What happened to Request stops?

[thenorthern]

Back in the early 2000s I remember the Manchester Airport to Skegness trains which had Longport, Etruria, Netherfield, Radcliffe (Notts), Elton & Orston, Rauceby, Heckington, Swineshead, Hubberts Bridge, Thorpe Culvert and Havenhouse were all request stops for at least some of the trains. However today none of the stations are request stops although I am aware that not all the trains stop at all the stations.

Why has there been a massive reduction in the amount of Request stops? It's not just in the Midlands that there has been a massive reduction but in other areas as well. I know in Cumbria there used to be 18 request stops in the First North Western days now there are only 2 at Braystones and Nethertown.

 

[VT 390]

It's not just in the Midlands that there has been a massive reduction but in other areas as well. I know in Cumbria there used to be 18 request stops in the First North Western days now there are only 2 at Braystones and Nethertown.

I don't even think Nethertown and Braystones are request stops anymore.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

And Etruria has been (permanently) closed for a couple of decades now.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why has there been a massive reduction in the amount of Request stops? It's not just in the Midlands that there has been a massive reduction but in other areas as well. I know in Cumbria there used to be 18 request stops in the First North Western days now there are only 2 at Braystones and Nethertown.

They confuse people, and as the train has to slow right down anyway they don't save an awful lot of time.

 

[The exile]

Probably a realisation that they’re more trouble than they’re worth.

 

[VT 390]

Its interesting that throughout most of England request stops are being removed but in Devon and Cornwall Great Western Railway still serve many request stops on the branch lines. In Wales and Scotland they are even upgrading request stops with the request to stop machines.

 

[Belperpete]

There are still plenty left, on the Cambrian for example. And I seem to recall some trials being started recently of a system for passengers waiting at a request stop to alert an approaching train in advance of the need to stop.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

In Wales and Scotland they are even upgrading request stops with the request to stop machines.

That is a different solution to the issue of having to slow down to check for requesters.
Both are valid options, and this approach certianly helps in regards to having recovery time.

 

[Skiddaw]

Is Falls of Cruachan still a request stop out of interest?

 

[VT 390]

There are still plenty left, on the Cambrian for example. And I seem to recall some trials being started recently of a system for passengers waiting at a request stop to alert an approaching train in advance of the need to stop.

ScotRail have the request to stop machines on the Far North Line (Inverness to Thurso/Wick) request stop stations. Transport for Wales have teste them on some North Wales request stop stations.

 

[andy33gmail]

Wouldn’t be conceptually hard to have a push button on the platform & on the train. But presumably the timetable would need to cater to the worst case anyway, so it would just be an expensive investment in improving resilience slightly (by skipping stops and catching up)

 

[VT 390]

Is Falls of Cruachan still a request stop out of interest?

No but it is a seasonal station not served during the winter.

 

[Skiddaw]

No but it is a seasonal station not served during the winter.

Thank you!

 

[VT 390]

That is a different solution to the issue of having to slow down to check for requesters.
Both are valid options, and this approach certianly helps in regards to having recovery time.

In ScotRail's case the 8 Far North request stops with these are located at are very lightly used so it makes sense to keep them as request stops as they are genuinely likely to have services skip them, whereas most of the stations in England that are no longer request stops usually stopped more often than not.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Great Western Railway still serve many request stops on the branch lines

And one on a mainline- Dockyard.

 

[Horizon22]

I imagine for a lot of the smaller but not tiny request stop stations, the performance benefit of not stopping was probably deemed negligible as well as preventing any passenger confusion so they were done away with.

 

[VT 390]

I imagine for a lot of the smaller but not tiny request stop stations, the performance benefit of not stopping was probably deemed negligible as well as preventing any passenger confusion so they were done away with.

The most confusing request stop was probably Bures served by Greater Anglia which, if I remember correctly, was a part time request stop which would could become very confusing. Its not even one of the smallest/lowest usage stations that is/was a request stop.

 

[dk1]

Some operators ceased the request stops during the pandemic as guards were not passing through the saloons. That coupled with the new Stadler fleet in East Anglia proved so successful it was never changed back.

 

[SuspectUsual]

No but it is a seasonal station not served during the winter.

....at least partly because it was (still is?) unlit

 

[Farigiraf]

If the UK was like many sensible countries with numerous rural halts, request stop buttons would be commonplace. For some reason though, we haven’t adopted these and therefore the request stop procedure remains quite old-fashioned and troublesome.

I don’t see the problem with maintaining request stops using a button system, it’s very straightforward and allows trains to run faster most of the time. However it’s a sunk cost to install these at stations with usage in the low hundreds, and the DfT doesn’t seem to love sunk costs with minimal instant returns.

 

[VT 390]

....at least partly because it was (still is?) unlit

I believe so, my last visit was in August last year (2025) and there was no lighting on the platform or steps up to the station.

 

[Horizon22]

However it’s a sunk cost to install these at stations with usage in the low hundreds, and the DfT doesn’t seem to love sunk costs with minimal instant returns.

Also by their very nature, they are not well patronised stations - perhaps just a few passengers each day and probably focussed around certain periods - so the cost/benefit ratio will be very low as opposed to the "Do Nothing" approach which seems to work broadly fine.

 

[Farigiraf]

Also by their very nature, they are not well patronised stations - perhaps just a few passengers each day and probably focussed around certain periods - so the cost/benefit ratio will be very low as opposed to the "Do Nothing" approach which seems to work broadly fine.

Yes, well managed decline is usually the best value option in the moment, but it rarely brings long-term benefits.

Why have ScotRail paused their request stop button trial? Is it because of the Altnabreac debacle?

 

[Horizon22]

Yes, well managed decline is usually the best value option in the moment, but it rarely brings long-term benefits.

Whilst many things may be "managed decline", I don't think that 'keeping things as they are' really falls into this category. It may not be an improvement sure, but any outstanding request stops will just be managed in the same way that they have been for decades. So it's keeping the same provision, not worsening or improving it.

 

[45Fox]

Some operators ceased the request stops during the pandemic as guards were not passing through the saloons. That coupled with the new Stadler fleet in East Anglia proved so successful it was never changed back.

That makes sense.

 

[Snow1964]

Its interesting that throughout most of England request stops are being removed but in Devon and Cornwall Great Western Railway still serve many request stops on the branch lines. In Wales and Scotland they are even upgrading request stops with the request to stop machines.

Still got some in Dorset and Wiltshire too

Chetnole, Dilton Marsh, Yetminster, Thornford,

 

[Express380]

And one on a mainline- Dockyard.

Barely ever treated as one though.

 

[mmh]

In Wales and Scotland they are even upgrading request stops with the request to stop machines.

In this part of Wales the local MS petitioned to have the ones on the North Wales Coast in her constituency removed, and was successful.

They're confusing for non-regular, and ultimately pointless in the modern era (I assume their very existence is a relic of a long gone time where there may have been a reason not to stop)

 

[RailWonderer]

I don’t see the problem with maintaining request stops using a button system, it’s very straightforward and allows trains to run faster most of the time. However it’s a sunk cost to install these at stations with usage in the low hundreds, and the DfT doesn’t seem to love sunk costs with minimal instant returns.

I like this system and it should have been rolled out more. Dunrobin Castle did, but Transport Scotland are more open to this type of thing. TS has always been a bit more pro public transport than the DfT.
The station is only open though when the castle is open from March to October

They're confusing for non-regular, and ultimately pointless in the modern era (I assume their very existence is a relic of a long gone time where there may have been a reason not to stop)

Confusing how? A button with a short message can't be hard to understand, like 'Trains do not call here unless requested. Press me to call for a train. See the timetable for your next service'.

 

[Russel]

I wonder how much the removal of request stops is connected with the dumbing down of society in general...