West Kirby railway station
West Kirby Merseytravel | |
---|---|
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Station code | WKI |
Fare zone | B2 |
Classification | DfT category E |
Key dates | |
1878 1938 | Opened Electrified |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 1.244 million |
2019/20 | 1.380 million |
2020/21 | 0.360 million |
2021/22 | 0.891 million |
2022/23 | 0.959 million |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
West Kirby railway station serves the town of
History
Wirral line
In 1873, the
In 1932, the
There was an active freight depot, until 1964, on the eastern side of the station. The freight depot occupied the triangular area between the former Wirral Railway station, which received the electrified lines, and the former Birkenhead Joint branch station. The depot was mainly used to receive coal for domestic distribution. The area occupied by the freight depot was later used for the construction of The Concourse. The West Kirby goods depot was principally served by a daily goods train along the electric line from Birkenhead, which also served goods depots at Hoylake, Moreton, and the Cadbury's factory near Leasowe.[citation needed]
West Kirby to Hooton line
West Kirby's station for trains from Hooton opened on 19 April 1886 to West Kirby.
The station for the Hooton line was to the east of the current station. The station was along the alignment of what is now Orrysdale Road,[8] between Bridge Road and Grange Road, and was equipped with a small turntable.[5][8] The station was single-platformed, and a single-storey building provided passenger and parcels facilities.[8] The station also had steam locomotive watering facilities at the southern end of the platform, and a passing loop.[8]
The only significant train along this route was a once-daily through service, often just one or two coaches, which ran until 1939. This service was from New Brighton, via Bidston, to Hooton and Chester. The coaches were then attached to a London Euston train.[8] A principal traffic was scholars travelling from stations along the route to the secondary schools in West Kirby.[8]
The Birkenhead Joint branch station was effectively a separate facility to the main station on the electric lines. There was a junction between the two lines, underneath the Bridge Road overbridge. However, very few train movements connected between them.
In its final years, the almost-unused line was employed for the training of diesel multiple unit crews operating from Birkenhead and Chester via Hooton.[8] The station closed to passengers on 17 September 1956,[8] and closed completely on 7 May 1962.[8] The station site is now the location for several civic buildings, and the route all the way to Hooton is now a footpath, known as The Wirral Way, which forms part of the Wirral Country Park.[8]
LMS electrification
Through electric services commenced on 13 March 1938, when the LMS electrified the lines from Birkenhead Park to West Kirby.[9] The service was provided by the then-new LMS electric multiple units. However, on Sunday mornings, the service was provided by the older Mersey Railway electric units[10] which, up until that point, had only ever run from Liverpool to Birkenhead Park. The 230 ft (70 m)[7] concrete platform awning was erected, at the time of the 1938 electrification, along with a similar structure at New Brighton.[11][12] However, the station building, across the end of the tracks, was left untouched from Victorian times.
Service disruptions
When the
Facilities
The station has a booking office and a drop-off point for cars, with a cycle rack for 16 bicycles and secure storage for 10 bicycles. The station is staffed, at all times during opening hours, has departure and arrival screens for passenger information, and platform CCTV. The terminus island platform has open-air seating, beneath a platform canopy, and there are two payphones on the platform. Wheelchair and pram access to the platform is straightforward, with no steps to ascend.[17][18]
Much of the station building has been rented out as retail units, accessed from the public road rather than from the railway premises.
Services
Current services are every 15 minutes (Monday to Saturday daytime) to Liverpool. At other times, trains operate every 30 minutes.[19] These services are all provided by Merseyrail's fleet of Class 507 and Class 777 EMUs.
Gallery
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The station entrance.
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Beneath the station canopy.
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The station building, viewed from the main road.
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The end of the platform, looking towards Hoylake.
References
- ^ a b c Maund 2009, p. 18
- ^ Gahan 1983, p. 15
- ^ a b c d Maund 2009, p. 230
- ^ a b c d Maund 2009, p. 37
- ^ a b c Maund 2009, p. 127
- ^ Gahan 1983, p. 18
- ^ a b c Maund 2009, p. 165
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Station Name: West Kirby (Birkenhead Joint)". Disused Stations. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ Gahan 1983, p. 63
- ^ Gahan 1983, p. 67
- ^ Maund 2009, p. 159
- ^ Gahan 1983, p. 47
- ^ a b "Open Golf:: Park and ride sites now identified". Wirral Globe. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ Dunn, Justin (11 July 2006). "Station ready after £600,000 revamp". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ "Lessons that must be learned..." Wirral Globe. 12 September 2006. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ Dunn, Justin (21 July 2006). "Record number take the train to the Open". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ "West Kirby Station Plan". National Rail. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ "West-kirby train station | timetable | ticket prices & facilities". www.merseyrail.org. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ "Wirral Line timetable" (PDF). Merseyrail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
Sources
- Gahan, John W. (1983). Steel Wheels to Deeside - The Wirral Railway past and present. Birkenhead: Countryvise. ISBN 0-907768-70-9.
- Maund, T.B. (2009). The Wirral Railway and its Predecessors. Gloucestershire: Lightmoor Press. ISBN 978-1-899-88938-9.
Further reading
- Merseyside Railway History Group (1982). The Hooton to West Kirby Branch Line. Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. OCLC 60074290.
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2014). Birkenhead to West Kirby. Middleton Press. figs. 59-73. OCLC 885451764.
External links
- Train times and station information for West Kirby railway station from National Rail
- Station information for West Kirby railway station from Merseyrail
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Terminus | Wirral Line West Kirby Branch |
Hoylake towards Liverpool Central | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Kirby Park | Chester and Birkenhead Railway Hooton to West Kirby Branch |
Terminus |