please empty your brain below

Are Gatwick airport's figures right? Maybe 15.1m and not 13.1m.
Every year, when cut and pasting last year's post, I fail to update one of the numbers. That was this year's. Or one of this year's.
I see that they still haven't sorted out the obvious nonsense of the figure for Dorking West. This station was formerly and more accurately known as Dorking Town and retains that three alpha code (DKT). It is the nearest station to Dorking Town Centre.

Clearly the tickets, unless specifically to Dorking Deepdene, have been credited to one of the other Dorking stations in the "Dorking group".
The Dorking thing is very irritating. When I was last there there were more than 16 people boarding my carriage, let alone the train. I'm sure some of those bought tickets from Dorking West. I certainly did. Lies, damn lies and statistics.
I used Teesside Airport station when aged 7 as part of a school trip looking at transport. The year went to the station by bus, to the airport by train and back again - we didn't fly or do anything by sea. Imagine 60 children and how many teachers - maybe 5 - times 2 (entry and exit) thats more than 6 times this year's total.
There is an element of double counting in some of the figures - eg Stratford - the LUL numbers are based on people passing through the gateline - this however also includes national rail passengers - the numbers for the latter are based on ticket sales. Finsbury Park and Highbury have the same issue
In the late 70s and early 80s all the Saltburn-Darlington and Newcastle-Darlington via Hartlepol trains called at Tees-side Airport station and there was a small minibus to meet each train. Must say, I saw very few people ever alight or use the bus which probably explains how things are today.
@Mark

I'm sure some of those bought tickets from Dorking West.

But that's the problem. They didn't. They may have stated to the guard they wanted a ticket from Dorking West to whereever but they would have been issued with a ticket from "Dorking Stations" and the credit would have gone to Dorking Deepdene or possibly even Dorking (Main).

And some of them would have gone to Dorking (Main), which is staffed, to buy their annual season ticket from "Dorking stations".
How much longer do we have to wait for a full photographic study of the delights of Dorking West station? If you could travel out by the 465 bus and make an ascent of Box Hill via the stepping stones http://goo.gl/ghxPJ that would be a bonus. Thanks.
Teesside Airport station is now served by 2 trains each way on Sundays only.
Canary Wharf overtaking Bank is surely symbolic of something. Is that the first time it's happened?
Birmingham New Street felt like the busiest Train station in the country, not just "outside London" today. Not sure how the counting is done, as they're not obviously counting me (season ticket).

Roll on the remainder of the New Street station upgrade.
I presume Stratford 'benefited' from the Olympic effect in 2012!










TridentScan | Privacy Policy