Least Used Terminating Station

[Llandudno]

There is much discussion on another thread relating to a handful of trains per day serving and terminating at Chathill

Which stations where trains terminate have the fewest number of passengers per annum?

There are two possible scenarios:

A) Where trains terminate at the end of a branch line, eg Heysham, Blaenau Ffestiniog etc

B) A station on a through line where one or more trains per day terminate, eg Chathill, Ribblehead etc

 

[bramling]

There is much discussion on another thread relating to a handful of trains per day serving and terminating at Chathill

Which stations where trains terminate have the fewest number of passengers per annum?

There are two possible scenarios:

A) Where trains terminate at the end of a branch line, eg Heysham, Blaenau Ffestiniog etc

B) A station on a through line where one or more trains per day terminate, eg Chathill, Ribblehead etc

Surely Heysham Port has to be the answer, with one train per day. Does anywhere have less than that?

 

[DB]

Surely Heysham Port has to be the answer, with one train per day. Does anywhere have less than that?

Think the Leeds to Ribblehead (and back) one is just one a day too - it's the last train of the day, after the last through train from Carlisle. In winter there are few / no people on it past Skipton normally. A bit busier in the summer.

 

[richard1976]

One train per week (on Sundays) is extended from Clitheroe to terminate at Hellifield

 

[DB]

One train per week (on Sundays) is extended from Clitheroe to terminate at Hellifield

Does it? Thought the only timetabled passenger trains over that bit of line were the summer-Sunday-only Dalesrail services to Carlisle.

 

[4F89]

Boston has 2 terminate, 1 in each direction, per day. The rest all run through.

 

[HST43257]

Surely Heysham Port has to be the answer, with one train per day. Does anywhere have less than that?

If we are doing least used, Heysham had 11,450 in 2019-20.

Battersby gets a couple of terminators. 1,760 passengers last year.

 

[craigybagel]

Surely Heysham Port has to be the answer, with one train per day. Does anywhere have less than that?

Chathill as mentioned by the OP has fewer. As does Clarbeston Road, where a couple of shuttles from Fishguard terminate during the day (the rest of the day, it's a request stop served by the two hourly Milford Haven - Manchester service).

Using 2018/19 figures so that Covid doesn't blur things too much:

Clarbeston Road: 7216
Heysham Port: 7698
Chathill: 2546

Using the 2019/20 figures shows the same order, but with a larger gap between Heysham and Clarbeston Road.

 

[richard1976]

Does it? Thought the only timetabled passenger trains over that bit of line were the summer-Sunday-only Dalesrail services to Carlisle.

look like its not running at the moment but it did before Covid

 

[iknowyeah]

Stalybridge surely, one a week

 

[30907]

Does it? Thought the only timetabled passenger trains over that bit of line were the summer-Sunday-only Dalesrail services to Carlisle.

This is the winter variant, morning and afternoon so 2.
The Dalmally school train (16.11SX ex Oban) came to mind.
Invergordon and Ardgay on the Far North have random terminators, but I doubt any of them have fewer pax than Battersby.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Mar 2021 ==

Stalybridge surely, one a week

Apart from services via Ashton, 2 per hour .... but the OP asked for the number of passengers not trains, anyway.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

One train per week (on Sundays) is extended from Clitheroe to terminate at Hellifield

Does it? Thought the only timetabled passenger trains over that bit of line were the summer-Sunday-only Dalesrail services to Carlisle.

Recall that the Clitheroe - Hellifield (Sunday) services did indeed sometimes terminate at Hellifield before returning in service back towards Clitheroe some 40 or so minutes later.

Think we also had a discussion on here some time ago as to whether the unit remained occupying a platform at Hellifield for that 40 minutes period or made an ECS movement to/from somewhere like Settle junction.

Possibly two such Clitheroe - Hellifield - Clitheroe "shuttle" services on a Sunday, one about 9.30 a.m. / 10.10 a.m. and another late afternoon.

Both connecting with Aire Valley services to/from Leeds and Lancaster/Carlisle.

 

[Mintona]

Okehampton for now.

 

[Kite159]

Recall that the Clitheroe - Hellifield (Sunday) services did indeed sometimes terminate at Hellifield before returning in service back towards Clitheroe some 40 or so minutes later.

Think we also had a discussion on here some time ago as to whether the unit remained occupying a platform at Hellifield for that 40 minutes period or made an ECS movement to/from somewhere like Settle junction.

Possibly two such Clitheroe - Hellifield - Clitheroe "shuttle" services on a Sunday, one about 9.30 a.m. / 10.10 a.m. and another late afternoon.

Both connecting with Aire Valley services to/from Leeds and Lancaster/Carlisle.

I believe the signalling layout at Hellifield means a train has to ECS to Settle Junction if it needs to return towards Clitheroe

 

[voyagerdude220]

Recall that the Clitheroe - Hellifield (Sunday) services did indeed sometimes terminate at Hellifield before returning in service back towards Clitheroe some 40 or so minutes later.

Think we also had a discussion on here some time ago as to whether the unit remained occupying a platform at Hellifield for that 40 minutes period or made an ECS movement to/from somewhere like Settle junction.

Possibly two such Clitheroe - Hellifield - Clitheroe "shuttle" services on a Sunday, one about 9.30 a.m. / 10.10 a.m. and another late afternoon.

Both connecting with Aire Valley services to/from Leeds and Lancaster/Carlisle.

Just to clarify that the services which terminated at Hellifield from the Clitheroe direction were pre-Covid Sunday only services which ran twice a day, at times of the year when the Blackpool to Carlisle Dales Rail services don't run.

Sadly there aren't any other passenger services which run on a regular basis between Clitheroe and Hellifield and vice versa.

 

[PHILIPE]

Stalybridge surely, one a week

There are loads of trains that terminate at Stalybridge. I know what you are thinking of.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Which stations where trains terminate have the fewest number of passengers per annum?

There are two possible scenarios:

A) Where trains terminate at the end of a branch line, eg Heysham, Blaenau Ffestiniog etc

B) A station on a through line where one or more trains per day terminate, eg Chathill, Ribblehead etc

So any "terminating stations" with less usage than Chathill?

 

[flitwickbeds]

Stranraer?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Stranraer?

Good shout but normally Stranraer maybe has 20 to 25 times the patronage of Chathill.

 

[SuspectUsual]

So any "terminating stations" with less usage than Chathill?

Based on what was said upthread, Battersby has fewer and that number will presumably be for all trains calling there, so the number on the one that terminates will presumably be a lot less.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Anything currently terminating at Battersby? Thought everything calling there currently reverses out and then continues on to Whitby / Middlesbrough.

 

[Llandudno]

Good shout but normally Stranraer maybe has 20 to 25 times the patronage of Chathill.

Stranraer would qualify in the end of a branch line category though, but possibly more passengers per annum than Heysham Port?

 

[Kite159]

Anything currently terminating at Battersby? Thought everything calling there currently reverses out and then continues on to Whitby / Middlesbrough.

In a normal timetable, there is 2 trains which terminate there:

Realtime Trains | Departures from Battersby all day on 22/05/2021

Train information at Battersby all day on 22/05/2021. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Just to get them out of the way at Nunthorpe

 

[David Goddard]

So we are after the least used (across all services) station that has at least one train terminate there?

I expect this to be maybe one of those on the Far North mentioned earlier, agree with Battersby as well though.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Given the slightly 'dodgy' closure processes for some lines (which it might then be argued still remained 'open', even with no booked services) I suppose that a few cases like Croxley Green, Weymouth Quay, Sinfin Central and Newhaven Marine could be worth a mention. In some cases I believe that 'genuine' passengers with a mis-issued ticket might even have been given a taxi ride to fulfil their contract.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I suppose that a few cases like Croxley Green, Weymouth Quay, Sinfin Central and Newhaven Marine could be worth a mention.

All these stations now closed? (But one or more of them may well have had the dubious accolade of "Least Used Terminating Station" in a previous year.)

 

[norbitonflyer]

Surely Heysham Port has to be the answer, with one train per day. Does anywhere have less than that?

That may be the least-served terminating station, but the question asked for the least used, and more passengers use Heysham than several others mentioned which have more frequent services (not all of which necessarily terminate there). Looking at the ORR stats for 2019/20 (which will be only slightly skewed by lockdown, which started in the last week of that period), Battersby (ranked 2,477th out of 2,567) appears to be the least-used of the stations mentioned so far. Okehampton (2384th) and then Heysham (2317th) were the least-used termini

 

[richard1976]

Manchester United Football Ground station is open officaly but is currently unserved

 

[Parallel]

This is the winter variant, morning and afternoon so 2.
The Dalmally school train (16.11SX ex Oban) came to mind.
Invergordon and Ardgay on the Far North have random terminators, but I doubt any of them have fewer pax than Battersby.

Passenger numbers:
Ardgay - 6,408
Invergordon - 27,826
Dalmally - 6,524

It's surprising that they bother running the evening peak train past Tain to Ardgay. The last northbound train of the night terminates at Tain, which sees higher passenger numbers.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does it? Thought the only timetabled passenger trains over that bit of line were the summer-Sunday-only Dalesrail services to Carlisle.

There's a winter one branded as the Lancashire Rambler too, it's 2tpd rather than 1tpd, a round trip in the morning and another in the late afternoon, I think. From my experience of it "fresh air express" would be a better name - it's nowhere near as well used as the actual DalesRail one.

On the original question, I can't imagine Bedwyn (outer terminus of GWR Turbo services) is particularly busy; the village apparently has a population of 1386. Looks like an absolutely beautiful little village, though.