Reddish South railway station

Reddish South National Rail
Location
Place Reddish
Local authority Stockport
Coordinates 53°26′10″N 2°09′29″W / 53.4361°N 2.1580°WCoordinates: 53°26′10″N 2°09′29″W / 53.4361°N 2.1580°W
Grid reference SJ895932
Operations
Station code RDS
Managed by Northern Rail
Number of platforms 1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2006/07   120
2007/08 Decrease 47
2008/09 Increase 274
2009/10 Decrease 76
2010/11 Decrease 68
2011/12 Decrease 56
2012/13 Increase 122
2013/14 Decrease 26
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE Greater Manchester
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Reddish South from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Reddish South is a station in Reddish, Stockport, England, on the Stockport-Stalybridge Line, famous for having only one train a week in one direction. A single track serves a single, bare platform. Unlike Denton (another station on the line) which has a bench as its sole passenger facility, Reddish South has no facilities whatsoever, nor any lighting.

Originally the station consisted of two island platforms with four tracks. One of these track beds has been sold off, while another has been filled in. The second island is now inaccessible as there are no longer steps down to it.

The station is a request stop. In theory prospective passengers must flag down the train, as it approaches the station. However in practice the train usually stops at every station, regardless of whether there are passengers waiting.

Quietest station in the UK

According to the 2007/8 National rail figures, Reddish South had only 47 entries and exits in a 12-month period, making it the UK's least used railway station. (2 stations were ranked lower than this but they were newly opened, and thus did not gain patronage for the whole year.)

With 26 passenger entries and exits between April 2013 and March 2014, Reddish South is the third-least used station in Great Britain, after Teesside Airport railway station and Shippea Hill railway station.[1]

The only service is the 9:22 Fridays-only train from Stockport to Stalybridge calling at 9:26, which then continues via Denton and Guide Bridge to Stalybridge.

Reddish does however have a second station, Reddish North railway station, which has a regular service. Heaton Chapel and Brinnington are both also nearby.

Closure

Network Rail, in their Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) for the North West, have proposed closure of Reddish South and Denton stations and withdrawal of the remaining passenger service. The line itself would remain open for freight and diverted passenger workings. Open-access operator called Grand Northern Railway had proposed using the line for services between London and Bradford via the West Coast Main Line, using Guide Bridge or Stalybridge station as a stop. However, their application was rejected. There is a campaign for a regular service from Stockport to Manchester Victoria, stopping at Reddish South & Denton.

References

  1. ↑

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reddish South railway station.
Preceding station   National Rail   Following station
Northern Rail
Stockport-Stalybridge Line
Friday only