Extremely busy train stations are a pain, sure – countless people all pushing and shoving to get where they need to go – but they’re also extraordinary achievements of the modern world. All those travellers, all getting where they need to go no matter the distance… it’s a modern marvel. Think about that the next time you’re ducking and dodging the hordes to catch a train you’re probably already late for.
As usual in December, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its ranking of the busiest train stations in the UK. The data covers not this year but April 2024 to March 2025 – and top spot came as no surprise. For the third year in a row, London Liverpool Street topped the list with 98 million entries and exits.
As before, all of the top 10 busiest stations were in the capital. But what about outside the capital?
Also for a third year on the trot, Birmingham New Street had the most passengers of any train station outside the capital. Brum’s main rail hub had a whopping 36.6 million entries and exits between April 2024 and March 2025 – slightly up on the 33.3 million it had in April 2023-March 2024.
Second-busiest was Manchester Piccadilly with 27.4m, staying in second place compared to last year. Leeds overtook Glasgow Central to take third with 27.3m (up from 24.9m in 2023-24). The least busy station, by contrast, had just 68 entries and exits all year. Elton and Orston in Nottinghamshire has just one train per day in each direction.
In Scotland, the most-used station was Glasgow Central with 25.3m passengers, while Cardiff Central was busiest in Wales with 12.5m.
The 10 busiest train stations in Britain in 2025, outside London
According to ORR data, these were the UK train stations with the highest number of entries and exits from April 2024 to March 2025.
- Birmingham New Street, 36.6m
- Manchester Piccadilly, 27.4m
- Leeds, 27.3m
- Glasgow Central, 25.3m
- Edinburgh Waverley, 22.8m
- Gatwick Airport, 21.2m
- Brighton, 15.3m
- Glasgow Queen Street, 15m
- Liverpool Central, 14.8m
- Liverpool Lime Street, 14.4m
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