The sleepy station that has only been used 40 times in a year: The train stop in the rural Midlands is the quietest in the country, figures show
- There are no ticketing, restroom or waiting facilities at Elton and Orston
- Only 40 passenger entries and exits were recorded at the station in 12 months
- London Waterloo has regained its status as Britain’s busiest station
Britain’s least used station has seen just 40 journeys in a year.
There are no ticketing facilities, toilets or waiting rooms at Elton and Orston in rural Nottinghamshire.
Only 40 passenger entries and exits were recorded at the station in the 12 months to the end of March. It has lost 28 journeys in two years, having recorded 68 in 2019/2020, according to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
Britain’s least used station has seen just 40 journeys in a year. There are no ticketing, toilet or waiting facilities at Elton and Orston in rural Nottinghamshire
The station is served by two East Midlands Railway trains a day between Monday and Saturday.
The first leaves at 7:04 a.m. in the direction of Nottingham, while the second, leaving in the opposite direction, leaves for Skegness at 5:11 p.m. No trains call at Elton and Orston on Sundays.
London Waterloo has regained its status as Britain’s busiest rail station, after slipping to number four during the pandemic.
ORR said there were around 41.4 million passenger arrivals and departures at the station in 2021-22. The total is up from 12.2 million the previous year, but was less than half the 86.9 million estimate in 2019/20.
The station is served by two East Midlands Railway trains a day between Monday and Saturday
In Scotland, Glasgow Central remained the busiest station, with 15.3 million passengers, up from 5.3 million last year but down from 32.5 million two years ago.
Cardiff Central retained its status as the busiest station in Wales, with 7.5 million entries and exits.
That was more than three times the two million in 2020/21, but still down from 12.7 million in 2019/20.
ORR Director of Planning and Performance, Feras Alshaker, said: “It is encouraging to see passengers returning to rail travel after a difficult time for the industry during the pandemic.
“There is still some way to go for station usage figures to return to pre-pandemic levels.
“Once again, it’s important to thank everyone in the rail industry, who continue to work hard to help people travel safely and confidently.”
ORR’s estimates of station usage are derived from the Lennon Railway Industry Ticketing and Revenue System, with some local ticketing data.
Adjustments are made to “make the estimates as accurate as possible,” the regulator said.
