SCOTLAND’S quietest station more than doubled the number of entrances and exits to its platforms this year, but is still keeps top spot as the country’s least used.
Barry Links, near Carnoustie, recorded just 52 passengers between April 1 2017 and March 31 2018, according to Office of Road and Rail figures.
The low usage is mainly due to the fact that just two trains per day stop at the station, one each way.
Last year, it was also the UK’s quietest station, but this year that honour goes to Yorkshire’s British Steel Redcar, which saw just 40 passenger entries and exits.
The numbers, which are estimates, were queried last year by an Angus councillor who said they were ‘way out’.
Bryan Boyd told the BBC: “Many people buy Carnoustie tickets but get off at Barry.
“These figures are quoted based on who buys tickets for stations and you can’t buy a ticket at Barry so you buy it at Carnoustie.
“I can assure you there’s at least a dozen passengers coming off each and every evening from the tea-time train at Barry.
“Yes, there aren’t many trains that stop there but the figures are way out, in my opinion.”
The Office of Road and Rail say there are limitations to the dataset, with figures based on ticket sales data recorded in rail industry systems.
This year, Barry Links’ numbers are likely to rise again due to golf fans heading to The Open during the summer.
The station is situated next to the famous Carnoustie Golf Links, which held the 2018 competition.
The figures also revealed that London’s Waterloo was the busiest station in Britain for the 15th consecutive year, despite the total number of passenger entries and exits falling by five million to 94.4 million.
Nine out of the top 10 most used stations are in London, with Birmingham’s New Street also making the list as the 6th busiest.
Glasgow Central retained its position as Scotland’s most used station, with 32.9m passengers putting it at number 11 in the overall UK rankings.
For a full list of figures visit http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe