Stations you don't want to go to/be at

[Tim R-T-C]

Far enough, not commuted there for a while. For Halifax, I would use Bradford and a quick walk between the stations, not unpleasant during the day but Interchange at night I would add to the thread list. The barriers are a welcome addition.

 

[adrock1976]

We have an unwritten rule in Glasgow. If a train station has a really nice name, it's either a horrible place or there's nothing there at all.

• Summerston
• Maryhill
• Mount Florida
• Singer
• Milliken Park
• Fort Matilda
• Alexandria

Don't forget Woodhall and Paisley St James on the Inverclyde route. When I worked for a transport organisation 10 - 11 years ago, I had the misfortune of counting passengers at Woodhall station. Windy, lashing with rain, and surrounded by residential buildings boarded up and due for demolition. Needless to say, I could count on one hand the numbers of passengers who alighted and boarded each train that called at the station for my whole shift.

Paisley St James station is situated in the worst area possible of that town. It is located close to the original bit of the Ferguslie Park area, an area to be avoided at the best of times.

In peace

Adam

 

[yorksrob]

It is located close to the original bit of the Ferguslie Park area, an area to be avoided at the best of times.

I suddenly have the urge to listen to my Stealers Wheel album !

For me, I never like hanging around at Salford Crescent. Nothing to do, nowhere nearby. Far prefer to change at Victoria or Oxford Road instead.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I expect it was this one.

I wouldn't fancy the walk over the Coal Road. I drove it once in a Toyota Aygo, that was interesting enough! The walk to Dent village is worth it though, for the beer.

As much as I love Dent with its magnificent church and cobbled streets the walk from Dent station is quite a stretch, however at least its easy walking through the dale! The George (Dent Brewery tap) is a wonderful pub although sadly the Sun has rather gone down hill.

In all fairness, in terms of a pub visit from Dent station the Sportsman's Inn at Cowgill would be much easier! It's worth mentioning that they always have something from the Dent Brewery on tap!

In terms of the Coal Road, after the shock of the initial sharp climb I think the walk over the fells is fairly easy. However the road should be treated with caution in winter, hence the warning signs in Cowgill and Garsdale!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The Coal Road can be a very challenging drive but it's amazing what you find up there sometimes
VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fAG-sL4IPI

LOL I think I might know the children who built that! Will ring my sister in law in the morning to confirm!

 

[alwaystouchout]

London Euston on a weekend evening isn't too nice, the tipsy dispossessed pushing total paralysis, depending on whether their team won or not, convinced their Oyster cards are a valid tender for the purchase of booze and fags

Woolwich Dockyard
Agree about the Medway stations, in particular Chatham (wasn't surprised that *word* originates there!)
Never liked Barking

Belle Vue and Ryder Brow - typical low quality inner city stations with its facilities geared towards a temporary shelter for addicts rather than as a functioning railway station. Brinnington too.

Surprised to see Manchester Piccadilly mentioned, guess it's more to do with drunken students determined to make as much work as possible for TPE cleaners

 

[MK Tom]

~ Leagrave - in a rough area.

Leagrave is a notable gap in the MML for me. It and Harlington are the only stations between Kettering and St. Albans I've not visited. Harlington purely because it's in the middle of nowhere. As for Leagrave, I once took a ride on the number 24 bus all round that area and saw all of that part of Luton that I ever intend to. One of the most depressing experiences I've had.

Somebody mentioned Lewisham earlier. I do find that a tad threatening, and the layout makes it a pig for trying to watch stuff come though.

~ Sandy - perhaps surprising as the place outwardly doesn't seem too bad, but I find this town deeply depressing for some reason, a combination of the people there and the way the town is cut up by the A1. Station area often seems to have kids hanging around causing problems.

Have to admit I have no idea where you're coming from with this. I find the town quite pleasant, the A1 just sort of skirts the edge, and the station is fun to watch at. Personally I prefer Biggleswade both as a town and as a station for spotting, but Sandy is perfectly nice and I've never felt anything but comfortable there. If you remove Luton/Dunstable, I find the whole of Bedfordshire really pleasant, including most of Bedford itself.

 

[overtonchris]

That always happens then, enjoy L1

Thank the Lord I don't support them and have to go there every match day!

Could I add both of the Catford stations.....been to both after dark - wee bit scary after dark.......and I'm not the nervy type!

 

[Darren R]

Never liked Barking

Agreed - scary scary place at night! At least C2C services don't stop at 'Nam East!

 

[Rapidash]

The usual Devon Metro suspects for me: Posloe Bridge, St James Park, St Thomas. All of em just grim, no real shelter and look like they've been abandoned. Exeter Central is starting to look better, slowly but surely.

 

[Mitch in Notts]

Some of the former mining towns & villages on the Robin Hood Line remain & always have been rather on the rough side (and thats putting it politely with some of them). Having also cycled through quite a few of them I've had more than a few requests to hand my bicycle over :roll: needless to say I just laugh at them!

 

[southern442]

Actually, on a completely different spectrum - Carstairs at night in the fog. Stopped there on the sleeper train and got up to look out of the coach window with fog rolling across the platforms and no-one in sight. Really eerie. Wanted to get out and have a look but was too worried that the train might head off into the night without me...

It's been mentioned before I think, but Swale at night in the fog with the giant bridge towering over you isn't the most pleasant thing either!

I would also like to nominate Mitcham on the tramlink. It has drastically changed since reopening but it is incredibly shady, especially at night, the same goes for Belgrave walk and Phipps bridge.

Streatham and Tulse hill are also pretty grim.

 

[Class172]

In reply to some of the earlier suggestions, based on personal experience:
Euston - agree its a dump inside, but the area outside with the various sausage/pasty vendors isn't bad.
Birmingham New Street - hellhole, avoid.
Southminster - pub was open when I went, and very pleasant too.
Alexandria - bit of a wasteland, I flabbergasted a local bus driver there by asking for a ticket to Luss (where I was staying) rather than getting the train to Balloch like anyone sane would (the perils of shack-scratching! )Wakefield kirkgate - scruffy but improved

And a couple more contenders:
Leeds - add 10 minutes to your journey time to exit the station
Whitland - probably the dullest place I've ever changed trains

Birmingham New Street is fine once you're in it, but I certainly wouldn't recommend standing outside in Stephenson Street for any more than five seconds..

 

[JamesP]

I guess the chances of ending up there are remote, but used Bordesley when my team played at Birmingham City recently. It was a night fixture, and there's no lighting on the platform and you have that grotty staircase to negotiate. I was glad there were a lot of other people about.

 

[Proud Salopian]

Worst station in Shropshire is Wellington - chav central.

Otherwise, I despise Birmingham New Street, and I don't think the "revamp" (which is nothing more than sprucing up the shopping centre.. that just happens to have platforms underneath) is going to change my mind one bit.

 

[47802]

I have to say London Euston, as someone normally used to arriving in London at the modernised splendour of Kings Cross St P, arriving into Euston the other week at the very dull 1960's built Euston was a bit of a shock, it doesn't seem to have changed much since the last time I was there which is probably about 20 years ago. Add to which the vastly superior range of connections offered at KX with Thameslink, High Speed Kent services and Eurostar, one wonders how many passengers like myself from Leeds would prefer the East Coast service than the HS2 destination of Euston.

As for a Scary station Bradford and Wakefield Kirkgate, although the station itself now looks better after partial refurb, I'm sure it will look great after a full refurb.

 

[swcovas]

Whitland - probably the dullest place I've ever changed trains

But fortunately a decent enough pub alongside which is open all day with live football on big screen!

 

[steamybrian]

The stations I avoid are-
Brixton.....
Elephant & Castle.....
Birmingham New Street

and remote......Dovey Junction (wind swept, barren and literally isolated)


Despite the recent comments on this forum I find Euston is OK.
Yes it is is busy but sheltered with plenty of places to eat and drink. On these points alone it beats many other stations.

 

[tom1649]

I guess the chances of ending up there are remote, but used Bordesley when my team played at Birmingham City recently. It was a night fixture, and there's no lighting on the platform and you have that grotty staircase to negotiate. I was glad there were a lot of other people about.

There is lighting on the platform. It must have been broken.

 

[HawkeyeTheNoo]

We have an unwritten rule in Glasgow. If a train station has a really nice name, it's either a horrible place or there's nothing there at all.

• Summerston
• Maryhill
• Mount Florida
• Singer
• Milliken Park
• Fort Matilda
• Alexandria

What's wrong with Mount Florida apart from days there's a football match or concert at Hampden?

 

[southern442]

The stations I avoid are-
Brixton.....
Elephant & Castle.....
Birmingham New Street

and remote......Dovey Junction (wind swept, barren and literally isolated)


Despite the recent comments on this forum I find Euston is OK.
Yes it is is busy but sheltered with plenty of places to eat and drink. On these points alone it beats many other stations.

There are quite a few southeastern/FCC stations that have had little attention since connex and are quite dodgy. Loughborough Junction is one. There are loads of others that are really grotty or unpleasant.

 

[PHILIPE]

Newport - dump of a station, dump of a town, stuck on the edge of a dump of a country.
Coventry - had a PNB late at night there some weeks ago. Got asked by four chavs for a light between the platform and the messroom. The sort of chavs that you don't like to say no to.......
London Victoria - had the misfortune of visiting that terminus today - what a dingy, horrid place.

Newport is so bad that it's got it's own thread. Archutecture and design the main grouse.

 

[SN319]

I have to say London Euston, as someone normally used to arriving in London at the modernised splendour of Kings Cross St P, arriving into Euston the other week at the very dull 1960's built Euston was a bit of a shock, it doesn't seem to have changed much since the last time I was there which is probably about 20 years ago. Add to which the vastly superior range of connections offered at KX with Thameslink, High Speed Kent services and Eurostar, one wonders how many passengers like myself from Leeds would prefer the East Coast service than the HS2 destination of Euston.

Could not agree more. Really is a big difference arriving in the modern St Pancras than there is the grotty Euston.

 

[LowLevel]

The stations I avoid are-
Brixton.....
Elephant & Castle.....
Birmingham New Street

and remote......Dovey Junction (wind swept, barren and literally isolated)


Despite the recent comments on this forum I find Euston is OK.
Yes it is is busy but sheltered with plenty of places to eat and drink. On these points alone it beats many other stations.

Lovely places to eat and drink they are too - so lovely in fact that I was knocking around one evening waiting for the last train to Wolverhampton and saw rats crawling over the display counters in the Delice de France!

 

[318259]

What's wrong with Mount Florida apart from days there's a football match or concert at Hampden?

There's nothing particularly wrong with Mount Florida (when there's no football).

It just doesn't live up to such a nice name!

 

[cle]

So basically people don't like chavs (of the northern, weegie and southeastern varieties), the Welsh, black people and above all else, London Euston...

 

[jp4712]

I'll add another vote for Wakefield Kirkgate - man, after dark that place is scary.

Also I wouldn't linger at Patricroft too long; nor Lea Hall, Birmingham. Church Fenton and Ulleskelf are, well, just bleak; and Humphrey Park (Manchester) is very unpleasant. I haven't been through Hattersley station for many years, but if is even half as bad as the reputation of the town it serves, it'll deserve to be here.

But I think the worst of all is Edge Hill (Liverpool). Very, very threatening atmosphere.

 

[Qwerty133]

Lovely places to eat and drink they are too - so lovely in fact that I was knocking around one evening waiting for the last train to Wolverhampton and saw rats crawling over the display counters in the Delice de France!

That's put me off station food
anyone seen any rats at Derby Uppercrust? I would ask about Leicester's as well but the choice of 4 baguettes that look like they've been out all day does enough to get me to avoid about that place.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

My, there's some wusses on here if some of the replies are anything to go by. I must have spent time waiting at most of the stations on this thread yet never once have I felt unease or a threatening atmosphere, not even at Wakefield Kirkgate! I suspect most of the fear is in the mind of the traveller rather than in reality.

That said, the worst station for waiting at for me would be Bingham in Notts. A couple of years back I found myself waiting there for a train back to Sheffield via Nottingham on a freezing saturday in January about 6pm. The train didn't show up, there were no announcements or indeed any facilities apart from a tiny shelter which had already been bagged by a gang of local youngsters. It began to rain, which turned to snow and it was only an hour later when the next train pulled in that I found out mine had been cancelled.

Things have improved as there's now a new Wetherspoons 2 minutes' walk from the station but it's still a place that gives me the shudders!

 

[D6975]

Going across the Irish Sea, Broomebridge on the Maynooth commuter service is one of the dodgiest places on any railway in Britain and Ireland. It's often entered in Irish Rail's Best Kept Station competition purely as a ****take but for some reason never wins..

I was scouring through looking for Broombridge before putting it in myself - It really is the dodgiest location I've ever been through - usually at speed behind an 071.

Wembley Central gets a vote from me too, a truly dismal dump. South Bank is another somewhat dodgy location, wouldn't want to spend much time there on my own. One of my local stations, Stapleton Road is not a place to be after dark - I was once the victim of an intended mugging there but thankfully got away scott free.

 

[dk1]

Southport, though it looks grandish, felt positively hideous when I visited last autumn !

We thought the contrary when we visited on the Sunday after the Grand National. The station was very clean & tidy with clean glass roof (it is very lucky to have retained a roof) and manned ticket gates & shop/booking office & then you are led straight into M&S. The whole town centre & seafront was also a credit & not what we had been expecting.