We sent our traffic correspondent Callum Marius to find out why this suburban station ranks so badly

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Google’s review and rating functions have become a major part of finding good places to eat, drink or hang out in London, but with the impact of the Covid pandemic, climate change and the cost of living, we have become more and more cautious about travel. More of us are evaluating buses, subways and train stations.

Like me, you might have expected that Hell’s Gate Bank Station is definitely the worst rated station on London’s TfL and National Railway maps, but with only 3.8 points out of the possible 5 points, it definitely exceeds its weight.

The score is 2.3, which is lower than all 272 subway stations, 112 aboveground stations, 45 DLR stations, 39 tram stations and 32 TfL train stations. The 23 river bus terminals, 2 Emirates Airline cable car stations, and hundreds of national railway stations appearing on this map are the Marden Estates, the suburban railway station of the Southwest Railway District 4 in Google.

Read more: What happened to London's curvy bus 10 years after being driven out of the capital

In a relatively quiet corner of southwest London, it seems a dignified and practical station. I can hardly imagine that this station is so annoying.

Therefore, I started to visit in person to investigate the meaning of all negative emotions. Despite its suburban charm, it turned out to be a rather weird place. Let me explain...

Malden Manor runs an SWR train every 30 minutes every day between Waterloo and Chessington South. Starting from Waterloo, it takes 26 minutes and 11 miles to pass through important transportation hubs such as Vauxhall, Clapham Junction and Wimbledon.

The train I boarded is a 36-year-old refurbished 455 train. Despite being relatively clean and with plenty of space, this train does show its age-the route map above the door mentions "connection to North Woolwich", a connection that has been unavailable for the past 15 years.

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The train does not have air-conditioning Thameslink or USB ports, WiFi-enabled Overground/TfL Rail trains, other Londoners are used to it.

I arrived at Malden Manor mentioned badly only a minute late, and I understand why one critic described it as: "Seeing better days, about 1935." It is less than the basics.

The two platforms are designed in a concrete Art Deco style from the 1930s with unique curved shelters. Although fascinating from a historical perspective, they create a wind tunnel effect, which means you can still be exposed to various elements even under it.

Except for the strange paint, signs and some mirrors, the station building seems to have hardly improved, but nothing more.

There are obvious cracks in the walls. The subway and stairs that carry passengers between the platform and the street are very dim. After other passengers step on it, I don't like to be alone.

As I walked along the southbound platform, I found a dying pigeon stuck in a spike at the top of the customer information screen. I could directly hear the hum of the electric tower in front of the station and smell, uh, like Something like body fluids.

As the only passenger in the station (two trains in each direction depart within 5 minutes every half an hour, and then there is nothing for 25 minutes), this certainly feels like something from a horror movie, or a crime observation in the first few seconds reconstruction.

I can now understand why the two critics described the station as "collapsed." It started to make me feel "exhausted", which has never been a good way to end rail travel.

There is a ticket counter and a "community center" in the ticket hall, both of which are only open part-time. There are three bike racks and some Oyster/contactless card readers. There is also a bookshelf to encourage passengers to use it as a "book exchange."

For my visit, there is indeed a book for everyone. The particular highlights I found were four Martina Cole novels, almost all Stephen King’s books known to mankind, ten free Waitrose magazines, books in Spanish, Arabic, French and Urdu, and Little Britain in Series 1. Books and some things on my street 13-year-old "Railway Pictorial" magazine.

It's fascinating, but in such a dystopian environment on the edge of aridity, it's frankly weird.

Not only did the "book exchange" facility impress me, one critic described it as: "A good place to dump old books that you don't need."

Outside the station there are cafes, takeaway shops, small parking lots and bus stops.

This cafe is based on the theme of Only Fools and Horses, hence the name "Hooky Street Coffee", which is very much in line with the 20th century style of the station.

It may be unintentional, but it is certainly true. I suspect that if Del Boy runs a train station, Malden Manor will see how stingy it looks, smells and feels.

I talked to some passengers to see if they agreed with the views expressed on Google. The response was mixed. One person told me: "Absolutely lowest [rating]? This surprised me! I didn't expect this to happen, but I can imagine that if you are alone or traveling at night, it is not entirely popular."

Another said: "I usually use Worcester Park, but since SWR cut off the service there, I have used more here. I think it's a bit unpopular, but it doesn't matter."

I met a dentist who visited his clinic in the area of ​​the northbound platform. I think I agree with his analysis most: "I think this is quite barbaric. I think it should be okay in the country. I think it fits the "country image" of Malden Manor. But we are in London, so it is not Modern. It's... humble."

Malden Manor will improve one day. It is one of the potential stations on the currently shelved "Crossrail 2" planned route.

I did not leave a comment on Google myself, it can maintain 2.3.

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Have you walked past Malden Manor station? What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.