Busiest station with fewer than one t.p.h.?

[InkyScrolls]

As an example, Settle had 118k recorded entries and exits in 21/22, with an average service of one train per two hours. Are there busier stations with a similar service level? I'm sure there are, so what's the busiest?

Side question: Settle has nine services in each direction (to and from either Carlisle/Ribblehead and Leeds) on weekdays and Saturdays, and six on Sundays, giving an average of just over seventeen services (in total) per day. This equates to nineteen passengers per train: 19:1. Which station has, proportionately, the most passengers per service?

 

[tbtc]

Which station has, proportionately, the most passengers per service?

I’m interested in the “average number of departing passengers per train” as a way of assessing the use of a station (too many have fewer than one departing passenger for every service that stops there, e.g. Breich gets an hourly service all day but only around five departing passengers a day)

A station that only has a rush hour service might perform fairly well here, since the passenger numbers are only divided by the shall number of weekly departures (compared to somewhere with off peak trains).

Or maybe somewhere that only gets InterCity services will do quite well (e.g. Alnmouth)?

I’m not saying it’ll be the highest but I wonder whether somewhere like Bordesley will punch above its weight here, since the only services that stop are specifically chosen to suit the football traffic… it’s probably the quietest station in the region but presumably every service that stops there will be pretty well used

However I guess that the sheer volume of passengers and ten/twelve coach trains means that the top answer will be somewhere like Waterloo (I don’t know the answer, just an assumption)

 

[D6130]

Or maybe somewhere that only gets InterCity services will do quite well (e.g. Alnwick)?

Assuming that you are referring to Alnmouth, although I don't have any figures to hand, I suspect - from the experiences of a friend of my wife's who lives there and commutes to Newcastle every day Monday-Friday - that the busiest trains of the day there are the Northern ('Chathill Flyer') services.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Or maybe somewhere that only gets InterCity services will do quite well (e.g. Alnwick)?

Given that Alnwick hasn't seen a train since 1968, I suspect it's figures might be rather poor.

Alnmouth, on the other hand, does have 'local' services - though only two per day, to and from Chathill.

As a side note, it's always irked me that Northern don't call at Berwick, but having tried to find paths for a hypothetical NCL - BWK stopper I see the reason why!

 

[FtoE]

Fort William was at 140k (pre-Covid) with 3 in each direction + 1 to/from Mallaig + seasonal steam to/from Mallaig + sleeper.
Maximum of 12 departures / day.

 

[InkyScrolls]

The figures are a bit vague but somewhere in the region of 30 passengers per train, then.

 

[TheDavibob]

Fort William was at 140k (pre-Covid) with 3 in each direction + 1 to/from Mallaig + seasonal steam to/from Mallaig + sleeper.
Maximum of 12 departures / day.

Similarly, Oban was at around 170k, though that's with 6 in each direction.

At the other end of the country, Newquay has over 100k a year.

EDIT:

Looking around further, Okehampton's opening figures look very impressive relatively speaking - if I'm not missing anything, the vast majority of its 2021/22 passenger numbers (54,904) would have occurred in approximately the final third of the year, and been entirely at 1tp2h, though obviously it's since dropped of the 'infrequently served' list.

 

[DanNCL]

Pewsey and Chester-le-Street must surely be contenders. Both well in excess of 100,000 passengers per year pre covid.

 

[mrd269697]

Surely has to be Aberystwyth. Up until about 2019, it has a service every 2 hours, and was recording over 300k per annum. Services are now broadly hourly with a few gaps. December 23 timetable change proposed to be hourly all day.

 

[mlambeuk]

Surely Whitby must must be in with a shout, with an infrequent Northern plus the odd NYMR service.

 

[hexagon789]

Surely Whitby must must be in with a shout, with an infrequent Northern plus the odd NYMR service.

120k, in 2019 it was 135k - so has recovered better than some.

In terms of footfall against total number of trains, it must be fairly high on such a list.

 

[DanNCL]

120k, in 2019 it was 135k - so has recovered better than some.

In terms of footfall against total number of trains, it must be fairly high on such a list.

Unsurprising really, tourism has for a long time been the primary market for Whitby.

No idea what the situation is now but pre covid it wasn't uncommon for 4 car trains to arrive and depart full and standing.

 

[MacCookie]

Surely has to be Aberystwyth. Up until about 2019, it has a service every 2 hours, and was recording over 300k per annum. Services are now broadly hourly with a few gaps. December 23 timetable change proposed to be hourly all day.

Alloa was c.390k p/a pre-COVID with a service every two hours, but is now hourly.

 

[hexagon789]

Unsurprising really, tourism has for a long time been the primary market for Whitby.

No idea what the situation is now but pre covid it wasn't uncommon for 4 car trains to arrive and depart full and standing.

I get the impression that even nowadays that still occurs.

Alloa was c.390k p/a pre-COVID with a service every two hours, but is now hourly.

Alloa has been hourly since re-opening.

 

[MacCookie]

Alloa has been hourly since re-opening.

*sighs* It was of course hourly pre-COVID, but is now half-hourly. It has been one of those days!

 

[hexagon789]

*sighs* It was of course hourly pre-COVID, but is now half-hourly. It has been one of those days!

I thought perhaps that was what you meant, no harm done!

I know the feeling - hope the rest of the day is better!

 

[tbtc]

Unsurprising really, tourism has for a long time been the primary market for Whitby.

No idea what the situation is now but pre covid it wasn't uncommon for 4 car trains to arrive and depart full and standing.

I’ve seen this claim before from a poster who seems to use the Whitby branch quite often

The highest passenger numbers over the past five years (based on Wiki) are 2017/2018: 138,000pa

So that’s 69,000 departing passengers each year (using the highest year’s figures)

Divide that by three hundred and sixty (since there’s no service on Christmas Day/ Boxing Day…) that’s 192 departing passengers a day

The reason given for keeping the line open was that it was essential for school children (since buses couldn’t serve such remote places), so presumably the school services are quite busy?

A four coach 156 has around three hundred seats

So if over three hundred passengers on one individual service isn’t “uncommon” then presumably there are a lot of services that leave Whitby with very few passengers - maybe we could save costs and reduce the branch to just the school trip plus a morning arrival from Middlesbrough and tea time departure?

 

[yorksrob]

I’ve seen this claim before from a poster who seems to use the Whitby branch quite often

The highest passenger numbers over the past five years (based on Wiki) are 2017/2018: 138,000pa

So that’s 69,000 departing passengers each year (using the highest year’s figures)

Divide that by three hundred and sixty (since there’s no service on Christmas Day/ Boxing Day…) that’s 192 departing passengers a day

The reason given for keeping the line open was that it was essential for school children (since buses couldn’t serve such remote places), so presumably the school services are quite busy?

A four coach 156 has around three hundred seats

So if over three hundred passengers on one individual service isn’t “uncommon” then presumably there are a lot of services that leave Whitby with very few passengers - maybe we could save costs and reduce the branch to just the school trip plus a morning arrival from Middlesbrough and tea time departure?

@DanNCL is correct in his observations.

And like all lines, yes it has some quiet trains as well (surprise surprise).

 

[nw1]

I’ve seen this claim before from a poster who seems to use the Whitby branch quite often

The highest passenger numbers over the past five years (based on Wiki) are 2017/2018: 138,000pa

So that’s 69,000 departing passengers each year (using the highest year’s figures)

Divide that by three hundred and sixty (since there’s no service on Christmas Day/ Boxing Day…) that’s 192 departing passengers a day

The reason given for keeping the line open was that it was essential for school children (since buses couldn’t serve such remote places), so presumably the school services are quite busy?

A four coach 156 has around three hundred seats

So if over three hundred passengers on one individual service isn’t “uncommon” then presumably there are a lot of services that leave Whitby with very few passengers - maybe we could save costs and reduce the branch to just the school trip plus a morning arrival from Middlesbrough and tea time departure?

On the other hand the unit that goes out there in the morning and back in the evening may as well do something useful rather than sitting round Whitby station all day, such as another journey to Middlesbrough and back for example. For one thing, what's the driver going to do all that time?

The Whitby area must get tourists staying for a holiday - so a mid-morning departure from, and early evening arrival, there would doubtless be useful.

 

[Starmill]

hundred passengers on one individual service isn’t “uncommon” then presumably there are a lot of services that leave Whitby with very few passengers

Pretty much all of them outside of the typical range of English school holidays. The 0630 to Middlesbrough is inconveniently early, the next one doesn't arrive until 1015, which is a bit late.

 

[philthetube]

Heysham port always deserves a mention on these lists.

 

[tbtc]

@DanNCL is correct in his observations.

And like all lines, yes it has some quiet trains as well (surprise surprise).

So it’s quite common for one train to have over three hundred passengers?

Despite the station having an average of a hundred and ninety two departing passengers a day?

And the apparently busy school services too?

With six return journeys a day on the branch, that must mean a LOT of empty services

 

[hexagon789]

Given there is no gateline at Whitby, and the methodology for recording passenger numbers is rather basic; do we really think that 192 passengers is the true average figure?

I rather doubt it.

Also, the Northern 156s don't seat the traditional 150 (74/76) anymore - PRM mods have reduced seating capacity in the DMSL by a fair chunk and the DMS also has slightly fewer seats. It's probably closer to 260 seats now over a four-car formation.

 

[Iskra]

So it’s quite common for one train to have over three hundred passengers?

Despite the station having an average of a hundred and ninety two departing passengers a day?

And the apparently busy school services too?

With six return journeys a day on the branch, that must mean a LOT of empty services

Your passenger figures aren't going to cover all tickets, such as ALR's, Northern newspaper Rangers, Northern Complimentary tickets etc.

It is of course possible that you are both right, however. I strongly suspect traffic on the line is incredibly seasonal, which your equal distribution of passengers across 360 days does not account for. I reckon, in January the line is pretty quiet throughout. However, on a sunny summer Saturday I suspect trains are packed and full and standing, and that is with of course the NYMR doing most of the 'heavy lifting' of day-tripping tourists too. Such an explanation would account for both yours and the other poster's assertions being true, but at the same time flawed.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

So it’s quite common for one train to have over three hundred passengers?

Probably not all that common, over the course of a full year, but I have certainly seen the early evening "Music and ale train" summertime departure from Whitby to Middlesbrough so heavily loaded (this at the end of a sunny Friday) that the musicians weren't able to board!

 

[yorksrob]

Given there is no gateline at Whitby, and the methodology for recording passenger numbers is rather basic; do we really think that 192 passengers is the true average figure?

I rather doubt it.

Also, the Northern 156s don't seat the traditional 150 (74/76) anymore - PRM mods have reduced seating capacity in the DMSL by a fair chunk and the DMS also has slightly fewer seats. It's probably closer to 260 seats now over a four-car formation.

Your passenger figures aren't going to cover all tickets, such as ALR's, Northern newspaper Rangers, Northern Complimentary tickets etc.

It is of course possible that you are both right, however. I strongly suspect traffic on the line is incredibly seasonal, which your equal distribution of passengers across 360 days does not account for. I reckon, in January the line is pretty quiet throughout. However, on a sunny summer Saturday I suspect trains are packed and full and standing, and that is with of course the NYMR doing most of the 'heavy lifting' of day-tripping tourists too. Such an explanation would account for both yours and the other poster's assertions being true, but at the same time flawed.

Probably not all that common, over the course of a full year, but I have certainly seen the early evening "Music and ale train" summertime departure from Whitby to Middlesbrough so heavily loaded (this at the end of a sunny Friday) that the musicians weren't able to board!

Indeed. It has to be remembered that the service pattern on the line isn't particularly attractive for locals and visitors, yet it still manages to attract the passengers it does. With a half decent service, it could do wonders, however we seem to be unable to put in an extra block post.

 

[Iskra]

Indeed. It has to be remembered that the service pattern on the line isn't particularly attractive for locals and visitors, yet it still manages to attract the passengers it does. With a half decent service, it could do wonders, however we seem to be unable to put in an extra block post.

Oh, I quite agree. I suspect the line also goes to the ‘wrong’ place, for most Whitby inhabitants and tourists are more likely to gravitate towards York or Leeds culturally and economically over Middlesbrough.

 

[Grecian 1998]

Yeovil Pen Mill was 144,000 as of 2019 with 8 tpd from Weymouth - Bristol and beyond plus a handful of services from Yeovil Junction.

Still seems pretty poor for a town of 40,000 given it's connected to a seaside resort in Weymouth at one end and Bath and Bristol at the other. TBF the sporadic timetable along with the fact the station is only just in Yeovil won't help.

 

[zwk500]

Indeed. It has to be remembered that the service pattern on the line isn't particularly attractive for locals and visitors, yet it still manages to attract the passengers it does. With a half decent service, it could do wonders, however we seem to be unable to put in an extra block post.

Thing is the block post at Grosmont wouldn't make any difference to the public service. You'd need extra/moved loops to improve the public service. I know there was a project looking at some modest line speed improvements on the Esk Valley, although not sure what the improvement actually shook out at.

 

[yorksrob]

Thing is the block post at Grosmont wouldn't make any difference to the public service. You'd need extra/moved loops to improve the public service. I know there was a project looking at some modest line speed improvements on the Esk Valley, although not sure what the improvement actually shook out at.

I'm not sure you would. You already have passing places at Battersby and Glaisdale that are barely used, the problem is the section from Grosmont onwards.

What it needs is not to have massive gaps in the service.