These are the top five busiest train stations in each Merseyside borough

We looked at the latest government figures to reveal the busiest train stations in Merseyside using Office for Rail and Road (ORR) data. The research looks at the number of people entering and exiting every train station in the country, including the 81 stations for which data was collected in Merseyside last year.

National figures show Liverpool Street in London overtook Waterloo as the most-used station in Great Britain, which the ORR attributed to the opening of London's latest train service, the Elizabeth Line. Waterloo had been the busiest station in the country in all but one of the previous 18 years, but it even dropped to third in the year to March behind Paddington, also on the Elizabeth Line.

In Merseyside, Liverpool Central topped the charts as the most-used station in the region and also ranked as the tenth busiest in the UK, for stations outside London. But what about the rest of Merseyside? Here are the top five most used stations in each borough - Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral - in the year to March.

The Top Five Stations in Knowsley

1. Kirkby - With 2.1 million entries and exits into the station in 2022-23, Kirkby station topped the charts as the busiest train station in Knowsley.
2. Huyton - This was followed by Huyton station, which saw people enter and exit 535,000 times last year.
3. Prescot - In third was Prescot – 235,000 entries and exits were recorded there.
4. Whiston - Just behind on 203,000 entries and exits was Whiston.
5. Roby - And rounding out the top five was Roby, with 163,000 entries and exits.

The Top Five Stations in Liverpool

1. Liverpool Central - With 11.4 million entries and exits into the station in 2022-23, Liverpool Central station topped the charts as the busiest train station in Liverpool.
2. Liverpool Lime Street - This was followed by Liverpool Lime Street station, which saw people enter and exit 11.1 million times last year.
3. Moorfields - In third was Moorfields – 5.1 million entries and exits were recorded there.
4. Liverpool James Street - Just behind on 2.4 million entries and exits was Liverpool James Street.
5. Liverpool South Parkway - And rounding out the top five was Liverpool South Parkway, with 5.1 million entries and exits.

The Top Five Stations in Sefton

1. Southport - With 3.3 million entries and exits into the station in 2022-23, Southport station topped the charts as the busiest train station in Sefton.
2. Blundellsands and Crosby - This was followed by Blundellsands and Crosby station, which saw people enter and exit 1.4 million times last year.
3. Waterloo - In third was Waterloo – 1.3 million entries and exits were recorded there.
4. Maghull - Just behind on 1.2 million entries and exits was Maghull.
5. Formby - And rounding out the top five was Formby, with 1.3 million entries and exits.

The Top Five Stations in St Helens

1. Newton-le-Willows - With 799,000 entries and exits into the station in 2022-23, Newton-le-Willows station topped the charts as the busiest train station in St Helens.
2. St Helens Central - This was followed by St Helens Central station, which saw people enter and exit 537,000 times last year.
3. Lea Green - In third was Lea Green – 340,000 entries and exits were recorded there.
4. Earlestown - Just behind on 275,000 entries and exits was Earlestown.
5. St Helens Junction - And rounding out the top five was St Helens Junction, with 163,000 entries and exits.

The Top Five Stations in Wirral

1. Birkenhead Hamilton Square - With 1.3 million entries and exits into the station in 2022-23, Birkenhead Hamilton Square station topped the charts as the busiest train station in Wirral.
2. West Kirby - This was followed by West Kirby station, which saw people enter and exit 959,000 times last year.
3. New Brighton - In third was New Brighton – 932,000 entries and exits were recorded there.
4. Birkenhead North - Just behind on 878,000 entries and exits was Birkenhead North.
5. Bebington - And rounding out the top five was Bebington, with 750,000 entries and exits.

Elsewhere in Britain

The busiest stations outside London were Birmingham New Street, Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly. Glasgow Central was the most used station in Scotland, and Cardiff Central topped the list in Wales.

The least used station that was open throughout the whole year was Denton in Greater Manchester, with 34 entries and exits. Teesside Airport station in Darlington recorded two entries and exits, but its once-a-week Sunday service was suspended in May 2022 after the platform was judged to be unsafe.

In total, there were 2.5 billion entries and exits across Great Britain in 2022-23, a significant increase from 1.8 billion the year before, but still below the 3 billion entries and exits in 2019-20, before the coronavirus pandemic.

What they said

Michael Solomon Wiliams, campaigns manager of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "It’s encouraging to see that station usage is on the rise, but to continue this upward trend and surpass pre-pandemic numbers, rail needs to be better value and more reliable.

"Instead of implementing another record-high increase, the Government should freeze rail fares as it has fuel duty and make green public transport cheaper".