We’re all for complaining about delays and cancellations on our railways, especially in the North West, but now one of our own Greater Manchester stations has been ranked embarrassingly low. Kearsley station in Bolton was ranked as the worst train station in the UK for cancellations and delays in the four weeks leading up to today (May 31), with just a 61% performance score according to train delay website Ontimetrains − ouch.
Kearsley falls on the Manchester side of Bolton, being two stops away from Bolton’s main station, and just 10 minutes from Manchester Victoria. The poor score means that Kearsley ranks as the “2,625th best” station… out of 2,625.
Here’s the pretty poor stats for trains going through Kearsley:
- 17% On time
- 26% 1-2 minutes late
- 17% 3-4 minutes late
- 14% 5-9 minutes late
- 5% 10+ minutes late
- 20% Cancelled
- 1% Unknown
On May 13, a scant five per cent of Kearsley’s services arrived at the station on time. Closest stations Farnworth and Moses Gate also ranked pretty poorly, coming in at 2,619th and 2,622nd respectively. So what’s going on?
Kearsley local government has expressed disappointment at the performance of its local station, reiterating their campaigns to improve the service over the years, apparently to no avail.
Bolton’s main train station, which sees an average of just over 8,000 visitors per day, doesn’t rank much better, coming in at 2,605th of 2,625. This score makes it the lowest ranked of the 500 busiest train stations in the UK − not an accolade we should be proud of.
Although a fair bit more efficient, some of Manchester’s most-frequented stations have also appeared in the rankings. Manchester Victoria ranks at 2,359th, with a 76% performance score, Manchester Piccadilly comes 2,405th, with a 77% performance score, and Manchester Oxford Road, previously rated the worst train station in the UK, came 2,526th with a 74% performance score − honestly, we can’t catch a break.
If you want to experience some of the best train services in Greater Manchester, though, take a trip to Denton (422nd), Rose Hill Marple (462nd) or New Mills Central (516th), where you’ll likely get a more efficient service, according to Ontimetrains. Having said this, there are generally less trains running through these stations, so obviously, less chance of a delay… something to bear in mind.