Glasgow Queen Street is Britain’s most unpopular railway station, new figures show.



Only 58% of passengers say they are satisfied with the city centre terminal, according to Transport Focus data.

The second-worst score was given for the station serving Gatwick airport (66%), followed by Oxford (67%) and Clapham Junction (69%). Also among the bottom 10 were London Victoria (72%), Hull (73%) and Cardiff Central (75%).

The top four stations have all undergone major refurbishments in recent years – London King’s Cross (96%), London St Pancras (95%), Birmingham New Street (92%) and Reading (92%).

The independent transport watchdog surveyed more than 28,000 passengers and the list comprises 56 stations where at least 100 people responded.

The survey was conducted between September and November last year, shortly after a £100m modernisation project began at Glasgow Queen Street. Nine months into the work, some passengers are still unhappy with the station’s condition.

Cameron MacIntosh from Stirling said: “The station is an absolute bomb site at the moment. It really looks like a place from the third world. I try and avoid it.”

John McInnes from Cumbernauld said: “I hope they are going to finish it because it looks a disaster just now. It’s embarrassing bringing friends or relations here. They can’t believe the mess of the place.”

Margaret McGinley from Larbert said: “It will look bad for a while, but I think it’ll be amazing when they’ve completed the renovation work.”

The Abellio ScotRail-operated station was used by 15 million passengers in 2016-17, making it Scotland’s third-busiest station.

One Gatwick airport passenger who responded to the survey said the West Sussex station was small and cramped with long queues for tickets and overcrowding on platforms. Another described it as an “appalling welcome to the UK”.

Other critical respondents include one who claimed London Victoria was “grubby for what should be a flagship station”, and another who said the platforms at Cardiff Central were very run down.

Anthony Smith, the Transport Focus chief executive, said: “While Glasgow Queen Street is being redeveloped it’s vital that the ScotRail Alliance continues to talk to passengers about the improvements and makes sure staff are on hand to help. Investment in stations can improve passengers’ satisfaction when targeted at features which make a difference to their experience.

“Passengers’ top priorities for stations include arrival time information, waiting rooms and the overall look and feel of the station.”

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the rail industry, said: “As part of the partnership railway’s long-term plan, and to deliver on our commitment to boost local communities, we’re investing to improve 178 small and medium-sized stations right across the country.”

Satisfaction ratings of 56 railway stations in Britain, according to Transport Focus:

1. London King’s Cross 96%

2. London St Pancras 95%

3. Birmingham New Street 92%

4. Reading 92%

5. London Marylebone 91%

6. Liverpool Central 91%

7. Beaconsfield 91%

8. Sheffield 91%

9. Manchester Piccadilly 91%

10. Glasgow Central 91%

11. London Blackfriars 91%

12. York 91%

13. Edinburgh 90%

14. Newcastle 90%

15. Amersham 90%

16. Leicester 89%

17. Newark North Gate 89%

18. London Paddington 88%

19. Heathrow Airport Terminals 1,2,3 88%

20. London Fenchurch Street 88%

21. Richmond (Surrey) 88%

22. Bath Spa 88%

23. Heathrow Terminal 5 88%

24. Liverpool Lime Street 87%

25. High Wycombe 87%

26. Leamington Spa 87%

27. Cambridge 87%

28. London Liverpool Street 87%

29. Nottingham 86%

30. Milton Keynes Central 86%

31. Peterborough 86%

32. Derby 85%

33. Moorfields 85%

34. Leeds 84%

35. Brighton 83%

36. London Charing Cross 83%

37. London Bridge 81%

38. Chester 81%

39. St Albans 81%

40. London Waterloo 81%

41. Bristol Temple Meads 81%

42. London Euston 81%

43. London Cannon Street 79%

44. Coventry 77%

45. East Croydon 77%

46. Stratford (London) 76%

47. Cardiff Central 75%

48. Hull 73%

49. Highbury And Islington 72%

50. London Victoria 72%

51. Wimbledon 71%

52. Barking 70%

53. Clapham Junction 69%

54. Oxford 67%

55. Gatwick Airport 66%

56. Glasgow Queen Street 58%