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Least Used Stations 2019-20

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Stathern Jc

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Seeing reports that the statistics showing the most and least used stations for 2019-20 have been issued today by the ORR I had a quick look at the link to the report, at:
https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage

The least used being Berney Arms, with 42 entries and exits, and Elton & Orston second, with 68.

There was an interesting comment on the lowest two stations in the same statistics for last year:
"In previous years, usage at some of the least used stations presented as part of these statistics have greatly increased the following year. We understand that highlighting the least used stations within these statistics can encourage people to visit them. Last year’s joint least used stations, Denton and Stanlow & Thornton each had 46 entries and exits. In 2019-20, the number of entries and exits at these stations increased to 92 and 82 respectively."

Is there any prospect for a similar boom in traffic (or maybe just ticket purchases) this year for Berney Arms and Elton & Orston?

Elton & Orston has a paltry and hardly convenient service of just one train From Grantham / to Nottingham at 0625, and one from Nottingham / to Grantham at 1710.
Given a better and more usable service, and a fair slice of imagination I have a picture in my mind of an upgrade to "Orston Parkway" .........


Any thoughts on the listing in the report?
 
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HughT

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Berney Arms was closed for most of the period concerned. And, given its location, the question as to whether rail replacement bus passengers are included with such station data remains, fortunately, moot...
 

Mcr Warrior

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As HughT has just pointed out, wasn't Berney Arms closed for much of period in question?

Be interesting if there was an indication of the typical service provision for the least used stations in question.

Denton and Reddish South both get just the one train in each direction on Saturdays only.

P.S. What's happened to Breich and the golf course stops near Dundee.
 

Peregrine 4903

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As HughT has just pointed out, wasn't Berney Arms closed for much of period in question?

Be interesting if there was an indication of the typical service provision for the least used stations in question.

Denton and Reddish South both get just the one train in each direction on Saturdays only.

P.S. What's happened to Breich and the golf course stops near Dundee.
Breich got an hourly service, so its passengers usage went up to 2,550.
 

geoffk

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The figures seem to be out early this year. The effect of Covid (the last three weeks of March only) will be much more dramatic next year!
 

Peregrine 4903

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That’s almost 7 single trips a day!
I have to admit, I was hoping that Gainsborough Central and Breich stations would have higher passenger numbers. But its not really surprising in this case. And unlike for a lot of a stations 3 weeks of Covid cannot be used as an excuse.
 

Ianno87

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Cambridge North just shy of 1 million, less than 3 years after opening. Not bad at all.


The figures seem to be out early this year. The effect of Covid (the last three weeks of March only) will be much more dramatic next year!

Quite helpfully, this years stars provide both April 19-Mar 20 and Mar 19-Feb 20 figures, the latter effectively being the non-Covid usage.

Some quick spreadsheeting I did showed the former number typically 2-4% down on the latter from a severely depressed March (demand-wise)
 

InOban

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The figures seem to be out early this year. The effect of Covid (the last three weeks of March only) will be much more dramatic next year!
Actually this is the usual time. They were late last year and didn't come out until the new year.
 

Peregrine 4903

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When looking at the statistics from March 2019 to February 2020, Deansgate got a huge increase from 456,140 to 1,323,150 with the reason for this being a methodological change which caused such a large change.

Does anyone know what the methodoligical change would be? It just mentions count splits in the spreadsheet?

Is it also possible that there may have been a large passenger increase at Deansgate station anyway?
 

Ianno87

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When looking at the statistics from March 2019 to February 2020, Deansgate got a huge increase from 456,140 to 1,323,150 with the reason for this being a methodological change which caused such a large change.

Does anyone know what the methodoligical change would be? It just mentions count splits in the spreadsheet?

Is it also possible that there may have been a large passenger increase at Deansgate station anyway?

It'll be down to how tickets sold to "Manchester Stations" are allocated between Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Deansgate and Victoria.

Perhaps a survey was done using cameras to get a more realistic picture of daily usage.

I doubt Deansgate usage has changed that dramatically.
 

Peregrine 4903

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It'll be down to how tickets sold to "Manchester Stations" are allocated between Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Deansgate and Victoria.

Perhaps a survey was done using cameras to get a more realistic picture of daily usage.

I doubt Deansgate usage has changed that dramatically.
Thankyou for your answer, that makes a lot of sense. I don't know the area, but it did seem a bit odd for Deansgate to be getting such a huge increase.
 

Horizon22

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When looking at the statistics from March 2019 to February 2020, Deansgate got a huge increase from 456,140 to 1,323,150 with the reason for this being a methodological change which caused such a large change.

Does anyone know what the methodoligical change would be? It just mentions count splits in the spreadsheet?

Is it also possible that there may have been a large passenger increase at Deansgate station anyway?

They always tweak the 'X stations' methodology every year, and sometimes its more dramatic than others. I found it interesting that Paddington went up so much because Heathrow had never been included; a very significant chunk (well not now) of passenger numbers that had been missing.
 

Peregrine 4903

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Hockley, Liss, Manor Park and Manors stations all had significant increases in passenger usage without any official reason accompanying them.

For example Manor Park went up from 1,700,818 to 2,367,478, Hockley went up from 724,288 to 978,212 and Liss wnet up from 246,820 to 328,618 and all of these didn't have any specifically stated reason as to why they increased.

This is for the normal stats, not the March to February stats like I previously stated.
 
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Ianno87

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Hockley, Liss, Manor Park and Manors stations all had significant increases in passenger usage without any official reason accompanying them.

For example Manor Park went up from 1,700,818 to 2,367,478, Hockley went up from 724,288 to 978,212 and Liss wnet up from 246,820 to 328,618 and all of these didn't have any specifically stated reason as to why they increased.

This is for the March 2019 to the February 2020 stats.

I think they only do it when there's a big jump in the April-March numbers (so Covid will suppress all the increases you've stated above)
 

geoffk

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I'm looking at Table 1410, which I assume refers to April 19 to March 20 as many stations show a reduction in patronage. Is that correct. I can't find any reference to a March - February table.
 

Ianno87

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I'm looking at Table 1410, which I assume refers to April 19 to March 20 as many stations show a reduction in patronage. Is that correct. I can't find any reference to a March - February table.

Its over slightly to the right.
 

bluenoxid

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It is in a column further right. It’s not with the rest of the numbers IIRC
 

Crossover

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Organising the dataset by percentage change from previous year, it is probably no surprise that the 4th largest percentage change at 194.4% is Redcar British Steel (up from 360 to 1,060), given its temporary closure in December. There were a good 40 or so of us there for the very last service!
 

Peregrine 4903

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I think they only do it when there's a big jump in the April-March numbers (so Covid will suppress all the increases you've stated above)
Turns out they were the March to April increases as I thught there was a seperate spreadsheet containing the March to February figures, not just a column in the same spreadsheet. So they would have been a bit bigger without the Covid Supression.
 

Kite159

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Thankyou for your answer, that makes a lot of sense. I don't know the area, but it did seem a bit odd for Deansgate to be getting such a huge increase.
I would imagine Deansgate is popular for those travelling to other destinations on the trams seeing as it's an easier change than at Piccadilly.

Berney Arms is low due to being closed for nearly 11 months of the reporting period, it will probably go back up next year (even with Covid, as it's a popular place to start a walk to either Reedham or Yarmouth).

Elton & Orston has a rubbish service, even if it does serve two small villages. Might be some demand from those small villages who would use the train if more stopped but the road has no pavements so won't necessarily get walkers.

I would imagine the bulk of tickets for Stanlow would be to Ince & Elton (or Ellesmere Port if that is cheaper) which probably gets a boost by those who buy tickets between lightly used stations as well as using a ranger product
 

Stathern Jc

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Elton & Orston has a reasonable amount of space where parking could be established, but the exit is poor for visibility in the Orston direction which could be detrimental to any prospects of increasing activity. Also, a better service could attract travellers from other villages who find parking difficult at Bottesford and Bingham, don't think there's much space at Aslockton if any.
 
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YorksLad12

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Bit annoyed that they've changed the format of the CSV/Excel file this year; I take the figures and add a new column to a 'master' spreadsheet going back 11 or so years, spit them out in CSV to upload to a MySQL database to produce a .kml file to zip and overlay onto a Google map. Give me a few days to remind myself what it is I do at each step and I'll share the result...

Good to see they've added the numbers for Heathrow stations at last!
 

Jurg

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Good to see the March-Feb figures showed strong growth on the NUCKLE line as expected with the improved rolling stock and direct journeys between Nuneaton and Leamington.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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Adding Heathrow traffic has reversed Euston and Paddington in the "most used" table.
Merseytravel station numbers have gone up 5% or so because of revised ticket allocation rules, including all Liverpool city centre stations (5.7%).
Chester is part of this and now exceeds 5 million.
Shrewsbury is fractionally down, Wrexham more significantly (Mar 19-Feb 20 figures).
 

Novern Uproar

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Rawcliffe, on the Goole - Leeds line. One man and his dog use it, with three trains a day in total calling there. Despite large housing developments in the nearby village of Snaith (also rail served), there is still no sign of any increased service soon. Lots of promises from politicians off all shades over the years but . .
 
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