SOUTH Essex’s busiest train station has been revealed by new figures.

Statistics from the Office of Rail and Road show passenger numbers were down at almost all stations in 2020 to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Grays saw the highest number recorded in this period, with 1.5million entries and exits.

Basildon was the only other station in south Essex to record more than one million passengers in the 12-month period with 1.1m.

Benfleet was the third busiest, with 927,000 entries and exits.

The busiest station in Southend was Southend Central with 906,000 passengers.

It came fourth on the list of busiest stations in south Essex, with Chafford Hundred Lakeside making up the top five with 882,000.

Across Great Britain, usage of railway stations fell from 3 billion in 2019-20 to 687 million – a fall of 77%.

The busiest station in England – with an estimated 14 million passengers – was Stratford, in London, marking the first time in 17 years that Waterloo was not the most-used.

The figures are based primarily on ticket sales.

ORR director of planning and performance Feras Alshaker said: “We’ve seen a radical change, especially in London, in the stations people were using the most.

“Stratford, Highbury and Islington, Clapham Junction, Barking and East Croydon replaced Kings Cross, St Pancras, Euston and Paddington in the top 10, underlining their importance as vital stops and interchanges, linking key workers with Underground and bus services to travel.

“This year we have seen many railway stations with very few passenger entries and exits.

"However, we know that recent figures show leisure journeys are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, while there has been a slower increase in commuter journeys.”

Prittlewell station was one of the quietest in the region as it welcomed just 97,500 passengers last year.