Stratford crowned UK’s busiest station for first time ever
Stratford station was crowned today the UK’s busiest station, surpassing for the first time in 16 years London Waterloo.
Data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has revealed that for the year 2020 – 2021, Stratford recorded almost 14 million entries and exits, compared with 12.2 million recorded at Waterloo. The station was particularly hit by the pandemic as the numbers before Covid stationed around 86.9m.
London continued to excel, with stations such as Victoria – with 13.8 million entries and exits – and Liverpool Street making the cut for the top 10. Highbury and Islington, Clapham and East Croydon replaced more famous terminals such as Paddington, Euston and London St Pancras.
“We’ve seen a radical change, especially in London, in the stations people were using the most. Stratford, Highbury and Islington, Clapham Junction, Barking and East Croydon replaced Kings Cross, St. Pancras, Euston and Paddington in the top ten, underlining their importance as vital stops and interchanges, linking key workers with underground and bus services to travel,” said Feras Alshaker, ORR’s director of planning and performance.
Outside of London, Birmingham New Street ranked first with more than 7.3 million entries, followed by Leeds and Glasgow with 5.8 and 5.3 million entries respectively.