Three Cornish stations among the least-used in Britain
Did you know: three Cornish stations are among the least-used in Britain?
This is potentially something that only rail fans like me might get excited about, but I found it fascinating!
The Office of Rail and Road has published figures that state that these Cornish stations (with date covering passenger entries and exits between August 2024 and August 2025) all see less than 1,000 passengers per year. One sees less than 250!
The three are…
Coombe Junction Halt near Liskeard
By Geof Sheppard – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30086278
Coombe Junction Halt ranks eighth least-used in the entire country.
During the latest 12-month period, 224 passengers passed through the station.
But the figure has risen! In the previous 12-month period, just 140 people used the halt. It’s risen by around 60%.
The station sits on the Looe Valley Line and serves the small communities of Coombe and Lamellion.
Opened in 1896, it consists of little more than a shelter by the rails.
Trains reaching the junction have to reverse direction, and many services reverse without stopping at the platform at all!
Lelant Saltings near Hayle
By Geof Sheppard – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6612980
Lelant Saltings is the 27th least-used station in Britain. This surprised me, as it’s so close to St Ives!
It recorded 650 passenger entries and exits over the same period, up slightly from 630 the year before.
Located close to the estuary near Hayle, Lelant Saltings primarily serves walkers, beach-goers and those using the St Ives Bay Line. I was one of the 630 that used it in 2023/4, although its proximity to Hayle and St Erth probably means most favour the others.
Sandplace on the Looe Valley Line
By Geof Sheppard – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2685988
Sandplace is the 44th least-used nationally.
Here, passenger numbers have actually fallen from 1,006 to 966.
The station lies around 6.5 miles south of Liskeard and, like Coombe Junction Halt, sits on the Looe Valley Line.
The decline in passenger numbers meant it actually moved up the least-used list this year!
What’s the most least used station in Britain?
By Kate Jewell, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3175680
Across Britain, the least-used station overall was Elton & Orston in Nottinghamshire, with just 68 passengers in the same period. And, at the other end of the scale, London Liverpool Street recorded more than 98 million passengers!
