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List of busiest railway stations in Great Britain

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This is a list of the busiest railway stations in Great Britain on the National Rail network for the 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 financial year. The dataset records increased levels of mobility when compared with the 2022–23 data although still not fully recovered from the peak of 2019–20. During 2023–24 there were 1,610 million passenger journeys on the network, compared to 1,385 million in 2022–23 and 1,739 million in 2019–20.[1] The busiest station was London Liverpool Street for a second year.

Methodology

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The figures are collected by the Office of Rail and Road, and are estimates based on ticket usage data use of an Origin Destination Matrix, a comprehensive matrix of rail flows between stations throughout Great Britain in the financial year of 2023–24. The data count entries and exits at any station. Note that the data covers mainland Great Britain and surrounding small islands (such as the Isle of Wight), not the United Kingdom, and so exclude tickets within Northern Ireland and Eurostar. There are various further limits to the data due to the variety of ticketing options available on rail services within the UK; these are outlined in full in the report on the data.[2] Only tickets sold for National Rail services are included; some stations may also be served by underground metro or urban light rail networks. Stations serving solely the London Underground, light rail, special tours or heritage railways are therefore excluded. The London Overground and Elizabeth line are included in the data. Data for 2023–24 was published on 21 November 2024.

All stations

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During 2023–24 there were 20 stations with more than 20 million entries and exits, compared to 18 stations the previous year and 20 in 2019–20.

Rank Railway station Annual entries/exits

(millions)

2023–24

Annual entries/exits

(millions)

2022–23[3]

Location Main services Number of platforms Interchange systems Image
1 London Liverpool Street 94.449 80.448 London 19[note 1] London Underground
2 London Paddington 66.859 59.182 London 15[note 2] London Underground
3 Tottenham Court Road 64.219 34.877 London Elizabeth line 2[note 3] London Underground
4 London Waterloo 62.525 57.789 London 24[note 4] London Underground
5 Stratford 56.570 44.136 London
9[note 5]
6 London Victoria 50.829 45.563 London
19 London Underground
7 London Bridge 50.045 47.657 London 15 London Underground
8 Farringdon 46.049 31.459 London
  • Thameslink
  • Elizabeth line
4[note 3] London Underground
9 Bond Street 38.307 19.400 London Elizabeth line 2[note 3] London Underground
10 London Euston 36.185 31.318 London
18 London Underground
11 London St Pancras International 35.959 33.296 London 15
12 Whitechapel 35.246 23.307 London
  • London Overground
  • Elizabeth line
4[note 3] London Underground
13 Birmingham New Street 33.335 30.726 Birmingham
12 West Midlands Metro
14 Manchester Piccadilly 35.776 23.558 Manchester West Coast Main Line 14 Manchester Metrolink
15 Glasgow Central 24.964 20.767 Glasgow West Coast Main Line 17 Glasgow Subway[note 6]
16 Leeds 24.891 23.964 Leeds
  • East Coast Main Line
  • Midland Main Line
  • Cross Country Route
18
17 London King's Cross 24.483 23.287 London East Coast Main Line 11[note 7] London Underground
18 Clapham Junction 22.858 20.790 London
  • South West Main Line
  • West of England Main Line
  • Brighton Main Line
  • London Overground
17
19 Highbury & Islington 21.827 20.601 London
6[note 3] London Underground
20 Edinburgh Waverley 21.307 18.213 Edinburgh East Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
20 Edinburgh Trams

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ One platform was removed and two added with the opening of the Elizabeth line
  2. ^ Excluding London Underground, platform 13 closed, two platforms were added with the opening of the Elizabeth line
  3. ^ a b c d e Excluding London Underground
  4. ^ Platforms 25 and 26 are part of the London Underground
  5. ^ Excluding London Underground and Docklands Light Railway, 4 and 7 disused, 3A, 4A, 4B, and 10A exist
  6. ^ St Enoch station is close by
  7. ^ Platform numbering starts at 0

References

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  1. ^ "Estimates of station usage 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024" (PDF). Office of Rail and Road. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Station usage quality and methodology report" (PDF). Office of Rail and Road data portal. Office of Rail and Road. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Estimates of station usage". ORR Data Portal. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
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