Many of us in Greater Manchester rely on the trains to get us around, and most of the time we’re complaining about them. Now it has been revealed that Greater Manchester is home to the least used train station in the UK, whether that’s down to infrequent trains, the use of cars or some other reason, and that crown goes to Denton.
Popular East Manchester suburb Denton is known for its proximity to both Manchester and the Peak District, alongside the wonderful Ornella’s Kitchen, and therefore we would think its train station would be just as busy as others within the same distance away from the city centre, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Data from the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) has revealed that Denton had a grand total of just 54 entries and exits in the entire year from April 2023 – March 2024.
It’s thought that the reason behind these measly stats is down to there being just one train a week, the parliamentary service between Stalybridge and Stockport, serving there. Its out of town location, on Manchester Road North (close to the Sainsbury’s supermarket) makes it difficult to access and there is a distinct lack of facilities, and speculation over its future, along with that of the next station on the line – fifth-bottom Reddish South – has been raging for some time.
Those in charge suggest that Denton train station is mainly used by train enthusiasts, as it’s one of a small number of ‘ghost train’ services, which exist to keep the line open to passenger services, making it the least used in the UK.
Denton moves up to the top spot from second place the year before, bringing with it fellow Greater Manchester train station Reddish South, in Stockport, at 128 entries and exits over the year, and nearby Ince and Elton in Cheshire, with 86 entries and exits.
Of course, the data showed that London stations had the top 10 busiest train station spots, with London Liverpool Street dominating once again at a whopping 94.5 million entries and exits, and outside of London, Birmingham New Street and our very own Manchester Piccadilly took the top two spots, with 33.3 million and 25.8 million users respectively.
The top five least used train stations in the UK
- Denton, Greater Manchester: 54
- Shippea Hill, Cambridgeshire: 70
- Ince and Elton, Cheshire: 86
- Polesworth, Warwickshire: 118
- Reddish South, Greater Manchester: 128
Find the full data and other findings on the ORR website.