DfT Station Categories based on trips per annum

[dmncf]

I see in various documents that DfT Station Categories are based on trips per annum, e.g. Category C Important Feeder is 0.5m-2m trips per annum.

It wasn't clear to me from the documents, is this counted based on entries, or counted based on entries + exits?

 

[CarrotPie]

I see in various documents that DfT Station Categories are based on trips per annum, e.g. Category C Important Feeder is 0.5m-2m trips per annum.

It wasn't clear to me from the documents, is this counted based on entries, or counted based on entries + exits?

As an example, Bat and Ball had 218 thousand entries+exits in 2024/25 and is category F2 (under 0.25m trips per annum), so I would presume entries+exits is the defining measure?

 

[dmncf]

As an example, Bat and Ball had 218 thousand entries+exits in 2024/25 and is category F2 (under 0.25m trips per annum), so I would presume entries+exits is the defining measure?

Thanks. I think a problem with testing an example is the lowest category, F2, is that Bat and Ball would still be F2 if the categories were based on entries only. But it has spurred me on to test some examples myself.

I believe that the DfT station categories were last revised in this "Better Rail Stations" report published in November 2009:

https://www.railhub2.co.uk/rh6/library/docs/2009-11%20Better%20rail%20stations%202009.pdf

So are probably based on the Apr 2008 to Mar 2009 trips shown in column R of this ORR "Time series of passenger entries and exits by station" spreadsheet:

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/1908/table-1415-time-series-of-passenger-entries-and-exits-and-interchanges-by-station.ods

Chatham with 3.2m trips in 2008/9 and Chelmsford with 7.4m trips in 2008/9 would align with Category B (over 2m trips per annum), but actually both are Category C1. Very confusing!

 

[CarrotPie]

Thanks. I think a problem with testing an example is the lowest category, F2, is that Bat and Ball would still be F2 if the categories were based on entries only. But it has spurred me on to test some examples myself.

I believe that the DfT station categories were last revised in this "Better Rail Stations" report published in November 2009:

https://www.railhub2.co.uk/rh6/library/docs/2009-11%20Better%20rail%20stations%202009.pdf

So are probably based on the Apr 2008 to Mar 2009 trips shown in column R of this ORR "Time series of passenger entries and exits by station" spreadsheet:

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/1908/table-1415-time-series-of-passenger-entries-and-exits-and-interchanges-by-station.ods

Chatham with 3.2m trips in 2008/9 and Chelmsford with 7.4m trips in 2008/9 would align with Category B (over 2m trips per annum), but actually both are Category C1. Very confusing!

I believe entry into categories A/B is based on geographical location - while Chatham is well-used, it's hardly a "Regional Hub".

 

[dmncf]

Thanks. I have now looked at a lower category instead: Category D (0.25-0.5m trips per annum). I looked at the first 20 Category D stations listed alphabetically in the "Better Rail Stations" report. Only 1/20 was lower than 0.25m trips in 2008/9. 13/20 were higher than 0.5m trips in 2008/9. It appears that being lower than the bottom threshold is rare, and being higher than the top threshold is common. -
Abergavenny 315,986
Aberystwyth 273,410
Acton Central 1,112,142
Albany Park 969,360
Alexandra Palace 1,057,712
Ash Vale 476,558
Audley End 765,608
Axminster 213,590
Aylesbury 1,093,076
Barnham 873,418
Barrow-In-Furness 474,268
Battersea Park 1,735,280
Battle 572,928
Beaconsfield 1,276,736
Bearsted 461,546
Beeston 404,062
Bexley 1,173,934
Bicester North 984,806
Bickley 821,986
Biggleswade 734,458

I wish there was just a document that included a statement such as 'trips are entries + exits but exclude interchanges'.

 

[swt_passenger]

There’s a footnote in the first paragraph of the page 3 introduction of the stations report, (linked in post #3), that explains regarding the total number, “2.6 billion passengers pass through these stations every year” as meaning “1.3bn return trips per annum”.

So I wonder if the DfT statistics are usually single journeys? But then I also think, having read quite a lot of these usage statistics over the years, that this matter could be made more explicit?

 

[dmncf]

I think ORR statistics are usually entries + exits, and that it would be difficult to find statistics that were entries only.