Sad border stations

[Tetchytyke]

If we're allowing these, then surely the saddest of them all is Newhaven Marine! Honourable mention to Stratford International which never actually got to the status of (quasi-)Border station.

And if we're allowing that, I'd say Ashford and Ebbsfleet are even sadder.

 

[zwk500]

And if we're allowing that, I'd say Ashford and Ebbsfleet are even sadder.

At the moment certainly, although there is a glimmer of hope for these two.

 

[Flying Snail]

And if we're allowing that, I'd say Ashford and Ebbsfleet are even sadder.

Ashford and Ebbsfleet are just empty. Pretty much all the formerly busy rail-sea ports that haven't been completely flattened or re-purposed are pretty grim, mind you many of them were not much better when in heavy use before EasyJet and Ryanair made them redundant.

 

[riceuten]

Basel SNCF is a sad little adjunct to the main Basel SBB station - no facilities to speak of, until you get to the main station, and they only seemed to stop people of colour, though theoretically the checks were solely for customs purposes. You can then proceed to the main concourse and pay CHF25 for a pizza.

Wissembourg SNCF in Alsace has a real "end of the line" feel - sporadic and irregular services to Landau and Strasbourg. It handily has not just a SNCF ticket machine, but a DB one as well (there's a DB ticket machine at Salzburg Hbf as well).

 

[Dougal2345]

Portbou in Spain and Cerbère in France have grand international stations for essentially large villages and are much reduced in stature with the through passenger services (such as they are) now directed over the high-speed line. The former has been nicely renovated.

Have been to Portbou a few times in recent years. It's smart enough, although the large building is mostly empty. It looks as though there was a large buffet in there at one point which is now abandoned but not removed - peering through the windows one can see food display counters and an old CRT TV on a bracket. Also in the building, still accessible, are some old telephone cubicles, which are in a sad state, doors and telephones removed and wires still hanging from the walls - these have been this way for a few years now...