Wigan Wallgate railway station
Wigan Wallgate London, Midland & Scottish Railway | |
---|---|
Key dates | |
20 November 1848 | First station opened |
26 May 1860 | Second station opened |
2 February 1896 | Final station opened as Wigan |
2 June 1924 | Renamed Wigan Wallgate |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 1.551 million |
Interchange | 95,552 |
2019/20 | 1.478 million |
Interchange | 0.228 million |
2020/21 | 0.356 million |
Interchange | 57,777 |
2021/22 | 1.077 million |
Interchange | 0.152 million |
2022/23 | 1.090 million |
Interchange | 0.271 million |
Location | |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two
Wigan's other main station is Wigan North Western, which is about 100 metres (110 yd) away, on the opposite side of the street named Wallgate.[1]
Description
There are three platforms, two through platforms and one bay platform for trains departing towards Southport or Kirkby. Platforms are below street level and reached via a flight of stairs from the street level concourse which contains a ticket office and a newsagent. However, a goods lift has been modified for passenger use to ensure step-free access to the platform.
The ticket office is staffed from 06:00 to 21:00 Monday to Saturday and from 08:00 to 20:00 on Sundays. Automated ticket barriers are in operation. Train running information is provided via digital display screens, timetable posters and automated announcements. Toilets and a waiting room are available at platform level.[2]
History
There have been three
The original L&YR station at Wigan was opened on 20 November 1848 when the L&YR opened the line between
On 9 April 1855 the L&YR opened a line between Wigan and Southport.[7] Following this on 26 May 1860 Wigan's L&YR station was relocated to a larger station positioned slightly west of where Wallgate station is today. The station main access was from Dorning Street to the north, with another access along a lane from Wallgate. The station consisted of two platforms joined by a wide curved passageway forming a bridge over the running lines.[6][8][9]
The L&YR introduced a passenger service on 14 September 1868 between Wigan L&YR station and Chorley, utilising the route from Hindley to Blackrod which had opened for freight traffic on 15 July 1868.[10] On 1 December 1869, the Chorley trains were extended to
On 1 October 1888, the L&YR line from
Journey times between Manchester and Liverpool where further improved when a bypass line opened on 1 June 1889 between Hindley and Pemberton, passing to the south of Wigan.[b] This allowed a faster journey for the L&YR's Manchester – Liverpool expresses by avoiding Wigan station. Express trains from Liverpool continued to serve Wigan L&YR on the route to Bolton Trinity Street, Rochdale and West Yorkshire.[16]
From around 1890 the L&YR was criticised by Wigan Corporation regarding the standard of its station and poor facilities, this led to it being replaced by the current station which opened on 2 February 1896. The new station partially overlapped the previous one but had new buildings facing directly onto Wallgate.[7][17]
After the
Passenger trains between Wigan Wallgate, Chorley and Blackburn via Hindley were withdrawn on 4 January 1960.[18]
Following the railways
The direct line from Hindley to Pemberton was closed on 14 July 1969 and all Manchester to Liverpool Exchange trains were routed through Wallgate.[20]
The line from Bolton to Rochdale via Bury was closed on 5 October 1970. Trains from Liverpool now generally terminated at Bolton. Southport trains provided the main service to and from Manchester Victoria.[21]
On 30 April 1977, the former L&YR terminus at
During the early and mid-1970s, the frequency of British Rail's trains from Wigan Wallgate was reduced. Services operated at irregular intervals, those from the Liverpool line ran only as far as Wigan or Bolton and there were no off-peak trains on the Atherton line.
In May 1977, the train service was significantly improved under the financial sponsorship of Greater Manchester PTE. GMPTE subsidised British Rail to operate a regular interval timetable throughout the day, including stopping trains via the Atherton line. The improved frequency resulted in an increase in off-peak passenger numbers.[citation needed]
The trains to Liverpool (which had terminated at
The Victorian-era buildings on the station platform at Wallgate were demolished in 1978 and new structures erected. The street-level building remained largely unscathed.[citation needed]
In 1988 the availability of destinations from the station was improved by the opening of the Windsor Link Line in Salford, this enabled trains from Wigan to access Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly stations.[27]
A major refurbishment of infrastructure was completed in October 2004. The £12 million project involved a complete renewal of the track and signalling at Wallgate station and the adjacent carriage sidings. The
During Summer 2012, the ticket office was rebuilt and refurbished.[citation needed]
Services
Passenger
All passenger train services are provided by Northern Trains and operated by Class 150, Class 156 and Class 158 DMUs, and Class 769 BMUs. Class 153 DMUs are unable to use this station because the body-side steps under the doors foul the platform coping stones here.[28] During Monday to Saturday daytimes, this is the regular service pattern, however due to the Preston to Manchester electrification works[29] during the 2015 summer timetable, there was an amended timetable throughout this period.[30] There were no train services between Bolton and any Manchester station on Saturdays and Sundays between 2 May to 13 December, trains were routed via Walkden.
Monday to Saturday:
- 1 train per hour (tph) Bolton
- 1 train per hour (tph) Manchester Victoria
- 1 train per hour (tph) Manchester Victoria
- 1 train per hour (tph) Manchester Victoria
- 2 trains per hour (tph) Southport
- 1 train per hour (tph) to Headbolt Lane
Sunday:
- 1 train per hour (tph) Manchester Victoria
- 1 train per hour (tph) Southport
There is no Headbolt Lane service on Sundays.
From 14 December 2015, the weekday & Saturday timetable reverted to that used prior to the Farnworth Tunnel blockade. There are 3 tph via Bolton toward Manchester (2 to Victoria and 1 to Manchester Airport via Piccadilly) and 2tph via Walkden (both to Victoria). One of the former continues to
Previously there was no Sunday service on the Atherton line, this changed in May 2010 when a 12-month trial of an hourly Sunday service began between Wallgate and Manchester Victoria via Atherton (after Greater Manchester PTA agreed a funding package with train operator Northern Rail in December 2009[32]). Transport for Greater Manchester made the Sunday service a requirement of the Northern refranchising from April 2016.
The timetable underwent a further major change with the summer 2018 version introduced on 20 May.
The loss of Bolton service proved unpopular with many regular users of the line and so Northern (Arriva Rail North) agreed to modify the timetable so that the current service to Wigan N.W. from both Manchester stations will be diverted to run to Wallgate and onward to Southport from the December 2019 timetable update. Services from Leeds and Blackburn via Atherton will henceforth terminate/start here (except on Sundays, when the service runs via Atherton to Blackburn).[34]
Changes instituted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since the spring of 2020 have seen the timetable altered once again, with the Calder Valley service from Leeds via Dewsbury and Walkden routed back to nearby North Western through the day. Just a small number of peak period services on this route serve Wallgate in the weekday peaks. There is still an hourly service to/from Blackburn via Todmorden (continuing through to Kirkby in the daytime) from here during the day and in the evening.
The Wigan North Western to Leeds services have been moved back to Wigan Wallgate in the December 2022 timetable.
Freight
There was a limited freight service through Wigan Wallgate during the early 2000s, operated by EWS running to Knowsley Freight Terminal on the Kirkby line - these were suspended from 2006 onwards. Most freight services through Wigan run through nearby Wigan North Western on the West Coast Main Line. As of June 2016, freight service to Knowsley Freight Terminal has been reinstated which uses Wallgate instead of Wigan North Western, where most freight operates. The new service runs to/from Teesside 6 days per week.[35]
Notes
References
- ^ "Train Companies & Maps". National Rail Enquirires. Archived from the original on 26 December 2007.
- ^ "Wigan Wallgate (WGW)". National Rail Enquiries. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- ^ a b c Quick 2023, p. 487.
- ^ Marshall 1970, p. 270.
- ^ a b Lancashire Sheet XCIII (Map). Six-inch. Ordnance Survey. 1849.
- ^ a b c Pixton 2008, p. 49.
- ^ a b c d Holt & Biddle 1986, p. 101.
- ^ Wigan Sheet 5 (Map). 1:1056 Town Plan. Ordnance Survey. 1848. Railways on map updated to 1864.
{{cite map}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Lancashire XCIII.8 (Map). 25 inch. Ordnance Survey. 1894.
- ^ Marshall 1970, p. 29.
- ^ Marshall 1970, p. 30.
- ^ Marshall 1970, p. 93.
- ^ Marshall 1969, p. 159.
- ^ Marshall 1970, pp. 96–97.
- ^ Pixton 2008, p. 46.
- ^ Bradshaw 2011, tables 496–497.
- ^ Lancashire XCIII.8 (Map). 25 inch. Ordnance Survey. 1908.
- ^ Hurst 1992, p. 15 (refs 0725 & 0726).
- ^ Hawkins & Reeve 1982, p. 124.
- ^ Hurst 1992, p. 60 (ref 2655).
- ^ Hurst 1992, p. 62 (ref 2791).
- ^ Quick 2023, p. 286.
- ^ Gleaves 2015, p. 108.
- ^ Gleaves 2015, p. 118.
- ^ Brown 2021, p. Index entry for Kirkby.
- ^ "Next Stop: Headbolt Lane – £80m station served by UK's first battery powered trains to open this week". Merseytravel. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Bridge completes Windsor Link". The Railway Magazine. No. 1046. June 1988. p. 350.
- ^ "Lines Pacers are barred from". Northern Railways. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013.
- ^ "Manchester to Preston electrification". Network Rail. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ "Northern Rail Timetable 14 Manchester Airport and Manchester to Kirkby & Southport" (PDF). Northern Rail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ Great Britain eNRT, December 2016 Edition, Table 82
- ^ "New Sunday services for rail line". BBC News. 20 December 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- ^ Table 82 National Rail timetable, May 2018
- ^ "Ormskirk, Preston and Southport Travellers' Association news article". OPSTA. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.[failed verification]
- ^ "Knowsley Rail Freight Terminal Reopens". Potter Logistics (Press release). 5 July 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
Bibliography
- OCLC 832579861.
- Brown, Joe (2021). Liverpool & Manchester Railway Atlas. Manchester: Crécy Publishing. OCLC 1112373294.
- Gleaves, Graeme (2015). Electric Railways of Liverpool and Manchester. ISBN 978-1-4456-3989-5.
- Hawkins, Chris; Reeve, George (1982). London, Midland and Scottish Railway Engine Sheds: their history and development. Vol.3, The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Vol. 3. ISBN 978-0-906867-07-5.
- Holt, Geoffrey O.; Biddle, Gordon (1986). The North West. A Regional history of the railways of Great Britain. Vol. 10 (2nd ed.). David St. John Thomas. OCLC 643506870.
- Hurst, Geoffrey (1992). Register of Closed Railways: 1948-1991. Worksop, Nottinghamshire: Milepost Publications. ISBN 0-9477-9618-5.
- Pixton, Bob (2008). Liverpool and Manchester 3:Lancashire & Yorkshire Lines. Kestrel Railway Books. ISBN 978-1-905505-07-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7153-4352-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7153-4906-9.
- Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society.
External links
- Train times and station information for Wigan Wallgate railway station from National Rail
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