Recent visitor numbers have shown that Acklington is the least used North East train station, and one of the quietest in the country.
There were just 550 passenger entries and exits at the station between April 2023 and March 2024 according to the latest government statistics. This works out as just 1.5 passengers a day on average, making Acklington the 27th quietest station in the UK.
So I decided to visit Acklington station, to get a first-hand view of exactly how quiet it is. During the drive, as I went deeper into Northumberland, I started to get to grips with the rurality of Acklington station, which is isolated from other places.
I parked up and arrived, walking through a gate to the platform, and immediately noticed the silence, as the only noise was trains passing through. As soon as the trains got far enough away, the eerie quiet returned, and I did not see another person during the entirety of my time there.
Acklington station in Northumberland
(Image: Chronicle Live)
To move around to the opposite platform, I headed over the nearby bridge and walked down the pathway. I went through another gate and reached the station shelter, which certainly looked as if it had seen better days.
During my time in Acklington, I saw, at most, five trains, and they all passed straight through the station without stopping. Acklington is served by a maximum of three trains per day at the most, which goes some way to explaining why it is the least used train station in the region.
I feel like my visit to Acklington station gave me some context and perspective as to where these extremely low passenger numbers are coming from. There are clearly several reasons why this is the case, which become even more apparent in person.
A train goes through Acklington station in Northumberland
(Image: Chronicle Live)
Firstly, the rural location does leave Acklington isolated from other areas, and means that a small amount of people are travelling to and from the village. It is no surprise that the majority of services pass through what is a minor stop on a much larger network.
The lack of trains stopping at Acklington station is of course another significant factor, and the times that I could see were either early morning or into the evening, so I don’t think that they would be of much use to the people who live there.
Despite this, I enjoyed my visit to Acklington, and seeing a classic village train station like this felt like a treat. A little bit of refurbishment could see Acklington be restored to its former glory, and its 175 plus year history can then be fully celebrated.
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