Schoolchildren’s Festive Visit Boosts Activity at Essex’s Quietest Station

Pupils introduced a festive atmosphere to Essex’s least-used railway station, potentially marking its most active day in its 176-year existence. On Tuesday, over 120 students, educators, and guardians from White Notley Church of England Primary School arrived at the village station, adorned in Santa hats and performing Christmas carols. According to rail operator Greater Anglia, the station recorded the lowest passenger numbers in the county during 2023-24, with a total of 6,990 entries and exits. The group from the school completed a brief journey to Braintree and returned. Scott Dolling, a partnerships manager at Greater Anglia, participated in the station’s events as a volunteer, citing a personal family link. He stated, “We lived at the station house here and my parents were the crossing keepers for many years.” He added, “When I heard about White Notley being the least used station, our family wanted to try and help get it known for being more than that.” He mentioned that several events were scheduled to enhance the station’s visibility. Although the station operates without staff, Greater Anglia utilizes volunteer adopters who assist with numerous activities at stations across the region. Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s community and customer engagement manager, commented: “This is a wonderful initiative, and we are very grateful to the station adopters and Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership for the great work they are doing to put railways at the heart of the communities they serve and create a sense of pride in young people for their local railway station.” Patsy Fitzpatrick, the school’s head, remarked that both the school and the station constituted “important parts” of the village community. Notwithstanding its designation as Essex’s least busy station, White Notley maintains a link to the capital, situated on the Braintree branch line with direct service to London.