A Norfolk train station which gained notoriety as the UK's quietest has lost its crown after a surge in interest saw visitor numbers rocket.

Berney Arms, a remote station in the Broads on the Norwich to Great Yarmouth line, had only 42 passengers last year, between April 2019 and March 2020.

But between 2020 and 2021, the station saw an increase of 729pc, with 348 passengers using it.

This is the biggest percentage increase of any station in the country and makes the remote station one of two in Norfolk to see an increase of passengers.

Salhouse Station saw a 17pc increase, from 9,856 passengers to 11,566.

Spooner Row station between Attleborough and Wymondham is now Norfolk's quietest station, with only 74 passengers using it - a decrease of 73pc.

However, the station was only 52nd in the national list.

Six stations across the country had no passengers in 2020/21, mainly due to services being suspended because of the virus crisis.

They were: Abererch, Gwynedd; Beasdale, Highland; Llanbedr, Gwynedd; Sampford Courtenay, Devon; Stanlow and Thornton, Cheshire; and Sugar Loaf, Powys.

Norfolk stations saw passenger use fall by 75pc over the past year, a figure inline with the national average of 78pc.

Stratford was Britain’s busiest railway station.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said an estimated 14 million passengers used station in the year to the end of March.

Passenger numbers across Britain dropped by 78% over the 12-month period due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Stratford is a key interchange, enabling people to connect with other transport routes.

It is served by c2c, Greater Anglia, London Overground and TfL Rail mainline services.

Birmingham New Street was the busiest station outside London, with 7.4 million passengers.

The figures are based primarily on ticket sales.

Andy Bagnall, director-general at industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: “The station usage figures show how the rail industry kept people moving for the first year of the pandemic.

“Some of the entries on the list reflect where people like key workers were travelling from and also the acceleration of changes to how people are travelling after the pandemic.

“Rail companies are working together to welcome people back and the recent increase in passengers continues to both reflect and support the nation’s recovery.”