A ranking of the loneliest railway stations in Britain is topped by a stop that sees just 34 passengers a year.
The list has been produced by website everylaststation.co.uk, which analysed 2023 data from the Office of Rail & Road to reveal which stations in England, Wales and Scotland are the least visited.
Denton Station, a few miles east of central Manchester on the Stockport-Stalybridge Line, is the No.1 least-used overall. The two-platform station is maintained by Northern Rail, has no staff, and sees just one train service per week – leaving for Stalybridge on a Friday morning at 9.32am, reveals thetrainline.com.
The service, nicknamed the ‘Denton Flyer’, reaches Stalybridge in 11 minutes and must be flagged down by passengers at Denton.
Elton and Orston station, in Nottinghamshire, is the second least-used train station in Britain with 56 users annually.
The East Midlands Railway station sees one train per day in each direction – one travelling to Nottingham in 48 minutes and another taking just under two hours to reach Skegness.
Rounding out the top three least-visited stations is Kirton Lindsey, in Lincolnshire, with 94 visitors annually.
The Northern Rail station sees two trains daily, Monday to Friday, running to Sheffield in one direction and to Cleethorpes in the other.
Train stations in England fill most of the top 10 least-visited hubs with Coombe Junction Halt (120 visitors) in Cornwall in fourth place.
Scotscalder – on the Scotrail Inverness-Wick line in the far north of Scotland – completes the top five with 124 estimated annual visitors.
The rest of the top 10 comprises Ince and Elton, Cheshire (sixth, 130 passengers); Shippea Hill, Cambridgeshire (seventh, 142); Polesworth, Warwickshire (eighth, 188); Chapelton, Devon (ninth, 194); and Pilning, Gloucestershire (10th, 338).
Wales’ least-visited station is Sugar Loaf in Powys, with 398 annual visitors each year, placing it at number 13 in the ranking.
1. Denton, Greater Manchester, England – 34 passengers annually
2. Elton and Orston, Nottinghamshire, England – 56
3. Kirton Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England – 94
4. Coombe Junction Halt, Cornwall, England – 120
5. Scotscalder, Highlands, Scotland – 124
6. Ince and Elton, Cheshire, England – 130
7. Shippea Hill, Cambridgeshire, England – 142
8. Polesworth, Warwickshire, England – 188
9. Chapelton, Devon, England – 194
10. Pilning, Gloucestershire, England – 338
Source: Office of Rail & Road and everylaststation.co.uk using 2023 data.