Place Reddish Station code RDS DfT category F2 Number of platforms 1 | Grid reference SJ895932 Managed by Northern 2011/12 56 | |
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Address Stockport SK5 6TJ, United Kingdom Pte Transport for Greater Manchester Similar Reddish North railway st, Ryder Brow railway st, Denton railway station, Stalybridge railway station, Guide Bridge railway st | ||
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.
Contents
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. Prior to May 1989 the station had a regular (hourly) service in both directions on weekdays & Saturdays (as can be seen in the 1979 and 1988 British Rail National timetables), but following the re-routing of the Leeds to Manchester via Huddersfield expresses from Victoria to Piccadilly stations, the service was drastically reduced. Since May 1992, it has received only one train per week - the statutory minimum service level required to avoid formal closure proceedings (the line is however in regular use for other traffic, mainly freight and empty stock transfers).
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 record patronage for the whole year.)
With 26 passenger entries and exits between April 2013 and March 2014, Reddish South was the third-least used station in Great Britain, after Teesside Airport railway station and Shippea Hill railway station.
In 2015, passenger figures from the Office for Rail and Road showed that Reddish South was Britain's 4th quietest railway station
The only service is the 09:22 Fridays-only parliamentary train from Stockport to Stalybridge calling at 09:26, 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 and Denton.