List of busiest railway stations in Great Britain (2020–21)

This is a list of the busiest railway stations in Great Britain on the National Rail network for the 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 financial year. The dataset records patterns of mobility during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom with significantly reduced levels of mobility compared with the previous year. Extended periods of significantly reduced commuting and long-distance travel caused many major stations to drop in the ranking. During 2020–21 there were 388 million passenger journeys on the network, compared to 1,739 million in 2019–20. Stratford Regional in London was the busiest station during the year, replacing London Waterloo which had been top of the ranking for 16 years.

Methodology 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 2020–21. 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. 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. Data for 2020–21 was published on 25 November 2021.

All stations Only stations with annual entries and exits above 2 million passengers are shown. There were 5 stations with more than 10 million entries and exits, compared to 43 stations the previous year. RankRailway stationAnnual entries/exits (millions)

2020–21Annual interchanges (millions)

2020–21LocationMain servicesNumber of platformsInterchange systemsImage1Stratford13.9851.746LondonGreat Eastern Main LineLea Valley Lines4 and 7 disused, 3A, 4A, 4B, and 10A existLondon Underground, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground2London Victoria13.7911.385LondonBrighton Main LineChatham Main Line London Underground 3London Bridge13.7642.361LondonSouth Eastern Main LineBrighton Main LineThameslink London Underground4London Waterloo12.2151.375 LondonSouth West Main LineWest of England Main Line Platforms 25 and 26 are part of the Underground London Underground5London Liverpool Street11.2121.131LondonGreat Eastern Main LineWest Anglia Main Line London Underground, London Overground 6Highbury and Islington8.6611.116LondonNorth London LineEast London LineNorthern City Line London Underground, London Overground7Clapham Junction8.3716.824LondonSouth West Main LineWest of England Main LineBrighton Main Line London Overground8Birmingham New Street7.3511.024BirminghamWest Coast Main LineCross Country Route West Midlands Metro9Barking6.7430.263LondonLondon, Tilbury and Southend line London Underground 10East Croydon6.6950.972LondonBrighton Main Line Croydon Tramlink11London Euston6.6070.843LondonWest Coast Main Line London Underground, London Overground12London Paddington6.3920.626LondonGreat Western Main LineSouth Wales Main LineReading to Plymouth Line Platforms 15 and 16 are part of the Underground, platform 13 closedLondon Underground 13London St Pancras International6.3630.926LondonMidland Main LineThameslink EurostarSouth Eastern High Speed London Underground14Leeds5.8540.545LeedsEast Coast Main LineMidland Main LineCross Country Route 15Canada Water5.5760.000LondonEast London Line London Underground16London Charing Cross5.3730.092LondonSouth Eastern Main Line London Underground17Glasgow Central5.3250.761GlasgowWest Coast Main Line Glasgow Subway (close by)18Manchester Piccadilly5.1880.374Manchester West Coast Main Line Manchester Metrolink19Vauxhall4.9870.000LondonSouth West Main Line London Underground 20London King's Cross4.6680.430LondonEast Coast Main Line Starts at 0London Underground21Wimbledon4.4330.303LondonSouth West Main Line 10a and 10b are Croydon TramlinkLondon Underground, Croydon Tramlink22Brighton4.1490.367BrightonBrighton Main LineWest Coastway Line East Coastway Line 23Whitechapel4.1420.000LondonLondon Overground London Underground 24West Ham4.0120.003LondonLondon, Tilbury and Southend lineLondon Underground, Docklands Light Railway 25Liverpool Central3.6060.172LiverpoolMerseyrail services (Wirral and Northern lines) 26Liverpool Lime Street3.5110.418LiverpoolWest Coast Main LineLiverpool to Manchester Lines Merseyrail Wirral line27London Fenchurch Street3.2000.396LondonLondon, Tilbury & Southend Line 28Romford3.1330.223LondonGreat Eastern Main LineRomford to Upminster Line5London Overground29Reading2.9630.680ReadingGreat Western Main Line 30Edinburgh Waverley2.9580.203EdinburghEast Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line Edinburgh Trams31Willesden Junction2.7960.855LondonNorth London LineWest London LineWatford DC Line5London Underground, London Overground32Richmond 2.6990.329LondonLondon OvergroundLondon Underground33London Cannon Street 2.6840.129LondonSouth Eastern Main Line London Underground34Tottenham Hale2.6520.178LondonWest Anglia Main Line3London Underground35Farringdon 2.6430.118LondonThameslink London Underground36Lewisham 2.5550.564LondonMid-Kent LineDocklands Light Railway37Ilford2.5360.010LondonGreat Eastern Main Line44 operational; 1 disused38Seven Sisters2.3590.005LondonLea Valley LinesWest Anglia Main Line5London Underground, London Overground39Denmark Hill2.3430.182LondonThameslinkGreenwich Park branch LineChatham Main LineSouth London Line4London Overground40Cambridge2.3010.123CambridgeWest Anglia Main Line 41Glasgow Queen Street 2.2990.267GlasgowGlasgow to Edinburgh Glasgow Subway (close by)42Shepherd's Bush2.2720.004LondonWest London Line2London Underground (close by), London Overground43Old Street2.2310.000LondonNorthern City Line4London Underground44Waterloo East 2.1940.255LondonSouth Eastern Main Line North Kent LineLondon Underground (close by)45Dalston Kingsland2.1300.000LondonNorth London Line246Blackfriars 2.1000.581LondonThameslink London Underground47Ealing Broadway2.0660.007LondonGreat Western Main Line9London Underground48Balham2.0440.129LondonBrighton Main LineCrystal Palace lineWest London Route4London Underground49London Marylebone 2.0350.111LondonChiltern Main Line London Underground 50Bristol Temple Meads 2.0330.277BristolSouth Wales Main LineCross Country RouteWessex Main Line 51Peckham Rye2.0290.725LondonCatford Loop LineGreenwich Park branch LinePortsmouth LineSouth London Line4London Overground52Bromley South2.0250.246LondonChatham Main LineMaidstone East LineBromley South LineCatford Loop Line453Finsbury Park2.0140.669LondonNorthern City LineThameslink8London Underground

Below this, station usage was as follows, per 2020–21 ridership data: 90 had reported between 1 and 2 million passengers 171 had reported between 500,001 and 1 million passengers 333 had reported between 200,001 and 500,000 passengers 298 had reported between 100,001 and 200,000 passengers 360 had reported between 50,001 and 100,000 passengers 713 had reported between 10,001 and 50,000 passengers 371 had reported between 1,001 and 10,000 passengers 120 had reported between 101 and 1,000 passengers 59 stations reported fewer than 100 passengers.

London terminal

This is a list of the busiest stations in the "London terminals" station group.

RankStationAnnual entries/exits(millions)2020–21Annual interchanges (millions) 2020–211Victoria13.7911.385213.7642.361312.2151.375311.2121.13146.6070.84356.3920.62666.3630.92675.3730.09284.9870.0009King's Cross4.6680.430103.2000.396112.6840.129122.6430.118132.2310.000142.1940.255152.1000.581162.0350.111171.9350.232180.9740.000190.6670.049

Other London stations

This is a list of the 20 busiest stations in Greater London, excluding those listed above under the London termini.

RankStationAnnual entries/exits(millions)2020–21Annual interchanges (millions) 2020–211Stratford13.9851.7462Highbury & Islington8.6611.1163Clapham Junction8.3716.8244Barking6.7430.2635East Croydon6.6950.9726Canada Water5.5760.0007Wimbledon4.4330.3038Whitechapel4.1420.0009West Ham4.0120.00310Romford3.1330.22311Willesden Junction 2.7960.85512Richmond2.6990.32913Tottenham Hale2.6520.17814Lewisham2.5550.56415Ilford2.5360.01016Seven Sisters2.3590.00517Denmark Hill2.3430.18218Shepherd's Bush2.2720.00419Dalston Kingsland 2.1300.00020Ealing Broadway 2.0660.007

Stations outside London

This is a list of the 20 busiest stations in Great Britain outside London.

RankRailway StationAnnual entries/exits(millions)2020–21Annual interchanges (millions) 2020–211Birmingham New Street7.3511.0242Leeds5.8540.5453Glasgow Central5.3250.7614Manchester Piccadilly5.1880.3745Brighton4.1490.3676Liverpool Central3.6060.1727Liverpool Lime Street3.5110.4188Reading2.9630.6809Edinburgh Waverley2.9580.20310Cambridge2.3010.12311Glasgow Queen Street2.2990.26712Bristol Temple Meads2.0330.27713Cardiff Central1.9750.24014Sheffield1.9070.17915York1.8370.11616Coventry1.7470.13317Chelmsford1.7170.01118Gatwick Airport1.6860.31919Watford Junction1.6800.09120Moorfields1.6130.335

See also List of busiest railway stations in Great Britain (2021–22) List of busiest railway stations in Great Britain (2019–20) List of busiest London Underground stations (2020) List of busiest railway stations in Europe List of busiest railway stations in North America List of busiest railway stations in West Yorkshire

Notes

References

External links Station usage - Main page