Waterloo tops list of busiest UK railway stations

The UK's busiest and quietest train stations have been revealed by the rail regulator.

London Waterloo had the most passenger entries and exits last year at 99.2 million, according to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

The 10 busiest stations are all in the capital apart from Birmingham New Street.

The total number of entries and exits at Britain's stations in 2014-15 increased by 4.5% to reach 2.8 billion.

But London Bridge, which has suffered severe disruption on several occasions in the past 12 months, bucked the trend with a fall of almost seven million (12.3%).

Earlier this month Network Rail (NR) agreed to create a £4.1 million fund to benefit passengers after its poor planning of upgrades at the station led to delays and overcrowding.

Charing Cross trains and cross-London Thameslink services have not stopped at London Bridge since January as part of the work to redevelop the station.

In stark contrast to London's packed stations, the quietest location in Britain was Shippea Hill, Cambridgeshire, where just 22 entries and exits occurred.

Only one service a day - towards Norwich - stops at the station on weekdays, with one each towards Norwich and Cambridge on Saturdays.

Martin Abrams of the Campaign for Better Transport said: "These statistics show more passengers than ever are using the rail network and it is vital the Government supports this with smart ticketing, flexible season tickets for part-time workers and improved rolling stock.

"The problems experienced by passengers at London Bridge this year are clearly reflected by the drop in passenger numbers and demonstrates the pressure on the rail network.

"As well as increased investment in the biggest and busiest stations in London and the South, we need to see more done in parts of the North where there has been very little investment in the network.

"This must include more station reopenings to connect rural communities who currently lose out as they are not on the network."

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said: "It's no surprise that where passengers are benefiting from better facilities, such as at Birmingham New Street and Stratford, there have been huge increases in people wanting to use them.

"Growth at even the smallest stations is proof that when the rail industry works together to improve facilities, passengers vote with their feet."