- The sun is out YouTube,
but literally five minutes ago it was raining.
It's the month of May, 2021
where the weather cannot make up its mind.
So, it might rain in the next 10 minutes.
However, we're taking the sun at the moment,
the face covering's is up and ready,
I'm in the West Midlands, I'm at Whitlocks End.
I can see my guest over there.
I'm very excited to say that "Least Used Station" is back.
(upbeat music)
So it's Least Used Station, West Midlands.
It is Bordesley, to do that, I decided to come and start
at where the one a week, the one train only on a Saturday,
apart from football matches, we'll get to that, starts
and it starts at Whitlocks End.
I can't see a ticket machine.
I've just worked out I need to be on the other side
because the train comes in, terminates
and then leaves from the southbound side.
Is that what I've done?
I've come on, on the wrong side, haven't I?
I need to be on that side.
Everybody say hello to, it's Jen, where are you?
It's Jen, it's my guest.
It's Jen On The Move.
(upbeat music)
Everybody say hello to Jen On The Move.
- Hello, Geoff.
We're totally plugging your YouTube channel in a bit.
First, let's buy a ticket.
I love the fact that I can use my Gold Card
to get a discount here.
So what happens is that there's a service
that goes all the way through to Stratford on this line
but there's another service that reverses here at Whitlocks End.
Whitlocks End, by the way,
there's been nothing here, it's a park and ride station.
So there's this huge car park.
So our train should arrive at any minute
as a terminating train, and then go back out as the 13:40
Oh it's going all the way to Worcester.
It's going to Foregate Street.
It goes through Birmingham
and back out the other side, okay.
Quick map moment.
We'll stop at Shirley, Yardley Wood, Hall Green and Spring Road.
I believe it skips Tyseley, Tyseley or Tyseley,
and it skips Small Heath,
but then we'll stop at Bordesley.
It's the glare on the sun, I can't see a thing,
but that did say the DMI Bordesley at 13:56?
Yes?
- [Jen] 13:50
- Is it me or have they refurbed the 172s?
- They've been refurbishing over the last few years
since West Midlands Trains took over.
They had the London Midlands interiors,
which in my opinion, were awful.
They were the hideous green colours.
Yeah they've given an internal refresh.
- I like the, are the power points new?
Is it like a midlife refresh on the 172s?
- Yeah. - No, I'm liking it,
I'm liking it.
- [Geoff] So Jen, hi,
you've lived for how many years in Birmingham?
- For the first 25 years of my life,
I've lived in Birmingham.
- [Geoff] I expect you'd have all the local knowledge,
right?
- [Jen] Yeah, okay, I'll give you what I know.
- [Geoff] Is there anything I need to know, now?
- It's desolate.
Have you got your coat?
- [Train Announcer] If you are leaving the train
at Bordesley please mind the gap
between the train and platform edge.
- Was that just for us?
- [Conductor] One train a week to Bordesley.
- Yay.
- [Conductor] Congratulations.
- Thank you.
(Geoff laughing) - Special for you.
- [Geoff] It's desolate.
There's no one here.
(train horn blowing)
I feel like he did that for us.
- I think he did that for us.
- [Geoff] Where are we?
- We're at Bordesley
- [Geoff] We made it.
- You can't miss it.
- [Geoff] It is a bit desolate and windy, isn't it?
- Yeah. - I'm loving it.
- And it just started raining just for us.
- [Geoff] You've spotted the former abandoned,
is it an abandoned platform?
- Yeah, it's an abandoned island platform over there.
- [Geoff] So there used to be four platforms here?
- Used to be four platforms.
Used to be a lot busier than it is now,
mainly with livestock,
and yeah you can see on the bridge over there
where it's now being narrowed,
where the old track used to go from the other side
of the platform.
- You said livestock, because that's where
Bull Ring gets its name from, 'cause there was literally
a livestock ring and they brought cattle here.
So would this station have been used to transport cattle?
- [Jen] Yeah, it's really opened for that.
- It is raining by the way.
It's like, why would you do this?
- [Jen] It's my gift to you from Manchester.
- Oh, I see, you've brought the Manchester rain.
So it is just this long, sweeping, slightly wind swept,
it's elevated right?
We're on a viaduct?
- Yeah we're on a viaduct, Ring Road that end,
the City Centre that end.
- And there's a waiting room.
- Yeah, it probably smells a little bit.
- [Geoff] It probably smells a little bit.
- [Jen] From memory.
- We should totally throw that up on screen.
I've missed throwing things up on like random quotes up on
the screen, that's always my favourite part.
Welcome to, it is Bordesley?
- Bordesley. - And not Bor-des-ley.
- Yeah, most people say it wrong.
- I know, I know.
We're sat in the, how would you describe the waiting shelter at Bordesley Jen?
- I would describe it as novel, unique, a do-upper.
(both laughing)
- You know what you're here for.
Always the most exciting part of "Least Used Stations",
where we talk about the actual passenger numbers.
So, the Office of Rail and Road,
always in a link in their description,
for the last period, was it 1920 or 2021?
- 1920.
- Was?
- 24,180.
- Now, can you divide that in your head by 365
for an approximate daily figure?
Even though it only gets one train a week.
- This gets one train a week normally,
but when there's a football match on,
at St Andrew's, which is literally just over there,
they put on extra trains to various destinations,
which massively increases the numbers.
So, on a normal one-a-week train,
you don't get 66 people jumping off.
- Jen, do you want to go and do facilities?
Even though I can see.
- All of them.
- Even though I can there are none.
- There's no bin bag Geoff.
- [Geoff] There's no bin bag?
- You can't get that shot.
- [Geoff] What? - Can't get that shot.
- [Geoff] So is there, is there a ticket machine?
- There is no ticket machine.
- [Geoff] Is there a dot matrix indicator?
- There is no dot matrix indicator.
- [Geoff] Are there little bins?
- There are no litter bins.
- [Geoff] Are there toilets?
- There are no toilets.
- [Geoff] Is there a newsagent?
- There is no new agent.
- [Geoff] Are there benches to sit on?
- There's no benches.
- [Geoff] So there's the shelter,
but there's no seats in the shelter.
- No, it's a sit on the floor.
- [Geoff] So what I can see two things
that there is, what is there?
- There's a help point.
Don't know if it works,
and there's a smart card reader, and many steps.
- [Phone Automated Response] You're in a queue
and will be answered shortly.
- [Geoff] Ah, it's in a queue.
It wasn't a "please wait," it was a "you're in a queue."
Hey, I need information.
It's Bordesley, B-O-R-D-E-S-L-E-Y.
- [Help Point Agent] Thank you for your patience.
Now I am not getting any service and I am checking again.
Yes, no service line that end.
- Ah there's no more services today?
Okay, I guess we'll have to walk.
Thank you.
- Forty steps.
- [Geoff] And what area are we in now?
What would you call this?
- This is the, I'd call it the basement.
It's got that feel to it.
- And the entrance is it right here,
and you're right out onto the road,
it's just this gate, and then that's it.
Oh now look, now there's a sign.
Okay, so we've got, oh there's a map.
There is a normal travel information
and from here you can see how central to Birmingham it is
and we are sort of, we're in the centre of Birmingham.
Okay, so weirdly there is a shop right there,
and a bus stop, and a proper letter box,
and a bus stop.
- I found the facilities.
- You don't know that. - Take a look inside.
- There is a toilet.
- Gentlemen.
No, did you go in?
- [Jen] Yeah.
- But is it a public convenience
or was it part of the station?
- [Jen] No.
- I didn't know this was here, did you know this was here?
- [Jen] No, this is locked normally.
- So this is normally locked?
- [Jen] Yeah.
- Now I'm really excited 'cause I never saw this before.
Oh my God, okay.
Ahhh.
These are old urinals, oh my God.
Okay, that's not pleasant.
So we kinda got to the platform.
So, we're almost done.
But before we go, you have your own YouTube channel.
- Yep, I do.
- Jen On The Move, which is a bit of canals,
bit of railways, bit of cycling,
but mainly motorways?
- Motorways and roads,
that's where my channel started mainly.
Just basically covering things for the road geeks,
the, essentially new things opening, little quirky things.
- So you do know a lot about Britain's roads and motorways?
- I can't help but feel like you're about to try
and catch me out.
- Yeah.
I'm gonna call it Jen's Motorway Road Quiz.
Oh, I like this angle, let's go like this
I'm just gonna lean in here.
- If I don't get a jingle I'm gonna get disappointed.
- You want a jingle?
- Yeah.
I've just made this advert so much harder.
- Youll want a graphic next!
Do you wanna graphic and a jingle?
- Yes.
- Here's Jen's Motorway Road Quiz.
(car horns blowing)
Just to test your knowledge,
and to see if Jen is worth the subscription.
Subscribe now to Jen On The Move.
Jen, the section of which motorway
was the first to be built in the UK?
- That's the M6.
- It is the M6. - Plus the bypass.
- The Tay Road bridge, carries traffic northwards
towards which Scottish city?
- Dundee.
- It is Dundee.
DING! Score points.
This is obvious.
In which city were the first traffic lights
installed in Britain?
- Wolverhampton.
- It says London here.
- Ooh. - Ooh.
Maybe you could research that for a video.
- Yeah, I'm sure that's Wolverhampton.
- That'd be a great, YouTube click-baity title.
Which city had the first traffic lights?
You'd all watch that right?
- I can take you to the junction if you want.
- And then we'll end with,
what is the longest motorway in the UK?
You can give as convoluted answer if you'd like,
because they have.
- Okay, the longest motorway in the UK would be the M6.
- How many miles long?
- Now you're catching me out, I'm going to go with 280.
- And that beats, what?
What does that beat?
- That beats the M1, which is a logical.
- Yeah, which is only 190 miles long, okay.
- But the M6 actually carries on,
into Scotland as the A74(M), and the M74.
It's physically the same motorway
even though it has different numbers.
- I have learned motorway facts, it's amazing.
- So it's actually longer than that really.
- Again, subscribe Jen On The Move.
We've come down the side street,
Jen suggested that we capture some of the local glamour,
of what the area is like.
So, thanks for being my companion.
And I've got, do you know how many "Least Used Stations"
I've got left to do now?
I think this was nine to go.
- Yeah.
= So with this one ticked off
there's a map on my website,
that shows all the Least Used Stationsin Britain.
I think there's now eight more to go.
So the end is in sight.
And after that, no idea what I'm gonna do.
- Then it's all changed one day, then do news ones.
- Oh, well then the new figures will come out
and then yeah, yeah, yeah.
- It'll be all different.
- Link to the ORR figures as well.
Jen, thank you very much.
Thanks, say bye.
- Bye. - Bye.