In 2016/17, Barry Links was the least used railway station in the UK with just 24 entries and exits.[5]
History
The station was opened on 31 July 1851 by Dundee and Arbroath Railway, and was named Barry,[3] even though the line through the station had opened thirteen years earlier.[6] The station was renamed to its current name on 1 April 1919,[3] presumably to avoid confusion with Barry station, in South Wales.
Facilities
Both platforms have shelters and benches, whilst platform 2 also has cycle racks. Only platform 2 has step-free access.[7] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the conductor on the train.
Passenger volume
In the Strategic Rail Authority's 2002/03 financial year, only three fare-paying people (excluding season ticket holders) boarded trains at Barry Links station, and five disembarked, making it the least-used station in the United Kingdom, tied with Gainsborough Central. In the 2011/12 statistics, Barry Links had the seventh lowest passenger numbers. The low numbers reflect the fact that the service was very sparse at the time. In the 2016/17 statistics, Barry Links again became the least used station in Britain, receiving only 24 entries and exits.[5][8]
In March 2019, ScotRail apologised for previous poor services across the network and offered season ticket holders, on affected routes, unlimited travel anywhere on the ScotRail network for selected weekends in March–May 2019.[9] This then meant passengers were to buy the cheapest season ticket available between Golf Street and Barry Links, in order to take advantage of this promotion. As a result, the year 2019/20 saw a massive increase in passenger entries/exits to the station.
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
As of June 2024, there is a total of three trains per day: southbound, there is an 06:18 to Dundee and an 07:54 to Glasgow Queen Street, whilst northbound there is solely an 18:11 to Arbroath. There is no Sunday service.[10]
^Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 95. ISBN978-1909431-26-3.
Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC22311137.
Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC228266687.