Rufford railway station

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Rufford
General information
Location	Rufford, West Lancashire England
Grid reference	SD466156
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	RUF
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Opened	1849
Passengers
2018/19	15,608
2019/20	21,836
2020/21	4,144
2021/22	16,060
2022/23	17,674
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Rufford railway station, opened on 2 April 1849, serves the village of

Direct trains to Liverpool via Ormskirk (and also to Blackburn and East Lancashire) were withdrawn from Rufford station in October 1969, though Liverpool trains continued to run through non-stop until May of the following year. From July 1970, Rufford became the only passing point on the truncated Preston-Ormskirk branch line after the Midge Hall to Ormskirk section was singled. Over that same summer the station was rebuilt, with its wooden platforms and substantial station building demolished and replaced with more functional and basic facilities.

Until the late 1980s, peak-hour trains on the Preston-Ormskirk line continued to cross at Rufford station.

Over the past twenty five years, changes in the station's layout and traction have been minimal. The portakabin signal box was due to close, along with that at Midge Hall, in 2017. However as of summer 2023 this has yet to happen.^[2] Network Rail plans to automate the crossing here, remove the loop and raise the line speed to 75 mph to allow a more frequent timetable to operate. The crossings trackbed was dug up and re-laid in 2018 in preparation for the automation of the crossing but this has of yet (Summer 2023) to be carried out.

Service

On Mondays to Saturdays there is a service westbound to Ormskirk to connect with the Merseyrail service to Liverpool Central and eastbound to Preston every hour. This is an improvement on the former irregular frequency (twelve per day each way) operated under previous timetables.

There is no Sunday service. A normal service operates on Bank holidays.^[3]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rufford railway station.

• Train times and station information for Rufford railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Croston		Northern Trains Ormskirk branch line Mondays-Saturdays only		Burscough Junction
	Disused railways
Terminus		Burscough Curves North		Burscough Bridge

53°38′06″N 2°48′25″W / 53.635°N 2.807°W / 53.635; -2.807