The 2,579 railway stations on the National Rail network in Great Britain are classified into six categories (two of which are each divided into two subcategories) by the Department for Transport. The scheme was devised in 1996[1] and there was a review in 2009 when 106 stations changed categories.[2] The categorisation scheme is owned by Network Rail, the site landlord of most of the stations.[1]
Some stations are in more than one category: for instance, at London St Pancras International, the surface platforms are in category A and the Thameslink platforms are in category C1.
Stations in Scotland are categorised and counted in the totals below, for example Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley are both category A,[1] but are not included in the lists of stations for each category.[2]
| Category | Number (2011[3][may be outdated as of November 2022]) | Description | Trips per annum | Examples | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 28 | National hub | over 2 million | Birmingham New Street, London King's Cross | |
| B | 67 | Regional interchange | over 2 million | Clapham Junction, Preston | |
| C | C1 | 248 | Important feeder | 0.5–2 million | Grantham, Plymouth |
| C2 | Burgess Hill, Tamworth | ||||
| D | 298 | Medium staffed | 0.25–0.5 million | Abergavenny, Penrith | |
| E | 679 | Small staffed | under 0.25 million | Boston, Oakham | |
| F | F1 | 1,200 | Small unstaffed | under 0.25 million | Beccles, Bishop Auckland |
| F2 | Llanfairpwll, Winchelsea | ||||
| Total | 2,520 | ||||
Category C stations are sub-divided into C1 (city or busy junction) and C2 (other busy railheads). The only exception is Worthing, which has not been given a subcategory; it is listed by DfT as "C".[2]
Category F stations are sub-divided into F1 (over 100,000 journeys per annum) and F2 (others).[2]