[title]
Whether you’re on your morning commute or hopping out of London for the day, train stations are notoriously stressful places to be. Some things, however, can make all the difference: a place to wee; a nearby Pret to grab a last-minute sandwich; your train not being AT LEAST 20 MINUTES LATE, LITERALLY EVERY DAY.
That’s why – okay, breathe! – hotel chain Novotel has conducted some handy research into the UK’s best train stations. It’s used the main criteria of facilities, food and shopping and punctuality. The result? Well, although it might not always seem like it, London actually does pretty well when it comes to stations.
Coming top of the leader board with a very impressive 80 points out of 100 is Paddington station, followed by Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street on around 79 apiece. In fact, eight out of ten of the top scorers were from London, with only Glasgow Central and – er – Slough also nudging their way in. For full details of the survey, head here.
However our city is also home to the worst mainline station, according to Novotel’s reckoning. Earlsfield in Wandsworth has no loos, only a single food spot and a whopping 62 percent of its trains have been delayed in the past six months. Ouch.
So next time you’re moaning about your commuter train, just think: it could be much worse. Unless you’re in Earlsfield. Then it literally couldn’t be any worse.
Love London? Sign up here to get Time Out tips in your inbox every week.