One of Greater Manchester’s many train stations has been named the ‘worst’ in the UK, according to a new analysis.
And unfortunately, it’s joined in the top 10 by a handful of others in the region too.
It’s pretty fair to say at this point that the country’s rail network, train services, and stations have been far below the standards that passengers expect for quite some time now – with constant delays, last-minute cancellations, short-formed services, and ongoing strike action, by both station staff and train drivers, being commonplace for the past few years.
Most-recently, a new analysis named Avanti West Coast as Britain’s most ‘unreliable’ train operator, as it was found to have a massive 15.36% of its trains cancelled or delayed, on average – but now, it’s the train stations that have found themselves in the firing line.
The top 10 ‘worst performing’ UK train stations in 2024 have been named, according to new figures / Credit: Network Rail | Northern
That’s because, new figures released by On Time Trains has seen Kearsley train station, just outside of Bolton, ranked as the country’s lowest performing’ station over the four weeks leading up to 28 May.
The company analysed station’s performances based off the frequency and length of delays, plus how often trains are cancelled.
When it comes to the Bolton-based station’s punctuality and cancellation rate, On Time Trains found that 81% of the trains due to stop at Kearsley were either delayed or cancelled entirely over the one-month period, and most delays recorded exceeded the two-minute mark.
Top 10 ‘worst performing’ UK train stations
Kearsley
Taynuilt
Crianlarich
Moses Gate
Penrith
Farnworth
Ince and Elton
Connel Ferry
Bescar Lane
Blackrod
Bolton hasn’t escaped lightly with just Kearsley in the top spot either, as unfortunately for the Greater Manchester borough, three of its other stations have also made the top 10 list.
Moses Gate takes the fourth spot on the list, while Farnworth has found itself in sixth place, and the top 10 is rounded out by Blackrod.
Moses Gate station, just outside of Bolton, which also makes it into the top 10 / Credit: Platforms (via Visit North West)
Some of the other Northern stations ranking in the top 10 include Penrith, and Ince and Elton.
Speaking in reaction to its poor performance in the recent results, a spokesperson for Northern commented: “Recently, our performance and reliability have not been up to scratch, and for that we are sorry.
“We are very actively managing higher levels of staff sickness, and on Sundays, which rely on crews volunteering to work additional hours, we have seen a reduction in train crew making themselves available on parts of the network.
“In addition, the ongoing industrial relations issues have their own impact, but we are working hard with our colleagues and other train operators to improve service reliability.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
Travel & Tourism
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way to close for resurfacing
Emily Sergeant
Mancunian Way is set to close for resurfacing works next month.
As Manchester City Council looks to ‘improve’ what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is due to undergo crucial resurfacing works.
With an estimated 15 million journeys taken along this road annually, the Council says it’s vital that necessary maintenance is carried out to keep traffic flowing.
As a result, plans are now in place to resurface Mancunian Way overnight during a four-week period, beginning from next Monday (3 March)
The resurfacing work will be split into two sections, starting with the eastbound carriageway from River Street to Fairfield Street, before moving on to the westbound lane from Fairfield Street to Upper Brook Street.
Work along the eastbound section – in the direction of Ashton Old Road – will run between Monday 3 March to Friday 14 March, with the operating hours being between 7pm and 5am, during which the carriageway will be fully closed, while the westbound carriage in the direction of Regent Road will take place overnight between Monday 17 March until Friday 28 March, with closures at the same time.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way will be close for resurfacing next month / Credit: Pixabay
Due to events taking place during this period of works, slightly later road closures will be in place from 7:30pm on the 7, 10 and 14 of March during the eastbound section, and on 19 March during the westbound secion.
No work will take place Europa League fixture dates, or on Saturday or Sunday nights either.
“These works are taking place overnight to mitigate any potential disruption,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“But as always, we would encourage people to plan their journeys ahead of time and allow more time to travel if they need to go via the Mancunian Way.”
Signed diversions will be in place during the course of the works, and details of this can be found on the Council’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – Geograph
Travel & Tourism
Life-saving defibrillators to be installed on dozens of trains travelling through Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Life-saving defibrillators are set to be installed on dozens of trains travelling through Greater Manchester.
Rail operator TransPennine Express (TPE) has started work to install the units on all 51 of its Class 185 trains over the next two months, and can be used by both staff and passengers if someone goes into cardiac arrest.
The defibrillators will be fitted by technology company Siemens Mobility, and will be located in an emergency equipment cupboard in the middle of the train.
Every defibrillator being installed on the trains has step-by-step, spoken word instructions built in to them, which explain how to use on someone in an emergency, so passengers and staff need not panic if they’re unsure what to do.
Computers inside the defibrillators will work to analyse a person’s heart rhythms to find out if an electric shock is needed, and if required, electrodes then automatically deliver the shock.
⚡Work has started to fit defibrillators across more than 50 TransPennine Express trains
🚆 The life-saving units will be installed on all 51 of our Class 185 trains by the end of March
The defibrillators – which are already installed on TPE’s Nova 1 trains – have been purchased from the British Heart Foundation charity, which is the biggest independent funder of heart and circulatory research in the UK.
The news that the defibrillators are being installed on trains travelling through Greater Manchester and across the UK come after it was announced back in 2023 that the machines were being installed at more than 100 Northern stations to help save people in cardiac arrest.
Speaking on the installing of the defibrillators on trains, Bushra Khan, who is the Head of Engineering at TransPennine Express, said: “Our defibrillators are a huge benefit to both our customers and the communities we serve.
“This rollout will ensure that people travelling on our services will feel safe and confident that defibrillators are available to help in the event of an emergency, potentially saving lives.”
Emily Sergeant -
4th June 2024 
