Trivia: Staffed stations served every two hours or less

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Which stations only receive a service every two hours - or even less infrequently than that - and are still staffed?

Surely that’s not a great use of money? I bet the staff get rather bored in between trains.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Kyle of Lochalsh must be one. Only four services on a typical weekday.

Also Mallaig, Wick and Thurso don't have many trains.

 

[30907]

And Oban. Newquay, Tenby?

If you extend it to stations with a 2-hourly or less frequency in each direction then Appleby and Settle are part-staffed IIRC.

 

[Parallel]

Aberystwyth is currently one train per two hours most of the day, which usually means the ticket office is quiet for an hour and a half and then very busy for half an hour! The station has a ticket office and two ticket machines.

Yeovil Pen Mill is another - 1tp2h on average in each direction for most of the day - it has a ticket office but no ticket machines.

 

[hexagon789]

Which stations only receive a service every two hours - or even less infrequently than that - and are still staffed?

Surely that’s not a great use of money? I bet the staff get rather bored in between trains.

Avoiding the aforementioned Norh Highland/West Highland extremities:

Carstairs presently has a ridiculous 10hr 11 min gap in trains between 0810 and 1821. Though the ticket office closes at 1424, which is 5 hours 14 mins after the previous train called.

Stranraer has 4 trains a day, at roughly 4-hour intervals from 0700 until 1903 - its ticket office shuts at 1900.

I suppose at least Stranraer has a train just after the ticket office shuts for which they may well sell tickets; Carstairs staff however have nothing to do for the last 5 and a quarter hours of their shift it seems!

 

[Revilo]

Pewsey has a roughly 2 hourly service yet is still staffed.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Feb 2022 ==

Also Llandrindod (Wells) on the Heart of Wales line gets a service much less than 2-hourly but is staffed.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Which stations only receive a service every two hours - or even less infrequently than that - and are still staffed?

Surely that’s not a great use of money? I bet the staff get rather bored in between trains.

Newry must surely be a strong contender for this, has a service only every 2 hours at best but it serves a city with a population of 27k

 

[D6130]

Fort William.

Appleby and Settle have trains approximately every two hours, but currently have a four hour gap in the afternoon.

 

[mrd269697]

Places like Llandrindod, which have a poor service, the staff are useful, as they don’t just sell tickets on site, they take telephone ticket orders as well I believe. And I would bet good money they tidy up and look after the station.

Aberystwyth has a two hourly service at present but pre covid service levels were up to 300,000 pa, which is extremely busy considering the sparse service, so a ticket machine would not suffice.

What people also may forget is people come to buy tickets for other days, so there doesn’t have to be a train due.

Most of these lines are due increased service patterns as well in the near future, here’s hoping anyway.

I hope these stations remained staffed for many years to come.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Fort William.

Not many trains from Fort William per day, but occasionally the gap between services (albeit departing for different directions!) is less than two hours.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Pewsey has a roughly 2 hourly service yet is still staffed.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Feb 2022 ==

Also Llandrindod (Wells) on the Heart of Wales line gets a service much less than 2-hourly but is staffed.

Llandod -"Staffed" by a local agency , who do excellent work , one gathers as local rail ambassadors.

 

[DelW]

According to the most recent newsletter from the Travellers' Association (HoWLTA), the proprietor of the ticket agency at Llandrindod has retired.

New arrangements will now be made for a staff presence at the station.

 

[Western 52]

Haverfordwest - sparse service but staffed 0700-1330 Monday to Saturday.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Haverfordwest - sparse service but staffed 0700-1330 Monday to Saturday.

Not that sparse. 23 departures timetabled for both today/tomorrow.

 

[Ken H]

Fort William.

Appleby and Settle have trains approximately every two hours, but currently have a four hour gap in the afternoon.

In the 70's and 80's settle had 2 trains a day. Staffed. Jim and Monica.

 

[vlad]

I was going to mention Wick only someone already has.

According to the Scotrail website its ticket office opens at 1010, which means two of the four departures of the day have already left by the time it opens, making you wonder what tickets they actually sell.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

What do these staff do all day then?

 

[dk1]

What do these staff do all day then?

Chill.

 

[Deepgreen]

Which stations only receive a service every two hours - or even less infrequently than that - and are still staffed?

Surely that’s not a great use of money? I bet the staff get rather bored in between trains.

'Less frequently' or 'more infrequently'.

 

[Tractor37]

Fort William.

Appleby and Settle have trains approximately every two hours, but currently have a four hour gap in the afternoon.

The longest gap between trains is approximately 1 3/4 hours.

 

[AndyMike]

Places like Llandrindod, which have a poor service, the staff are useful, as they don’t just sell tickets on site, they take telephone ticket orders as well I believe. And I would bet good money they tidy up and look after the station.

Aberystwyth has a two hourly service at present but pre covid service levels were up to 300,000 pa, which is extremely busy considering the sparse service, so a ticket machine would not suffice.

What people also may forget is people come to buy tickets for other days, so there doesn’t have to be a train due.

Most of these lines are due increased service patterns as well in the near future, here’s hoping anyway.

I hope these stations remained staffed for many years to come.

Indeed - and what you describe strikes me as a good model. I’m massively in favour of increasing the number of staffed stations.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

In the 90's Pontefract Baghill was staffed yet only got five trains a day, now its unstaffed and only has two trains a day.

 

[Deafdoggie]

And Oban. Newquay, Tenby?

If you extend it to stations with a 2-hourly or less frequency in each direction then Appleby and Settle are part-staffed IIRC.

Newquay is only staffed part time and only in the summer. Indeed, last time I was there, the staff travelled in on the train, handing out tourist leaflets to passengers, then stayed at the station, then boarded a train back.

 

[Western 52]

Not that sparse. 23 departures timetabled for both today/tomorrow.

Normally roughly every 2 hours. Lately some extra services as Fishguard trains have been diverted there.

 

[davetheguard]

Pewsey has a roughly 2 hourly service yet is still staffed.

Indeed, and it was even staffed back in the 80s when all it had was three trains a day in each direction.

 

[scrapy]

Chassen Road and Glazebrook between Manchester and Warrington staffed in a morning with 2 hourly service. Adlington (Lancs) currently has no train service between the peaks but is staffed until lunchtime. (It does have an hourly replacement bus). Moorside has some 2 hourly gaps and is technically a staffed station but the ticket office had an arson attack so hasn't been open for a few years. Doubtful it will reopen as consultation has now started on its permanent closure.

 

[tomwills98]

According to the most recent newsletter from the Travellers' Association (HoWLTA), the proprietor of the ticket agency at Llandrindod has retired.

New arrangements will now be made for a staff presence at the station.

There's a new person there now and the hours are updated on the NRE website, not sure if they're doing phone orders though

 

[D6130]

The longest gap between trains is approximately 1 3/4 hours.

Yes....you're right. I must have been thinking of the controversial may 2018 timetable.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Chassen Road and Glazebrook between Manchester and Warrington staffed in a morning with 2 hourly service.

Chassen Road is normally only open 0655 to 1000 (Mon - Fri) and I'm fairly sure there's five trains to Manchester Oxford Road and another to Liverpool Lime Street during that time period. Something like some twenty eight services during a typical 24 hour period.

 

[thedbdiboy]

Indeed - and what you describe strikes me as a good model. I’m massively in favour of increasing the number of staffed stations.

This is about staffed Ticket Offices, not staffed stations. Staff on stations are a good thing, but not necessarily sitting behind a window with nothing to do.