HOW MANY EXACTLY? NOT AS SIMPLE A QUESTION AS IT MIGHT SEEM...

THE question as to exactly how many main line stations there are in Britain is not particularly straightforward.

Lichfield Trent Valley, Tamworth, Willesden Junction, Shotton, Liskeard, Glasgow Queen Street, Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Central and Moorfields, although listed as one, are in fact two separate stations from different origins and former railway companies, but National Rail and the TOCs combine them for administrative and management purposes.

Also, during the time of my project, Barlaston, Wedgwood, Norton Bridge and Newhaven Marine, while on the National Rail database, were all inaccessible to passengers.

The first two had been 'temporarily' closed on May 23, 2004 to accommodate upgrade work on the West Coast Main Line and never reopened, but they were still extant, and it was possible to stand on the platform ramp to photograph them.

The latter two had become inaccessible.

Norton Bridge had also closed 'temporarily' on the same day for the same reason but never reopened as the access footbridge crossing the tracks was removed, leaving the station marooned. It was officially closed on October 15, 2017.

Newhaven Marine closed to passengers in August 2006, because of safety concerns regarding the canopy and other structures, and was fenced off and eventually demolished, but Network Rail has only started the official closure procedure this year.

Since my odyssey, IBM (Dec 8, 2018) and

Angel Road (May 31, 2019) have closed and the following have opened: Maghull North (June 18, 2018), Meridian Water (June 3, 2019), Robroyston (Dec 15, 2019), Warrington West (Dec 16, 2019), and Worcestershire Parkway (Feb 23, 2020).

Corfe Castle, on the Swanage Railway, is also now used by South Western Railway on a seasonal basis.

At the time of going to press (spring 2020), I estimate the total to stand at 2,595.

Whether we will still have that many after the Covid-19 pandemic remains to be seen.