The picture is of Sugar Loaf Station. On average one person a week uses the Station. There's stations all over the UK like it where trains don't stop unless you tell the conductor. They are known as "request stops".
Once you've told the conductor you then have to hope he tells the driver and then pray the driver actually remembers to stop. And yes they do forget.
I had a recent chat with friends and everyone said their anxiety levels go through the roof using these stations.
Buses do that. I have not heard of trains doing it. Here in the US most trains are long distance trains. Once they get going they don't stop for much of anything. Only the largest cities have local trains.
The trains here definitely don't stop at little towns, except possibly in some of the western states where even medium size towns are hundreds of miles apart. I rode a train 1800 miles once. I don't remember how many times it stopped but it wasn't many.
If I needed to get off in the middle of nowhere I'd remind the conductor five times before getting there.
I also hopped a train once, but that's something completely different (and very dangerous).
I mean The train I have running through my area is only goi g one direction and only good for going one place. But if I was in the UK I would for sure hate to need to use a request stop. That sounds so stressful.
I got stuck at Severn Tunnel Junction as a kid. For five hours. The weirdest train that stopped was the Penzance to Edinburgh that wasn't supposed to go throught the tunnel but had been rerouted lol
It makes sense for little-used stations. Geoff Marshall has a whole series on them on his YouTube channel. I'm not sure I would like to stop a train by sticking my arm out though.
I'd probably want to be in the engine car and make certain the conductor tells the driver, or tell him yourself as the stop approaches. Why leave it to prayer?
