Swindon station is the third busiest in the South West, according to official statistics.

The figures were revealed by the Office for Rail and Road in a report which analysed the number of passenger entries and exits between April 2023 and March 2024.

Swindon station had 2.8 million entries and exits, making it the third busiest in the South West.

The figures put it on a par with Exeter Central, which also recorded 2.8 million entries and exits.

The two stations are behind only Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa, which had 10.2 million and 6.1 million entries and exits respectively.

Exeter St David's had 2.7 million entries and exits, while Bournemouth recorded 2.5 million.

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Plymouth had 2.4 million entries and exits, Bristol Parkway had 2.1 million, Cheltenham Spa had two million, and Salisbury had 1.8 million.

At the other end of the scale, Coombe Junction Halt was the least used station in the South West, with just 140 entries and exits.

Chapelton in Devon had 186, and Pilning recorded 330.

Nationally, London Liverpool Street station was the busiest in the UK, while Denton in Greater Manchester was the least used, with just 54 entries and exits.

Feras Alshaker, director of planning and performance at the Office of Rail and Road, said: "These statistics provide crucial insights for passengers, the rail industry, and its stakeholders and demonstrate clearly how travel patterns are changing across the country.

"Alongside our rail usage statistics, they show that since the pandemic, rail usage continues to increase and that the investment put into the Elizabeth line is fundamentally reshaping passenger journeys into and around London."

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The estimates of station usage report also revealed that 2,585 stations were served by mainline rail services as of March 31, 2024, including seven new stations which opened during the year.

A total of 1,610 million passenger journeys were made during the latest reporting period, an increase of 16 per cent from the 1,380 million journeys made in the previous year.

The estimates of station usage come from the rail industry's ticketing and revenue system, LENNON, along with some local ticketing data.

Adjustments are made to the source data to ensure the estimates are as accurate as possible.

The period from April 2023 to March 2024 is the first full year to include the Elizabeth line.

 

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