UK's worst stations.

[eastdyke]

Frankly - their perceptions are wrong and it suggests they haven't traveled widely.

You cannot say that the perceptions are wrong! You can say that you don't agree with them.

Perhaps by understanding them then 'The Industry' can endeavour to change those perceptions.

A snapshot is of limited use, the survey should be repeated at intervals to see whether or not results are changing with time.

 

[mrcheek]

there is no way in the world that Nottingham or Birmingham are the worst stations in the country. None.

Birmingham New Street is without question the worst station in Britain

 

[DarloRich]

You cannot say that the perceptions are wrong! You can say that you don't agree with them.

Perhaps by understanding them then 'The Industry' can endeavour to change those perceptions.

A snapshot is of limited use, the survey should be repeated at intervals to see whether or not results are changing with time.

You can when they are manifestly incorrect.

Birmingham New Street is without question the worst station in Britain

you are being silly now. :roll:

 

[yorksrob]

These surveys are meaningless when they don't include smaller stations in proportion to their usage. As an example, many local stations in West Yorkshire get hundreds of thousands of passengers a year, yet even shelter is down to a derisory bus shelter, let alone a ticket office/waiting room

 

[eastdyke]

You can when they are manifestly incorrect.

Perhaps the survey forms should all be pre-filled with your perceptions then?

 

[DarloRich]

Perhaps the survey forms should all be pre-filled with your perceptions then?

the point you seem unable to grasp is this:

My perception is that Teresa May is a fascist. While she is a Tory she clearly isnt a fascist. My perception is manifestly wrong just as someone suggesting that Nottingham or Birmingham is the worst station in the country. They clearly aren't by any objective criteria.

BTW are you seriously suggesting that New Street or Nottingham are worse stations than Billingham or Manors or Wembley Central or Essex Road or Great Yarmouth? Really?

 

[Bantamzen]

the point you seem unable to grasp is this:

My perception is that Teresa May is a fascist. While she is a Tory she clearly isnt a fascist. My perception is manifestly wrong just as someone suggesting that Nottingham or Birmingham is the worst station in the country. They clearly aren't by any objective criteria.

BTW are you seriously suggesting that New Street or Nottingham are worse stations than Billingham or Manors or Wembley Central or Essex Road or Great Yarmouth? Really?

I fear you are still missing the point, these surveys look at the perceptions of the people using each station and asking just how satisfied they are with them. They are not designed to compare stations, such a comparison would be all but impossible save a handful of really dedicated enthusiasts. The media may well misuse the data, but the bottom line from this particular survey is that Birmingham has the lowest passenger satisfaction of all stations covered. And glossy new concourse aside, its not too hard to understand why lots of people don't like it.

 

[eastdyke]

the point you seem unable to grasp is this:

My perception is that Teresa May is a fascist. While she is a Tory she clearly isnt a fascist. My perception is manifestly wrong just as someone suggesting that Nottingham or Birmingham is the worst station in the country. They clearly aren't by any objective criteria.

Not the same at all. The point that you seem unable to grasp is that if you ask 100 people a series of questions then you will get 100 series of answers. You might not agree with those answers or the conclusions drawn from them but it simply doesn't alter the answers.

I use Nottingham regularly and it is not even one of the worst stations in Nottinghamshire let alone in the Country (in my opinion). But it is, to me, a very very long hike to make certain connections that I need to make from time to time. Derby, for instance, would rate much more highly for me in that aspect.

I think that we can agree that the survey as it stands is of very limited use. Nonetheless repeated surveys can show changes in perceptions and that would be of much more use in determining future actions.

 

[DarloRich]

I fear you are still missing the point, these surveys look at the perceptions of the people using each station and asking just how satisfied they are with them. They are not designed to compare stations, such a comparison would be all but impossible save a handful of really dedicated enthusiasts. The media may well misuse the data, but the bottom line from this particular survey is that Birmingham has the lowest passenger satisfaction of all stations covered. And glossy new concourse aside, its not too hard to understand why lots of people don't like it.

are you seriously telling me that people, boarding a train at some brummie dump like Aston or Smethick or Water Orton think Birmingham New Street is a worse station than the point of origin? The platforms must be made of gold at their stations.

Do they have eyes?

 

[DarloRich]

I think that we can agree that the survey as it stands is of very limited use

I do agree - there are no objective measures presented to contextualise any of this

 

[Bantamzen]

are you seriously telling me that people, boarding a train at some brummie dump like Aston or Smethick or Water Orton think Birmingham New Street is a worse station than the point of origin? The platforms must be made of gold at their stations.

Do they have eyes?

No I'm not, but how many people use both Aston Aston or Smethick or Water Orton and New Street on a regular basis, and how many of them where surveyed? More to the point what exactly were peopled asked, to nominate their worst station or their views on the station that they were passing through? It is more than likely that they were asked for specific views on the stations they were using & the route they were taking, not asked to compile a RailUK-style top ten list of their least favourites.

 

[DarloRich]

No I'm not, but how many people use both Aston Aston or Smethick or Water Orton and New Street on a regular basis, and how many of them where surveyed? More to the point what exactly were peopled asked, to nominate their worst station or their views on the station that they were passing through? It is more than likely that they were asked for specific views on the stations they were using & the route they were taking, not asked to compile a RailUK-style top ten list of their least favourites.

but everyone asked at Birmingham had to get on a train somewhere to arrive there. They had access to at least 2 stations and thought new street was the worst. How can that be?

The lack of detailed information is the big gap here. As you say we don't know what they were asked.

 

[Bantamzen]

but everyone asked at Birmingham had to get on a train somewhere to arrive there. They had access to at least 2 stations and thought new street was the worst. How can that be?

The lack of detailed information is the big gap here. As you say we don't know what they were asked.

Looking at the results analysis, the questions seem to revolve around one journey where people were asked for their "Overall satisfaction with your journey", I would guess that these would be post-event surveys, i.e. someone hands over a leaflet with the Q's on and/or an internet site to complete them. So you would imagine that New Street would be the main point to offer these surveys, and in which case I would not be surprised that NS would be the station the punters would focus on.

So say this was the case, a commuter on their way home gets given a leaflet and heads for the NS platforms at peak time. As usual the platforms are busy to packed, the train to Aston is cancelled so they wait for the next which is rammed. On arrival they shuffle quickly off the platform and onto their final stretch of the commute, probably already wound up by being delayed at NS. Which station do you think would attract their attention for a detailed survey, New Street or Aston? Its not an ideal way to undertake it, but save asking them to rate each station they use over a period of a few days, it is the way these things tend to get done. I've done such surveys in the past, and I do remember being asked about one leg of the journey and my perceptions of it. You'd be surprised how your mind can focus on the most stressful part of the journey, which is usually transit through the large stations/interchanges.

 

[AlterEgo]

How on earth is Nottingham the worst station in Britain? Is this post-refurb Nottingham we're talking about?

 

[Bantamzen]

How on earth is Nottingham the worst station in Britain? Is this post-refurb Nottingham we're talking about?

See the previous conversation about Birmingham & passenger perceptions. It isn't a survey of passenger's favourite or least favourite stations, just how they feel about the ones they passed through the day they were asked to complete it.

 

[boxy321]

Interesting how Coventry fits these criteria:

- Ticket buying facilities - Brand new Virgin ticket office
- Provision of information about train times/platforms - Same as everywhere else
- Cleanliness - Kept rather clean*
- Attitudes and helpfulness of the staff - Same as everywhere else, quite verbal at those who don't stand back when a non-stop Pendolino comes through
- Connections with other forms of public transport - Taxis and buses directly outside, Birmingham airport 10 mins away
- Facilities for car parking - Adjacent (but damned expensive - never used it)
- Overall environment - Yuck*
- Availability of seating - Same as everywhere; never been there long enough to sit on the platforms
- Availability of Wi-Fi*** - I think Virgin provide that

*The woodwork is horrible and resembles my high school days from the early eighties. I have seen plans to transform the place but lack of cash has delayed things. Just new flooring and sorting out the woodwork would make a world of a difference.

 

[duffield]

I'm totally gobsmacked that Nottingham comes out worst based on these factors.
I use it twice everyday, and here's my assessment:

- Ticket buying facilities - pretty good, rarely seem to be significant queues for machines or for manned ticket desks
- Provision of information about train times/platforms - Good, plenty of screens in appropriate places
- Cleanliness - Pretty much spotless, cleaners frequently in evidence
- Attitudes and helpfulness of the staff - Above average, usually friendly and helpful
- Connections with other forms of public transport - Many buses stop outside, or at worst 200 yards away at the Broadmarsh. Tram interchange. Taxi rank (moved to the side as part of the refurb) is a minus however (fine for the fit with little luggage, nip over the centre bridge; a long way round if you use the lift)
- Facilities for car parking - Large new multi-storey carpark attached
- Overall environment - generally feels very safe, quite light and airy since extra transparent roof panels installed
- Availability of seating - Mostly adequate except at rush hours (this probably applies at any busy station)
- Availability of Wi-Fi - Not used it but it's available and free

And to add extra points:
Train to train connections: Can be poor if platforms 2, 3c or 4 involved. Otherwise fine for the fit. Generally very poor for the disabled or those with heavy luggage. But this is mainly due to the basic station layout (main station building with lifts built over one end of the platforms). A massive improvement would be lifts to the centre bridge, including one down to the taxi rank, but this might be impractical design wise.

Overall, it seems frankly bizarre for Nottingham to rank 'worst' on these criteria.

 

[Bantamzen]

Just to point out the criteria I listed were just examples, the full survey had a few more. See the links on page 1 for more.

 

[gg1]

but everyone asked at Birmingham had to get on a train somewhere to arrive there. They had access to at least 2 stations and thought new street was the worst. How can that be?

The lack of detailed information is the big gap here. As you say we don't know what they were asked.

Where people are using New Street as an interchange, I can quite easily see how they would rate it worse than their start and end stations due to it being:

a bit of a maze for first time passengers who might not know that the B-end is the easiest end to interchange between platforms without the risk of the A-end double gateline

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Wow... A thread about the worst stations yet there's no mention (until now) of Wakefield Kirkgate...

What strange times we live in!

 

[J-2739]

Wow... A thread about the worst stations yet there's no mention (until now) of Wakefield Kirkgate...

What strange times we live in!

Aha, I was about to mention that!

Add that to Hartlepool (which has always seemed ghastly to me).

 

[sk688]

Some of the stations on the grim part of the Watford DC ( read : Harlesden , Stonebridge Park ) , are pretty horrible places to be when empty or at night

Sudbury and Harrow Rd is pretty horrible too . Located in the hole that is Sudbury , and a terrible service to go with that too

 

[bramling]

Aha, I was about to mention that!

Add that to Hartlepool (which has always seemed ghastly to me).

What's so bad about Hartlepool? Seems about normal for the service it gets. It has of course had a fair amount of improvement done in the last decade. It's certainly nowhere near as bad as Wakefield Kirkgate once was.

 

[waterboo]

Ahem! How about London's creepiest station Essex Road


- Ticket buying facilities - No oyster/TVM - 1 ticket booth that is occasionally open.
- Provision of information about train times/platforms - Dot Matrix on Platform - no departure board in ticket office.
- Cleanliness - Soot lining the tunnels - looks like it hasent been cleaned properly since Network SouthEast
- Attitudes and helpfulness of the staff - Good luck finding one!
- Connections with other forms of public transport - Regular TFL Buses operating outside
- Overall environment - Disgusting, extremely dark, rather derelict (due to lack of patronage at times), and rather creepy.
- Availability of seating - A bench so low, you might aswell be siting on the floor
- Availability of Wi-Fi - No wifi

 

[birchesgreen]

Worst station i've been to lately is Duddeston, i'm not sure if it actually is a station or a buddleia plantation.

 

[yorksrob]

- Overall environment - Yuck*
- Availability of seating - Same as everywhere; never been there long enough to sit on the platforms
- Availability of Wi-Fi*** - I think Virgin provide that

*The woodwork is horrible and resembles my high school days from the early eighties. I have seen plans to transform the place but lack of cash has delayed things. Just new flooring and sorting out the woodwork would make a world of a difference.

I think Coventry is quite stylish, in a retro sort of way.

 

[J-2739]

What's so bad about Hartlepool? Seems about normal for the service it gets. It has of course had a fair amount of improvement done in the last decade. It's certainly nowhere near as bad as Wakefield Kirkgate once was.

Maybe cause I'm used to a two platform, 4tph station here in Barnsley lol. There's this sharp curve near Hartlepool, and pacers operate the, making screechy noises on approach. It also seems pretty empty there too (last time I went was '13 tho)

Oh, and Wakefield Kirkgate is STILL bad!

 

[Liam]

Sunderland station is rather depressing. Hidden away under a shopping centre so it's dark and enclosed. The entrance wasn't so easy to find from the street and I don't really understand why it's marked out as 4 platforms even though it's clearly just two long ones.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I'd like to nominate Mirfield as one of the worst stations around here. Sure Ravensthorpe is more isolated and run down, and Deighton is in more hostile surroundings, but Mirfield is used by the best part of 500,000 passengers a year (2015/16 statistics) and has 3 daily services to and from London. The station is unstaffed of course, and the main island platform is slowly sinking into the poorly infilled former basement space. Only one face of the island is in regular use (P1) and is sparsely furnished with a few benches, with a large but doorless shelter. Bike shelter, PIS display (P1 only), and a few cycle lockers placed for some reason halfway up P2 which has absolutely nothing else on it. P3 is a 1980s addition, in the typical WYPTE style of the time: wooden platform, bus shelter, a few red metal benches.

With the TPE reorganisation coming up, Mirfield is likely to increase in usage due to a faster and more frequent service to Leeds and Manchester. It may also have increased use for interchange, depending on the finer points of the eventual service pattern.

Ideally it would be staffed at least part-time, and with a permanent ticket office rather than just two blokes with a ticket machine. Problem is, where do you put it? The car park by P3?
I don't imagine local residents would be too thrilled with that, nor would those heading towards Leeds enjoy their extra walk... On the island platform? Awkward for anyone using P3, and the platform is apparently vulnerable to subsidence... Oh, and it would be very tricky to make accessible too.

With the TPE route upgrade possibly involving significant changes to infrastructure particularly around Mirfield and a mile or 3 either side, would it be worth just ripping the station up and starting again?

 

[yorksrob]

I dislike Barnsley station. Too much like something off of Brookside for my taste.

Wakefield K, definitely not as bad as it was !

I've avoided changing there most occasions but Salford Crescent still seems unappealing.