The tiny Essex railway station in the middle of nowhere used by just 20 people per day

A tiny Essex railway station with hourly trains to London has been crowned the county's quietest. There were fewer than 7,000 passenger entries and exits at White Notley station between April 2023 and March 2024.

The crown was restored on the station's head for another year after the release of new figures from the Office for Rail and Road. The number of people using the station, located between Braintree and Witham, fell to 6,990 compared to a year earlier when 8,128 passed through its turnstiles - meaning around 20 passengers use the station on average each day.

Battlesbridge was the next least-used station in Essex, with 21,852 entries and exits. That’s followed by Wrabness (23,178), Chappel and Wakes Colne (28,762), Althorne (29,314), and Weeley (35,504).

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Despite it's name, White Notley station is technically just outside the village borders. The picturesque traditional village has one pub, a school and a church in a gentle reminder of old England.

It does not have any shops and the railway station is around a ten-minute walk from the local Cross Keys pub. The single platform station can be found by heading down a narrow lane, but it's bad news for some commuters as there is no nearby car park.

The first service during the working week direct to London is at 6:50am and arrives into Stratford at 7:40am and London Liverpool Street at 7:51. The latest arrival back to White Notley leaves London at 20:47 and arrives at 21:41. There are, however, connecting services between Witham and White Notley until 00:08 which arrive at 00:15.

Essex’s quietest stations are a long way from being the least used in the country, however. Denton in Greater Manchester is the quietest train station in Great Britain. There were just 54 passenger entries and exits at the station.

That’s the equivalent of just one every 6.8 days, making it the least-used station in the country. Shippea Hill in Cambridgeshire was the next least-used station in the country, with just 70 entries and exits. That’s the equivalent of one every 5.2 days.

Ince and Elton in Cheshire was next with 86 passenger entries and exits, followed by Polesworth in Warwickshire with 118, Reddish South in Greater Manchester with 128, and Coombe Junction Halt in Cornwall with 140.