Busiest stations in UK by number of train departures?

[etr221]

Can anybody point me at statistics (or provide the figures) showing the busiest stations in the UK (TfL, National Rail or whoever), or even globally, by number of trains (departures/arrivals/movements per day/year)? (All those readily available are by passengers).

At a guess I would suggest King's Cross LU (on four lines) for the top spot, but it is a guess - I've no real idea whether it is or not, or by what margin.
(By way of comparison, I had no difficulty in finding that the world's busiest airports (by departures) are in the 500-1000 flights per day range)

 

[Krokodil]

Surely Clapham Junction has the most movements at circa 118 departures per hour.

 

[fkofilee]

CLJ / Clapham rules the roost for this. Southern, GX, SWR and London Overground depart from here.

 

[Paul Kelly]

It's not sorted in order (rather alphabetically), but all the figures are on here: https://www.brtimes.com/!stations

 

[Sultan]

It's not sorted in order (rather alphabetically), but all the figures are on here: https://www.brtimes.com/!stations

Clapham Junction followed by London Bridge? Possibly London Liverpool Street in third (which I was surprised at). But this is just a quick scan.

 

[Richardr]

It's not sorted in order (rather alphabetically), but all the figures are on here: https://www.brtimes.com/!stations

I'm sure it is something obvious, but what does "fixed links" under the station mean on that list?

 

[faltskog36abba]

It's not sorted in order (rather alphabetically), but all the figures are on here: https://www.brtimes.com/!stations

Thank you Paul. I didn't know such a list existed, I will spend many an hour checking the station destinations.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Not sure if its still the case, but Birmingham New Street used to have the most arrivals and departures, but if you include trains that pass through non stop, Clapham Junction has more movements.

 

[Sultan]

Copied to excel - a bit of reformatting but filtering on any station with more than 400 departures in either local or express column:

Station	Local	Express	Other	Total
BIRKENHEAD HAMILTON SQUARE (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	417​			417​
BOND STREET EL (LARGE INTERCHANGE)	662​			662​
CANADA WATER (SMALL INTERCHANGE)	584​			584​
CANONBURY (SMALL INTERCHANGE)	615​			615​
CLAPHAM JUNCTION (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	1,405​	515​		1,920​
DALSTON JUNCTION (SMALL INTERCHANGE)	440​			440​
EAST CROYDON (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	51​	755​	1​	807​
FARRINGDON (LARGE INTERCHANGE)	930​	292​		1,222​
GATWICK AIRPORT (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	3​	592​	3​	598​
HAGGERSTON	584​			584​
HIGHBURY & ISLINGTON (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	684​			684​
HOXTON	584​			584​
HYNDLAND (SMALL INTERCHANGE)	425​	1​		426​
LEWISHAM (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	516​		2​	518​
LIVERPOOL CENTRAL (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	449​			449​
LIVERPOOL JAMES STREET (SMALL INTERCHANGE)	418​			418​
LONDON BRIDGE	906	654		1,560
LONDON LIVERPOOL STREET (LARGE INTERCHANGE)	929​	208​		1,137​
LONDON PADDINGTON (LARGE INTERCHANGE)	553​	237​	1​	791​
LONDON WATERLOO (LARGE INTERCHANGE)	480​	159​		639​
LONDON WATERLOO EAST (LARGE INTERCHANGE)	408​	256​		664​
MOORFIELDS (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	550​			550​
PARTICK (SMALL INTERCHANGE)	425​	1​		426​
PECKHAM RYE (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	464​			464​
ROMFORD (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	428​			428​
ROTHERHITHE	584​			584​
SHADWELL (SMALL INTERCHANGE)	584​			584​
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD EL (LARGE INTERCHANGE)	662​			662​
SHOREDITCH HIGH STREET	584​			584​
STRATFORD (LONDON) (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	626​	268​		894​
SURREY QUAYS (SMALL INTERCHANGE)	584​			584​
VAUXHALL (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	763​	45​		808​
WAPPING	584​			584​
WHITECHAPEL (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	1,246​			1,246​
WIMBLEDON (MEDIUM INTERCHANGE)	557​	36​		593​

 

[Taunton]

If Stratford included the TfL lines, which unlike Kings Cross etc are all mixed in on the surface with the NR trains and have common passenger flows and gatelines, that might give Clapham Junction a run for its money.

 

[etr221]

@Sultan Not sure what happened to London Bridge... (and others which might be missed)

Note Farringdon and Whitechapel beat Liverpool Street...

It all comes down to thinking about what is and isn't counted (and does that match what should be?), and what is the difference between one station and two (or more)... And that reveals the surprises (that perhaps shouldn't be); and (given some LU trains are there, and others aren't) how incorrect what comes from it is...

 

[Paul Kelly]

I'm sure it is something obvious, but what does "fixed links" under the station mean on that list?

Walking, Underground links etc. that don't have a fixed departure time but rather a duration.

 

[Taunton]

Both Liverpool James Street and Birkenhead Hamilton Square are effectively wayside stations, with low entrance/exit numbers. James Street does not have any interchange at all, to give it any such a status is wrong.

Similarly, just stabbing at examples, suggesting Wapping has 85% of the traffic of Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth Line, by whatever method of counting, is laughable. Likewise saying Hamilton Square has as much "interchange" as East Croydon .

 

[etr221]

Both Liverpool James Street and Birkenhead Hamilton Square are effectively wayside stations, with low entrance/exit numbers. James Street does not have any interchange at all, to give it any such a status is wrong.

Similarly, just stabbing at examples, suggesting Wapping has 85% of the traffic of Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth Line, by whatever method of counting, is laughable. Likewise saying Hamilton Square has as much "interchange" as East Croydon .

This thread is about numbers of departing trains, not number of passengers... I shall leave it others to raise the question of which stations have the highest/lowest ratio of trains to passengers.

 

[Watershed]

Both Liverpool James Street and Birkenhead Hamilton Square are effectively wayside stations, with low entrance/exit numbers. James Street does not have any interchange at all, to give it any such a status is wrong.

Similarly, just stabbing at examples, suggesting Wapping has 85% of the traffic of Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth Line, by whatever method of counting, is laughable. Likewise saying Hamilton Square has as much "interchange" as East Croydon .

And the "interchange status" is purely an element of the data used by journey planners to decide where to prioritise changes, if changes are possible at multiple stations for the same departure and arrival times.

 

[The exile]

Intrigued as to what counts as “other”! Guess at Paddington it might be the Night Riviera but goodness knows what it is elsewhere!

 

[Krokodil]

Intrigued as to what counts as “other”! Guess at Paddington it might be the Night Riviera but goodness knows what it is elsewhere!

Sleepers, ships, service buses, replacement buses and LU/metro are counted separately.

 

[Western Sunset]

Intrigued as to what counts as “other”! Guess at Paddington it might be the Night Riviera but goodness knows what it is elsewhere!

Yes, I was wondering what the single "other" was at East Croydon.

 

[ATrainSpotter]

Copied to excel - a bit of reformatting but filtering on any station with more than 400 departures in either local or express column:

FARRINGDON (LARGE INTERCHANGE)

930

292

1,222

Why is Farringdon considered a large interchange up there with gargantuan stations like Waterloo, London Bridge ect.? It's small!

 

[Parjon]

James Street does have interchange status, from outbound to inbound Wirral Line. ~3m passengers (Hamilton Sq 2m).

I am confused. How can Moorfields have more departures than Liverpool Central?

 

[Djgr]

James Street does have interchange status, from outbound to inbound Wirral Line. ~3m passengers (Hamilton Sq 2m).

I am confused. How can Moorfields have more departures than Liverpool Central?

Because Moorfields has all the Northern and Wirral line departures of Liverpool Central but in addition has the Northern line departures that terminate at Liverpool Central.

 

[Parjon]

Confusion ends

 

[Hadders]

Why is Farringdon considered a large interchange up there with gargantuan stations like Waterloo, London Bridge ect.? It's small!

Thameslink and the Elizabeth Line both serve Farringdon along with the Met/Circle/H&C Underground Lines.

A complete change to the pre-Thameslimk days.

 

[ATrainSpotter]

Thameslink and the Elizabeth Line both serve Farringdon along with the Met/Circle/H&C Underground Lines.

A complete change to the pre-Thameslimk days.

Yes I know, I'm a regular commuter through there. I guess its measured with how many destinations trains go to rather than the station size itself?

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Counting methodology matters. If London Underground were to be included somewhere like Stratford would be much higher up, even more so if the DLR was as well.

 

[richw]

Why is Farringdon considered a large interchange up there with gargantuan stations like Waterloo, London Bridge ect.? It's small!

Since opening of the Elizabeth line, Farringdon is the suggested routing between stations west of Paddington to Gatwick. It was the quickest route by some time when I travelled Cornwall to Gatwick a couple of months back.

 

[Sultan]

@Sultan Not sure what happened to London Bridge... (and others which might be missed)

Note Farringdon and Whitechapel beat Liverpool Street...

It all comes down to thinking about what is and isn't counted (and does that match what should be?), and what is the difference between one station and two (or more)... And that reveals the surprises (that perhaps shouldn't be); and (given some LU trains are there, and others aren't) how incorrect what comes from it is...

Oops - must have missed that one when filtering. It was a rush job! I've inserted it (didn't know that was possible)

Intrigued as to what counts as “other”! Guess at Paddington it might be the Night Riviera but goodness knows what it is elsewhere!

Bus Replacement Services on that day I think

 

[BigB]

Since opening of the Elizabeth line, Farringdon is the suggested routing between stations west of Paddington to Gatwick. It was the quickest route by some time when I travelled Cornwall to Gatwick a couple of months back.

Scotland (ECML) to Essex now routes via EL instead of the tube. Very simple journey too!

 

[richw]

Scotland (ECML) to Essex now routes via EL instead of the tube. Very simple journey too!

It’s a definite game changer arriving at Paddington, but has changed flows. Previously would have been tube to London Bridge or victoria to head for Gatwick, or change at Reading. Time wise EL to change at Farringdon has shaved 30 mins or more off in reality.