England's Most Dreadful Railway Stations

"It is that very absence of staff, combined with dereliction that led Lord Adonis in July to label Wakefield Kirkgate as 'probably the worst 'medium-large' station I have seen in Britain'. After a number of serious crimes at the station, work started the next month on some improvements.

As well as security, parking, both of cars and bicycles, is a major issue. At stations in commuter areas, the lack of parking encourages people to drive rather than take the train, and a Passenger Focus survey found it was the aspect of stations that most people were unhappy with.

Another major factor for bad stations is the lack of information, says Mr Smith. In the absence of live train information, travellers at unstaffed stations can feel rather unsettled."