Favourite/Worst Northern Rail served stations

[Gathursty]

As I've now visited every Northern Rail served station, I'd like to know what's your best and worst station and why. I can see some obvious answers coming to me (Wakefield Kirkgate) but I'd be very interested to hear those advocating Ashley or Glaisdale for example.

PS: I'd like to hear some of your stories too, whether you met the love of your life at Barnsley or completed the spotting of all the 333s at Saltaire or something else as interesting, provided it happened on a Northern Rail station though.

For me, my favourite would be Lancaster which I haven't been to since leaving uni *sniff* and my worst would be South Bank, there's nothing redeeming about it!

 

[LE Greys]

Well, my favourite would have to be York!

If you mean stations only served by Northern, I reckon somewhere like Appleby, but definitely on the S&C. Not sure I'm really qualified for 'least favourite', I don't know the area well enough.

 

[evoluzione]

As a trainee Northern driver, I love all the stations I remember to stop at :0)

 

[R_Pley]

This station is grim and I believe that only Northern Rail stop there

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Hattersley is very dismal, however I think that's a mixture of an ugly 1970s BR construction project and being located in a generally less than desirable area.

 

[185143]

Im sorry but even though its a parly, Denton is the worst. So much so, that a friend, not an enthusiast, didnt believe that was a working railway station

 

[Manchester77]

I'd say the worst is Manchester Victoria. For such a regional hub the fact that its been aloud to decline and to basically fall apart is dreadful, all I have to say is thank god that its getting all re done soon! Other than that I'd have to say that my least favourite would be Sellafield because its just so ugly!

 

[craigwilson]

Im sorry but even though its a parly, Denton is the worst. So much so, that a friend, not an enthusiast, didnt believe that was a working railway station

Well if it weren't for the parly, it wouldn't be!!

 

[IanD]

Of the ones I've visited, my favourites are Shipley, Bingley, Keighley and Skipton. I also like Wakefield Kirkgate and Manchester Victoria - you need to look past the delapidations and see what great buildings they really are.

I don't dislike any railway station I've visited, the fact that they still exist is good enough for me.

 

[Harlesden]

May I throw in New Holland as worst?

 

[Yew]

Worksop, ticket office, cafe and a pub, everything you need really

 

[Ivo]

Hattersley is very dismal, however I think that's a mixture of an ugly 1970s BR construction project and being located in a generally less than desirable area.

+1 for Hattersley.

I think my favourite would be either Piccadilly or Southport.

 

[Aldaniti]

I can think of a few Northern stations within the GMPTE area which really are a disgrace. Compare them to their neighbouring stations within the Merseyrail area which are often much smarter. The contrast between Bryn and Garswood is a good example. I haven't used the station for a while but Gathurst doesn't even have a basic PIS, just a dilapidated bus shelter on the Manchester platform. On several occasions I've waited for well over an hour when a train has been cancelled, all the time having no idea if the next service would turn up. To rub salt in the wound, Northern never put a SSO on the alternate hourly service - which isn't booked to stop at Gathurst - and it just sails through which, to those waiting on the platform, is a very effective way for Northern to show it's contempt for them. It's not all Northern's fault of course, GMPTE are a pretty useless, tram obsessed transport executive who don't really show much interest in heavy rail.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I also like ... Manchester Victoria - you need to look past the delapidations and see what great buildings they really are.

Agreed. There's a lot of gems around Victoria - the L&Y tiled map, the glass destinations canopy, beautiful roof in the Pumpkin cafe / bar, even the wooden booking office complete with crash barriers! I do prefer it in a sense to Piccadilly, which to me has no soul or historic feel at all minus the bay platforms! It feels more like an airport terminal, especially around p 13 / 14.

I can think of a few Northern stations within the GMPTE area which really are a disgrace. Compare them to their neighbouring stations within the Merseyrail area which are often much smarter...

Merseytravel throw thousands of pounds at railways - every station in their PTE area is staffed from first train to last seven days a week, both on the Merseyrail network and those on the City Lines out to Manchester and Wigan etc. Every station has a booking office, info posters, seating, waiting rooms / shelters etc as far as I know funded heavily by Merseytravel. TfGM on the other hand, as you say, seem to care not one iota for the trains in their region (though trams are a different matter!). They have installed some rather basic live info screens at some stations (see here for an example at Farnworth http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/SME/html/NRE_FNW/images/photos/800/o1863-0000012.jpg), however I don't think many had them installed, certainly not unstaffed ones. Aside from that I don't think there's much else done to stations! But yes, I think Merseytravel are a good example of how effective PTEs can be on the ground to passengers, West Yorkshire's one demonstrated this too with a spell of reopenings. TfGM on the other hand are a sign of the complete opposite, save their contributions to the Atherton Sunday trains. Of course this shouldn't stop Northern, however it is a lot easier to get things done when you have partners or some financial backing - Northern don't seem to get this around Manchester!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Considering that it is so near to a major city station, Ardwick takes my vote for the worst station served by Northern with no redeeming features whatsoever.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Im sorry but even though its a parly, Denton is the worst. So much so, that a friend, not an enthusiast, didnt believe that was a working railway station

It's not that bad! See, it's even got a station garden!

 

[DarloRich]

Favorite - Darlington (York a close second followed by Newcastle!)

Least Favorite - Hartlepooh

 

[Welshman]

Hebden Bridge has to be my favourite Northern Rail station, with its open booking-office with friendly staff, warm waiting rooms, clean toilets, excellent privately-run cafe and L & Y style signage.

All that is needed to complete the scene is the mist rising from the nearby River Calder and an Aspinall 0-6-0 trundling through.

 

[Aldaniti]

Agreed. There's a lot of gems around Victoria - the L&Y tiled map, the glass destinations canopy, beautiful roof in the Pumpkin cafe / bar, even the wooden booking office complete with crash barriers! I do prefer it in a sense to Piccadilly, which to me has no soul or historic feel at all minus the bay platforms! It feels more like an airport terminal, especially around p 13 / 14.



Merseytravel throw thousands of pounds at railways - every station in their PTE area is staffed from first train to last seven days a week, both on the Merseyrail network and those on the City Lines out to Manchester and Wigan etc. Every station has a booking office, info posters, seating, waiting rooms / shelters etc as far as I know funded heavily by Merseytravel. TfGM on the other hand, as you say, seem to care not one iota for the trains in their region (though trams are a different matter!). They have installed some rather basic live info screens at some stations (see here for an example at Farnworth http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/SME/html/NRE_FNW/images/photos/800/o1863-0000012.jpg), however I don't think many had them installed, certainly not unstaffed ones. Aside from that I don't think there's much else done to stations! But yes, I think Merseytravel are a good example of how effective PTEs can be on the ground to passengers, West Yorkshire's one demonstrated this too with a spell of reopenings. TfGM on the other hand are a sign of the complete opposite, save their contributions to the Atherton Sunday trains. Of course this shouldn't stop Northern, however it is a lot easier to get things done when you have partners or some financial backing - Northern don't seem to get this around Manchester!

Many thanks for that. A basic information system like that in your photograph would be ideal!

 

[sheff'd victoria]

As I'm very close* to having visited every Northern Rail served station.!

Including them in Lincolnshire ?

 

[Gathursty]

Including them in Lincolnshire?

I've done Sheffield-Lincoln/Cleethorpes, the Barton-upon-Humber line, Doncaster-Scunthorpe. The only things I've left off is the Chathill stretch and the Dumfries bit (didn't realise Northern went up there early in the morning - I'm not including any further to Glasgow as it is a shared service with Scotrail)

 

[rebmcr]

Best — Manchester Oxford Road
From it you can reach nearly every destination across the North with zero or one change, on frequent services, and yet is the antithesis of a large, sprawling, confusing behemoth. It's also pretty much perfect for changing to and from the Wilmslow Road bus über-route at any time of the day or night — almost like it was designed to serve the South Manchester hole that has a dearth of rail.

Worst — Pendleton
Very poorly maintained, with weeds sprouting through the platform everywhere. Very infrequent service, and no staff or ticket-buying facility.

 

[transmanche]

The only things I've left off is the Chathill stretch and the Dumfries bit (didn't realise Northern went up there early in the morning - I'm not including any further to Glasgow as it is a shared service with Scotrail)

Isn't the Dumfries run officially a ScotRail service too? Albeit with Northern stock & crew?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Worst — Pendleton
Very poorly maintained, with weeds sprouting through the platform everywhere. Very infrequent service, and no staff or ticket-buying facility.

Didn't that close in 1998?

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Considering that it is so near to a major city station, Ardwick takes my vote for the worst station served by Northern with no redeeming features whatsoever.

I don't know, you get a lovely view of the waste recycling site

 

[Spaceflower]

Worst are Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, and Pontefract Monkhill.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

My personal favourite is Brockholes, albeit mostly for the disused and privately owned platform opposite the one currently in use.

Worst is Morley (discounting those with only parlimentary or close to parliamentary services). It's poorly located for the community it serves, as a result it has no interchange facility with buses. Those are not wasily solved admittedly, but given those problems it could really do with a bigger car park or at the very least a decent, well-lit footpath leading back to civilisation!

 

[Gathursty]

Isn't the Dumfries run officially a ScotRail service too? Albeit with Northern stock & crew?

I was under the presumption that the Northern crew disembarked at Carlisle and the Scotrail crew filled in to Glasgow. I would actually like clarification on what is the situation with services along the Glasgow South Western line as I'm not entirely convinced with Wikipedia.

 

[rebmcr]

Didn't that close in 1998?

That's the joke!

 

[transmanche]

Isn't the Dumfries run officially a ScotRail service too? Albeit with Northern stock & crew?

I was under the presumption that the Northern crew disembarked at Carlisle and the Scotrail crew filled in to Glasgow. I would actually like clarification on what is the situation with services along the Glasgow South Western line as I'm not entirely convinced with Wikipedia.

IIRC; the Glasgow-Newcastle services use a ScotRail 156 throughout, with crews changing at Carlisle. But there's one early morning run from Carlisle to Dumfries (which then forms a Dumfries-Newcastle service) which uses a Northern unit and a Northern crew throughout - but is still officially a ScotRail service between Carlisle and Dumfries (and vice versa).