Worst Station
 

We all see annual awards for the best kept/run stations on our network.
I am throwing the gauntlet down now by inviting suggestions for the worst stations on the network.
My personal award goes to Heysham Harbour which to incoming visitors by sea presents itself as a few rusting sheets of metal with the semblance of a permanent way entering it.
I expect an entry for Wakefield Kirkgate.
COME ON NAME AND SHAME!!

Ore on the Ashford to Hastings line!!! Targeted heavily by vandals so now it is a steel mess!!!

Ben:cool: :cool:

My local station, Marks Tey near Colchester seems a really tidy station and has 24 hour CCTV protection. I must congratulate the staff at Marks Tey, they do a great job!

Cheers
Desiro-mad

Worst...
 

Top prize has to go to Birmingham New Street Dungeon...sorry Station, having spent time there on the P&M as an apprentice many many years ago, ive seen parts of it most never see, and its grusome from all angles!

Pull it down and build new again....mind they would probaly build something equally concrete and cr*p again!:(

I was born in Birmingham and agree that the best thing to happen to New Street Station would be for it to be razed to the ground.At least Birmingham Moor Street looks good even if they can't use all the tracks!

Worst
 

I agree with the two previous posts.
Birmingham New Street is the worst station. I too have worked on New Street dealing with platform works about 20 years ago.
I remember the station before electrification with the overall roof and Queen's Drive between the LNW and Midland halves of the station. It was a great shame they had to cover it all in to provide a shopping mall. :(
I wonder what the new design will bring?

worst
 

As a regular user of new street and a mad enthusiast new street has to win top prize. I have no worries about changing trains so its not intimidating but the place is not welcoming in any way

Fortunately I left Birmingham before they completed the rebuilding of New Street, so my memories of the old station are unclouded! It is amazing how often I recognise the old station from Steam age photos!

Sorry guys, but worst station has to be Nuneaton. OK I accept that the new extension - Platforms 6 and 7 are well lit and tidy but the rest is filthy, as for the public conveniences I'm surprised the Health and Safety Executive haven't said anything - I much rather nip to Asda and use their conveniences or if the Coventry unit is in - jump on that (bearing in mind it only has a 10-15 minute turn around time :)

Cheers

James

I would say Ore was the worst station on the network. The platform shelters have no windows any more, the signs have gun shot dents in and theres dog crap everywhere. And sometimes on teletext you find that there is disruption between Hastings and Ashford because of faulty signals. I'm suprised Network Rail have'nt put a cage around it.

GBRf_66709

After spending a bit of time there last week,i have to say Water Orton on the outskirts of Brimingham,worst place i have ever been to and i did not feel very safe and i was there in the daylight.
No wounder it's closing soon.
All the best,Ian

re your comment Ian about not feeling safe on stations in daylight. Some years ago as part of my job I was doing some inspections of buildings on about 20 minor stations around North London. I never left the public areas of the platforms, but "they" decided I needed a Lookout and a PICOW.
I felt really stupid with three of us, standing there in full hi-viz and hard hats on the platform. That was until I we went to inpect some of the quieter stations out of rush hour.

I dont mind the tramps or winos, but some of the other shady characters hanging around looked really mean with obvious minders and lookouts of their own. I had to take lots of photos of the buildings, but I always take care because have learnt from past experience that some people just dont like being caught on camera, :rolleyes: and make it very clear to me what will happen if I dont put the camera away.

Then I was really glad to have the couple of tough looking blokes with me. Steel toecap boots and all.
"Lookout" took on a whole new meaning, not covered by the Rule book.

(I am not saying this was any worse than any other inner city area. But usually if you dont like the look of a dodgy situation you can just carefully walk away. In this case I had to be there for an couple of hours per site and do the job, standing there like a mug waving about the company's posh digital camera. )

For me it's fernhill (on the aberdare branch line) - either side of it there is:

a swamp (well, it could easily pass for one) which absolutely stinks to high heaven of sewage;

countless items of litter;

burnt out cars dumped on river banks;

no CCTV (recently there was a sexual assault there, among numerous other crimes);

I have to go there a few times a month to drop off some goods for a relative and hate every visit.

Im in agreement with Heysham Harbour,not at all dangerous or dirty,but what a dump, at the end of the earth.

I think the service is only 1 train a day too.

Its a good job its near the WCML and the M6.

awful place

rog