READING has been named among the most used train stations in the south east, but has seen a dramatic drop in figures due to the pandemic.

The town was ranked third out of five for busiest stations in the region, coming behind Gatwick Airport and Brighton.

READ MORE: 'We are really excited': Parents and teachers welcome town's first School Street

According to figures published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), Reading Station saw 16,753,368 entries and exists throughout 2019.

Oxford was next on the list, with 8,702,368 comings and goings recorded last year, followed by Woking with 7,352,236.

The least used station was Finstock in Oxfordshire, with 1,542 entries and exits recorded throughout 2019.

The numbers are revealed in ORR's estimate of station usage statistics, which officially records the annual total of passenger entries and exits.

2020

This year, the Covid-19 pandemic has seen a huge decline in figures nationally, with Reading's entries and exists dropping by 327,370.

Brighton and Woking also saw a decrease, while Oxford recorded an increase by 431,882.

Gatwick still ranked as the 20th most used station in Britain, despite a drop of 174,000 from last year.

Waterloo station topped the chart for the sixteenth consecutive year despite the decrease in numbers. The decline in usage across Great Britain can be partly attributed to the dramatic fall in passenger numbers towards the end March of this year following the impact of COVID-19.

Britain’s least used station was Berney Arms in Norfolk, which recorded 42 entries and exits during the year.

Last year’s least used stations Denton and Stanlow & Thornton increased from 46 to 92 and 82 respectively.

There were six stations across Great Britain with fewer than 100 entries and exits.

READ MORE: Weekly news round-up in Reading - all you need to know

Jay Symonds, ORR senior statistical analyst, said: "Despite the dramatic decline in passenger numbers towards the end of March due to Covid-19, Gatwick remains busiest station in south east England.

"Nationally, Waterloo remains top but we saw a change in the least used station with Berney Arms taking the spot from Denton and Stanlow and Thornton.

"With numbers staying at historically low levels during 2020, there is no doubt that next year’s figures will look a lot different."