Trivia: Your least desirable station to wait at

[BeijingDave]

Any station where you get to feel the visceral thrill of fast trains shooting past just a few feet away from you can't be all bad. And if you're going to be anywhere in Stevenage, the place where you can quickly get a train out of the town is probably the best!

This was also partly what I was thinking about Crewe. How can any rail enthusiast have a real issue with having to wait 60 minutes on a major WCML or ECML station? Always loads of activity.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Shipley's never struck me as being too bad though. I'll bear the Fox in mind if I need to wait there.

It's better than it was ten years ago, but the layout of the station does still lend itself to ASB. Tends to be more in the corners of the car park, on Station Road, and in the alleyways behind platform 1 more than the platforms these days, at least.

Heysham harbour

Heysham Harbour is a good place to wait for an hour. Those of us who use the ferry have to wait there.

The ferry terminal, which is attached to the station platform, has been recently refurbished. It has toilets, comfy seating, a cafe during ferry hours.

The only issue at Heysham Harbour is that you'll have a very long wait if you miss the train. (Although in reality if this happens you'd just walk for 15 minutes up the road to catch the express bus into Lancaster.)

 

[faltskog36abba]

Not had such issues there thus far !

Sorry I was getting confused with the Charlestown .

 

[yorksrob]

Sorry I was getting confused with the Charlestown .

Ah, I don't know that one.

 

[daveo]

Round my way, somewhere like Kearsley would be undesirable (exposed, little shelter etc) but it's only a short walk from a regular bus route (think the pub on the corner's closed?) and even petrol station for a warm drink.

There must be many similar stations fairly local to me which have nothing around them (Hosker/Bescar lane?) and too far a walk to any facilities if the next train's an hour away.

If you're local you should know it's Hoscar

 

[123*]

Some amazing answers!

Some people took the OP in various different ways which was interesting.

I guess I was more thinking along the lines of the ‘sketchiest’ place to wait. Perhaps something along the lines of Silverlink days in north London (something I never experienced but have read about)!

 

[BeijingDave]

If you're local you should know it's Hoscar

Fair, but I have lived in and around Chester for many years and some people cannot pronounce, or spell Lache. (Or Bache)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Fair, but I have lived in and around Chester for many years and some people cannot pronounce, or spell Lache. (Or Bache)

Hoping that it's still 'Laitch' or 'Baitch', as the case may be. P.S. As regards the latter, what is Bache railway station like, if you have to wait half an hour or so between services to Chester or Liverpool?

 

[Djgr]

Hoping that it's still 'Laitch' or 'Baitch', as the case may be. P.S. As regards the latter, what is Bache railway station like, if you have to wait half an hour or so between services to Chester or Liverpool?

Well, there is a big Morrisons next door.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Well, there is a big Morrisons next door.

There is indeed. Closes at 10 p.m. mind you (4 p.m. on Sundays).

 

[ScotsRail]

Pub is awful and there is only really 1 shelter and it's mostly full of drunk neds

Clearly the wrong pub and there is certainly more than one shelter, never seen any drunk neds either.

 

[Old Walter]

I’ll add mine, but this might not be fair to the station, but my own experience.

Leytonstone. Eastbound platform. Have had a few occasions where the Liz line isn’t working so I’ve used this route to get to the RRBS at Newbury Park. Also I’ve parked my car at NP and used the Night Tube service to get back.

On each of these isolated occasions I’ve opted to go to Leytonstone as the train will be less busy and also less people will be hanging around at the above ground stations and the elements. Despite changing from a Loughton to a Hainault train being a ten minute wait, waiting at Leytonstone forces a horrible predicament - either wait under the covered area with a load of intoxicated wrong uns, or wait on your own in the elements and if said wrong uns want to take an interest while you’re there, there’s nothing you can do anyway. The worst of both worlds.

Coupled with the graffiti and grime covered 1992 stock (when it does turn up) with dim lighting and overall feeling of despair the atmosphere speaks volumes.

Good old east London…..

 

[chris53]

If you're local you should know it's Hoscar

Used to be a good pub next to there called the Railway Tavern now sadly closed. Bescar had a pub and shop but now both gone so no facilities at either station but they are both in nice locations . Can think of far worse places to have to wait an hour but am biased as I grew up in that area

 

[Topological]

Bristol Parkway. Even after rebuilding it’s still a cold and windy place.
Talking of which can I be the first to mention Altnabreac, it’s no good asking anyone nearby for a hot drink!

Probably one of the only places I ever do wait meaningfully. Bristol Parkway, Cardiff Central or Birmingham New Street. Of those three Cardiff Central is absolutely the worst.

If anyone has never tried Cardiff Central, a lot of trains terminate and so occupy the platforms. You then have staff wondering which train they are actually going to be sending out the holding sidings first, whilst the next trains get held outside the station becoming later and later. At the platform level things are very windswept and there are only a couple of small waiting rooms. Those waiting rooms fill up quickly.

Where possible, I just use the M4.

 

[vlad]

From personal experience the station I've felt most uncomfortable waiting at is Keighley.

I recognise that bits of it look nice - but waiting on platform 1 for a train that's later than you'd expect wasn't something I'd like to repeat any time soon.

 

[croydontangle]

I pass through fairly regularly and interchange onto the bus on the main road, and only once have I encountered some youths smoking green, but they left me alone. There’s a couple of unassuming but nice businesses that have sprung up there including a pizzeria and a pleasant pub to wait in. Some of the buildings have seen better days but I don’t feel threatened in that area- it’s well patrolled by police vehicles too.

Yeah I can’t say I feel massively unsafe using Kirkgate. Probably I’m desensitised by dingy night-time walks home from Selhurst and Norwood Junction so can tune out the roadmen and am fairly close by anyway.

I always feel pretty on edge waiting even short periods at Normanton as you have to navigate either huge switchback ramps or fairly large staircases to get out. Leaves me feeling quite hemmed in and hyper-aware of people around as if anyone was to try anything it wouldn’t be easy to get out into somewhere safer

 

[Trackman]

Round my way, somewhere like Kearsley would be undesirable (exposed, little shelter etc) but it's only a short walk from a regular bus route (think the pub on the corner's closed?) and even petrol station for a warm drink.

There's no way I would wait for a train there after dark unless there was a bunch of us, lots of undesirables about.
The pub is a now a swingers club, apparently.
Also, not in Bolton but nearby Darwen railway station has a reputation for scallywags hanging around at night.

My least desirable station to wait is London Bridge for numerous reasons, including muggings and attacks. I always think I'm in the wrong place and the wrong time to see these.

 

[Mattplans]

Any station between Stratford and Romford at night.