General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Bidston, Wirral England | ||||
Grid reference | SJ283908 | ||||
Managed by | Merseyrail | ||||
Transit authority | Merseytravel | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | BID | ||||
Fare zone | B1 | ||||
Classification | DfT category E | ||||
Key dates | |||||
2 July 1866 | Opened [1] | ||||
4 July 1870 | Closed [1] | ||||
1 August 1872 | Reopened [1] | ||||
June 1890 | Closed [1] | ||||
18 May 1896 | Reopened as a junction [1] | ||||
1938 | Electrified | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 0.344 million | ||||
Interchange | 109,969 | ||||
2019/20 | 0.399 million | ||||
Interchange | 110,456 | ||||
2020/21 | 0.109 million | ||||
Interchange | 19,027 | ||||
2021/22 | 0.237 million | ||||
Interchange | 68,227 | ||||
2022/23 | 0.271 million | ||||
Interchange | 76,964 | ||||
|
Bidston railway station serves the village of Bidston,Merseyside,England. The station is situated at a junction of the West Kirby branch of the Wirral line,which is part of the Merseyrail network;it also serves as the northern terminus for the Borderlands line from Wrexham Central,with services operated by Transport for Wales.
Bidston station has for most of its existence been primarily an interchange point between trains. The station is relatively isolated except for nearby Bidston Village,and was accessed only by foot. Until 1970,the approach road to the station was an unpaved track. Because of its isolation when a through station,the station closed twice due to poor passenger usage. Today there is an adjacent car park at the station with access to the nearby Junction One retail park via a lane. The station's prime function as an interchange still remains today.
The station was originally built by the Hoylake Railway,opening on 2 July 1866 as an intermediate through station on their line from Birkenhead Dock to the east to Hoylake to the west. The Birkenhead Dock terminus was a tramway railway interchange station,with onward journeys to Birkenhead Woodside ferry by horse drawn street trams of the Wirral Tramway. The station first closed on 4 July 1870,reopening on 1 August 1872. [1] In 1878 the Hoylake Railway line was extended to West Kirby on the River Dee coast to the west. In 1888 the line was extended to Birkenhead Park station. Birkenhead Park was an interchange station to Liverpool via the Mersey Railway. The old tramway interchange terminus at Birkenhead Dock station was converted to a goods station. [2]
The station was again closed in June 1890 due to low passenger numbers. [1] The station was permanently reopened on 18 May 1896 as the northern terminus of the new North Wales and Liverpool Railway. The southern terminus was at Hawarden Bridge,which joined onto the Wrexham,Mold and Connah's Quay Railway line to Wrexham Central. [1] In 1898 Bidston ceased to be a terminus station with the line extended to Seacombe in Wallasey. Bidston became a passenger interchange station. [3]
Through trains to Liverpool commenced in 1938 when the London Midland and Scottish Railway electrified the line from Birkenhead Park to West Kirby. During the earlier half of the twentieth century,Bidston station was known as Bidston Dee Junction and was a busy interchange between the Wirral line electric services and the Seacombe to Wrexham and Chester Northgate steam trains. In 1960 the Wrexham service changed to diesel trains. At the same time the northern terminus of the line was diverted further north to terminate at New Brighton due to the closure of Seacombe station. The section of line from Bidston to New Brighton was closed in 1971 due to poor passenger use with the line from Wrexham terminating at Birkenhead North. [4] However it was subsequently cut back to Bidston and again the station became a terminus on the Borderlands Line in October 1978 [5] and this remains the situation today.
The section of curve between Bidston West and North Junctions,on the wye to the east of the station,was severed on 28 November 1983. This removed the direct route to New Brighton for passengers,and Bidston Dock for freight. [1]
Bidston had four signal boxes in 1899. [6] These signal boxes were situated alongside the Dee,West,East and North junctions. The nearest to the station was the Bidston Dee Junction box. [6] The second Dee Junction signal box was built in the 1930s by the London,Midland and Scottish Railway,and was much larger than the earlier signal box which had been built by the Wirral Railway. [7] This signal box had a 65-lever frame and also took over the operation of Bidston North Junction,when built. [7] Bidston Dee Junction signal box was closed on 17 September 1994, [8] and demolished two months later on 20 November. [7]
Bidston station had a nearby engine shed,shed code 6F, [9] which principally operated the Wrexham line. The building was somewhat south of the running lines,halfway between Bidston and Birkenhead North stations. [5] [1] [6] The shed was built by the Manchester,Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in 1897 and had two tracks inside. [9] The shed had a water tank and a coaling stage for steam locomotives. Examples of locomotives,which could be found at the shed,included the LNER Class J94 Austerity,which was used around the Birkenhead docks,and the BR Standard Class 9F,which hauled iron ore trains from Bidston Dock to the John Summers steelworks in Shotton. [9] The engine shed closed on 11 February 1963,along with transfer of its allocation of locomotives to Birkenhead Mollington Street depot. [10] The shed remained intact for several years after closure. [10]
Several sidings were situated adjacent to the eastern side of the station,south of the running lines. [1] [6] [11] These sidings had been built prior to 1899, [6] and were removed after goods traffic ended on 29 July 1968. [12] A Tesco supermarket now occupies the site of these sidings.
The station was the nearest to the former Bidston Dock. The adjacent Bidston East Junction gives access to the former Birkenhead Dock Branch line,but this has been disused by freight workings since the mid-1980s and is still so at present. [13]
The station has a booking office,shelter and toilet facilities. [14] Each side of the island platform can receive six carriages. [15] The station is staffed at all times during opening hours,and has platform CCTV. Each platform has open-air seating. There is a payphone,next to the ticket office,on platform 1. [16] The station provides a "Park and Ride" service. There are a further 198 car parking spaces, [17] which are free to use for travellers,with lighting columns and CCTV to meet Merseytravel's Travelsafe requirements. Construction of the new car park was completed in 2010. There is no access to the platform for passengers with wheelchairs or prams,as access is by staircase only. On 3 August 2015,a new Bike &Go shelter opened at the station. [18] This provides secure cycle storage for 28 cycles. [14]
Currently,services run every 15 minutes (Monday to Saturday daytime) to West Kirby &Liverpool, [19] and every 45 minutes to Wrexham General. Services to and from Wrexham usually terminate/start from platform 2,which is also used by West Kirby trains. Liverpool-bound trains use platform 1.
During the evenings,trains operate every 30 minutes to West Kirby &Liverpool and every two hours to Wrexham (all day on Bank Holidays),with a service approximately every 90 minutes on Sundays. [20]
Merseyrail services are provided by Merseyrail's fleet of Class 507 and Class 777 EMUs. Services to Wrexham are usually provided by a Transport for Wales Class 197 or Class 230 DMU. [21]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Leasowe towards West Kirby | Merseyrail Wirral Line West Kirby Branch | Birkenhead North towards Liverpool Central | ||
Upton | Transport for Wales Borderlands Line | Terminus | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Liscard and Poulton | Wirral Railway Seacombe Branch | Terminus |
Proposals have been made to electrify some or all of the Borderlands Line and possibly incorporate it into the Wirral Line services,but no commitment has been made. [22]
Bidston is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside,England.
The Wirral Railway was a railway network in the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula,England. Its route was from Birkenhead Park in the east of the Wirral to West Kirby in the west. A branch off this line at Bidston went north to Secombe and New Brighton. It was incorporated in 1863 as the Hoylake Railway,running from Hoylake to Birkenhead Docks. After changes of name and of ownership,it was purchased by the Wirral Railway Company Limited in 1884. The network was extended to West Kirby,New Brighton,and Seacombe,and to Birkenhead Park station where it joined the Mersey Railway,enabling through trains through the Mersey Railway Tunnel to Liverpool. In the 1923 grouping the Wirral company became part of the London,Midland and Scottish Railway,which electrified the line in 1938,allowing passenger services to be integrated with the Liverpool urban system. Most of the Wirral Railway network is still in use today as part of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail rail network.
Wallasey is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral,Merseyside,England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire,it is at the mouth of the River Mersey,on the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2011 Census,the population was 60,284.
The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside,England,the other being the Northern line.
The Chester–Birkenhead line runs from Chester to Birkenhead via Hooton. Today,it forms part of the Wirral Line network,a commuter rail system operated by Merseyrail. The line was built by the Chester and Birkenhead Railway and opened on 23 September 1840. On 22 July 1847 the railway merged with the Birkenhead,Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway which was later renamed to Birkenhead Railway.
West Kirby railway station serves the town of West Kirby in Merseyside,England. The station is the terminus of the West Kirby branch line,which is one of the two branches of the Wirral Line on the Merseyrail network. There is a central island platform between two terminus tracks and two parallel sidings for out-of-use electric multiple units. A second station,which was the terminus of a branch line from Hooton,lay to the east of the Wirral Line station;it was closed in 1962.
The Borderlands line,also known as the Bidston–Wrexham or Wrexham–Bidston line,is a railway line between Bidston on the Wirral Peninsula in England and Wrexham Central in the north-east of Wales. Passenger train services are part of the Wales &Borders franchise and are operated by Transport for Wales Rail. The line connects to the Merseyrail network at Bidston,the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton and the Shrewsbury–Chester line at Wrexham General. Parts of the line in Wales are used by freight trains,serving Deeside Industrial Park and the Hanson Cement works to the south of Buckley.
New Brighton railway station serves the suburb of New Brighton in Wallasey,Merseyside,England. It is situated at the end of the New Brighton branch of the Wirral Line 8.25 miles (13.28 km) west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Merseyrail network.
Birkenhead Park railway station is a station serving the town of Birkenhead,in Merseyside,England. It lies on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network.
Birkenhead North railway station serves the town of Birkenhead,in Merseyside,England. The station is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network,close to the junction of the New Brighton and West Kirby branches. Birkenhead North TMD,situated just to the west of the station,is the main traction maintenance depot for the Merseyrail fleet.
Upton railway station serves the village of Upton and the Noctorum area of Birkenhead,on the Wirral Peninsula,England. The station is situated on the Borderlands line. Transport for Wales operates the station and all trains serving it.
Birkenhead Woodside was a railway station located at Woodside,in Birkenhead,on the Wirral Peninsula,Cheshire. It served both local services within Cheshire and long-distance services to southern England,including London.
Leasowe railway station is a station serving the village of Leasowe,in Merseyside,England. It lies on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line,part of the Merseyrail network.
Moreton railway station serves the town of Moreton,in Merseyside,England. The station is on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line,which is part of the Merseyrail network.
Hoylake railway station serves the town of Hoylake,Merseyside,England. It lies on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line,part of the Merseyrail network.
Buckley railway station serves the town of Buckley in Flintshire,Wales. The station is 8½ miles (14 km) north of Wrexham Central on the Borderlands Line.
Birkenhead Town railway station is a disused railway station in Birkenhead,Wirral,England. It was located near the current entrance to the Queensway Tunnel on Grange Road.
Birkenhead Dock Branch is a disused railway line running from the South junction of Rock Ferry,to the site of the former Bidston Dock on the Wirral Peninsula,England. The branch is approximately 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) in length. Although called a branch,the line was accessible from both ends,from Bidston East junction and from Rock Ferry railway station. The former Mollington Street Rail Depot was branched into the line. A section of the line runs through Haymarket Tunnel and a low-level cutting through the centre of Birkenhead;visible from the road flyovers. The former Canning Street North signal box has now been demolished following fire damage,and the rails across the level crossing there have been removed due to the provision of cycle lanes on the roadway. The non-standard gates remain on the east side,but a fence has been erected on the other side despite the railway being officially out of use,rather than closed. Level crossings are also located at Duke Street and Wallasey Bridge Road. The railway lines are still partially intact.
The Birkenhead Railway was a railway company in North West England. It was incorporated as the Birkenhead,Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway (BL&CJR) in 1846 to build a line connecting the port of Birkenhead and the city of Chester with the manufacturing districts of Lancashire by making a junction near Warrington with the Grand Junction Railway. The BL&CJR took over the Chester and Birkenhead Railway in 1847,keeping its own name for the combined company until it shortened its name to the Birkenhead Railway in 1859. It was taken over jointly,on 1 January 1860,by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and the Great Western Railway (GWR). It remained a joint railway until nationalisation of the railways in 1948.
The history of Merseyrail dates back to the 19th century,with the original formation of the Mersey Railway,however,Merseyrail dates back to the 20th century,namely being set up by British Rail in 1969,it did not become a single network until 1977.