journeys involve going south to go north.

The Angel area being closer to the Moorgate Line.

Actually it isn't. The Angel area is about equidistant from Kings Cross or Essex Road, and, unless already on a Moorgate train, it is easier to walk from Kings Cross.

 

[Falcon1200]

I have certainly walked from and to Euston many times, thanks to the location of Euston Square station....

 

[Snex]

North of London is almost devoid of radial routes. There is no east to west rail route from the ECML south of Peterborough, lots of journeys involve going south to go north.


Actually it isn't. The Angel area is about equidistant from Kings Cross or Essex Road, and, unless already on a Moorgate train, it is easier to walk from Kings Cross.

Kings Cross is dominated by the Edinburgh, Leeds, Newcastle, York, Doncaster traffic etc mainly isn't it? Be interesting to see how many people actually do interchange between the two, can't imagine there's too many? Like looking at tickets between stations on the WCML and ECML it's next to nothing.

No arguments on Angel, got the Moorgate line mixed up when posting.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jun 2026 ==

I have certainly walked from and to Euston many times, thanks to the location of Euston Square station....

Just curious but why would you walk to Euston Square from Kings Cross? Seems a bit of a mission when you could just go from Kings Cross Underground direct.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jun 2026 ==

I have certainly walked from and to Euston many times, thanks to the location of Euston Square station....

Just curious but why would you walk to Euston Square from Kings Cross? Seems a bit of a mission when you could just go from Kings Cross Underground direct.

 

[Haywain]

Kings Cross is dominated by the Edinburgh, Leeds, Newcastle, York, Doncaster traffic etc mainly isn't it?

No. Far more people at King's Cross are going to Cambridge than any of those.

 

[Magdalia]

Kings Cross is dominated by the Edinburgh, Leeds, Newcastle, York, Doncaster traffic etc mainly isn't it?

Kings Cross is dominated by Cambridge then Peterborough.

Just curious but why would you walk to Euston Square from Kings Cross?

You wouldn't, but you would walk to Euston because it is quicker than getting the Met to Euston Square, or going down into the deep for the Victoria or the Northern.

 

[Djgr]

I work at this station quite frequently. It’s quite common for people buying tickets to be speaking welsh to one another, whjch suggests they have travelled from Gwynedd or Anglesey/ynys mon - easily a two hour drive. I jokingly refer to it as North Wales Parkway

It is signposted off the M53 motorway as a Park and Ride.

 

[Kingston Dan]

If 150,000 passengers count as 'busy' then Drem counts.

 

[DelW]

North of London is almost devoid of radial routes. There is no east to west rail route from the ECML south of Peterborough, lots of journeys involve going south to go north.

I agree with your argument but not your geometry. North of London has plenty of radial routes, it's circumferential routes that are absent, and will remain so until EWR is completed. (/pedantry)

 

[Magdalia]

I agree with your argument but not your geometry. North of London has plenty of radial routes, it's circumferential routes that are absent, and will remain so until EWR is completed. (/pedantry)

I stand corrected, and will try to add circumferential to my vocabulary!

 

[py_megapixel]

I agree with your argument but not your geometry. North of London has plenty of radial routes, it's circumferential routes that are absent, and will remain so until EWR is completed. (/pedantry)

I stand corrected, and will try to add circumferential to my vocabulary!

"Orbital" is another commonly-used description I believe.