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General information | |
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Location | Birkenhead, Wirral England |
Coordinates | 53°23′41″N3°00′50″W / 53.3947°N 3.0139°W |
Grid reference | SJ326891 |
Managed by | Merseyrail |
Transit authority | Merseytravel |
Platforms | 3 |
Other information | |
Station code | BKQ |
Fare zone | B1 |
Classification | DfT category D |
History | |
Original company | Mersey Railway |
Pre-grouping | Mersey Railway |
Post-grouping | Mersey Railway London Midland Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
1886 | Opened |
1903 | Electrified |
1977 | Extended |
29 September 2014 | Closed (Refurbishment) |
27 March 2015 | Reopened |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 1.620 million |
Interchange | 0.440 million |
2019/20 | 1.822 million |
Interchange | 0.482 million |
2020/21 | 0.530 million |
Interchange | 0.147 million |
2021/22 | 1.223 million |
Interchange | 0.290 million |
2022/23 | 1.295 million |
Interchange | 0.329 million |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Birkenhead Hamilton Square railway station (commonly shortened to Hamilton Square station) serves the town of Birkenhead,in Merseyside,England,on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. The station is close to Hamilton Square in Birkenhead.
Hamilton Square station was built by the Mersey Railway and opened on 1 February 1886. [1] The station building was designed by G. E. Grayson in Italianate style,and has been designated as a Grade II listed building. [2] It stood on that railway's original route from James Street station in Liverpool to Green Lane,later extended to Rock Ferry and Birkenhead Park. Just south of the station,the lines towards Rock Ferry and Birkenhead Park diverge;this junction was originally built as a flat crossing.
With the platforms being at a deep level,three hydraulic lifts were provided to transport passengers from ground level to the platforms and back,as well as flights of steps. Each lift was able to accommodate up to 100 passengers at a time and took 45 seconds to travel in each direction. The lifts were installed by Easton and Anderson. [3]
By 1970 [ date missing ] all-electric lifts were in operation,each with a capacity of 70 persons,these lifts having the Ward Leonard control system,which gave gentle stops and starts,blistering acceleration,and a fast transit time.
The first electric train passenger service ran through the station on 3 May 1903,with a 650 V DC fourth rail system [3] and Mersey Railway electric units built by Westinghouse. Despite the journey being far quicker than travel aboard the Mersey Ferry service,passengers were not keen on travelling underground due to the smoke from the previous coal-powered steam locomotives. A Frequent electric trains sign was erected on the outside of the station's large hydraulic lift tower (slightly below the position of the present sign) to publicise these cleaner trains. The booking hall had a central ticket office,as was popular on the London Underground. [4]
In the 1970s,as part of the expansion programme of the Merseyrail network,a burrowing junction was built at Hamilton Square so that trains heading towards New Brighton and West Kirby did not have to cross the path of trains coming from Rock Ferry on the flat crossing. Along with the construction of the loop tunnel in the centre of Liverpool,this improved the capacity of the Wirral Line,allowing increased train frequencies. The burrowing junction required the construction of a new 2,037 ft (621 m)-long tunnel,dug at a depth of between 77 ft (23 m) and 113 ft (34 m),between Hamilton Square and Lorn Street [5] and directly beneath the Town Hall and Market Street.
As part of the project,Hamilton Square gained a new platform (Platform 3) [6] for New Brighton and West Kirby services,and the rest of the station was refurbished. The signal box was closed on 9 May 1977,with signalling operation transferred to James Street,when Hamilton Square's burrowing junction and platform came into use. [7] [8] Unfortunately,this investment coincided with the significant decline in employment in Central Liverpool and surrounding areas,patronage fell,and the peak hour train service provided nowadays through the extensive grade-separated tunnel junctions is notably less than was provided in the 1960s-70s,just using the flat junction.
In August 2014,it was announced that Hamilton Square was to be the fourth station to be refurbished as part of the £40 million investment from Network Rail which would see all Merseyrail Underground Stations excluding Conway Park refurbished. This included the refurbishment of platforms,concourses and the booking hall. The entire station closed on 29 September 2014 and reopened on 27 March 2015. [9]
During the refurbishment,in November 2014 it was revealed that old historic posters dating back to the 1940s,1950s and 1960s were found underneath the old wall cladding. [10] These included posters promoting New Brighton,an advert for a Circus and old news stories from the Liverpool Echo. The posters however could not be saved due to their poor condition and were left where they were. However,during the reopening,artwork documenting the old posters was unveiled on Platform 1 of the station. [11]
The station is staffed,during all opening hours,and has platform CCTV. [12] There are toilets,secure parking for 12 cycles,a payphone,an ATM,booking office,a ticket machine and live departure and arrival screens,for passenger information. [13] The station does not have a car park though there is a drop-off point. Step-free access to the platforms,for wheelchairs and prams,is possible,via the lifts. [14] The station also has steps to an exit on Shore Road,once open normally but now only used in emergencies. The station also has a shop,in the main booking hall,which opened in 2007 and which sells tickets and snacks. On 22 October 2015,free Wi-Fi was installed and introduced at the station. [15]
During Monday-Saturday daytime,trains operate at least every five minutes to James Street and around the Liverpool city centre loop. In the other direction,trains operate every 15 minutes to each of New Brighton,West Kirby and Chester,and every 30 minutes to Ellesmere Port. At other times,trains operate every 30 minutes to each of these four destinations,giving a service every 5–10 minutes to Liverpool. [16] These services are all provided by Merseyrail's fleet of Class 507 and Class 777 EMUs.
Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail serves 69 stations,67 of which it manages,across two lines –the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. The network uses 750 V DC third rail electrified lines having 75.0 miles (120.7 km) of routes,of which 6.5 miles (10.5 km) are underground. Since January 2023,Merseyrail commenced replacing its train fleet,withdrawing the Class 507 and 508 trains and introducing 53 new Class 777 trains. The network carried 25.5 million passengers in the 2022/2023 statistical period.
The Mersey Railway was the passenger railway connecting the communities of Liverpool,Birkenhead,England. It is currently a part of the Merseyrail network. It was extended further into the Wirral Peninsula,which lies on the opposite bank of the River Mersey to Liverpool. Both sides of the river were connected via the Mersey Railway Tunnel. The railway opened in 1886 with four stations using steam locomotives hauling unheated wooden carriages;in the next six years the line was extended with the opening of three more stations. Using the first tunnel under the Mersey,the line is the world's oldest underground railway outside London.
Liverpool Central railway station in Liverpool,England,forms a central hub of the Merseyrail network,being on both the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. The station is located underground on two levels,below the site of a former mainline terminus. It is the busiest station in Liverpool,though considerably smaller than Lime Street station,the mainline terminus,and the busiest station to operate solely on the Merseyrail network. The station is the busiest underground station outside London serving 40,000 people daily. The station in passengers per platform is the busiest underground railway station in the United Kingdom at 5,217,547 per platform per annum and laying third in all stations,underground or overground.
Liverpool James Street is a railway station located in the centre of Liverpool,England;it is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. James Street is an underground station,with access to the platforms via lifts from the booking hall. At certain times,the platforms are accessed via a pedestrian tunnel from the India Buildings on Water Street. As of 2013/14,James Street was the fifth-busiest station on the Merseyrail network.
The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside,England,the other being the Northern line.
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.
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.
Conway Park railway station is situated in the centre of Birkenhead,Merseyside,England. It lies on the Wirral Line of 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.
Hooton railway station is situated in the south of the Wirral Peninsula,Cheshire,England. It lies on the Wirral Line 8 miles (13 km) north of Chester and 9+1⁄2 miles (15.3 km) south west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Merseyrail network,and is the junction of the branch from the Chester line to Ellesmere Port. It serves the villages of Hooton and Willaston.
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.
Meols railway station is a station serving the village of Meols,in Merseyside,England. It lies on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line,part of the Merseyrail network.
Birkenhead Central is a railway station serving the town of Birkenhead,in Merseyside,England. Located on the south side of Birkenhead town centre,it lies on the Chester and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line,part of the Merseyrail network.
Green Lane railway station serves the Tranmere area of Birkenhead,Merseyside,England. The station is situated on the Chester,Liverpool Central and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line,part of the Merseyrail network.
Rock Ferry railway station is situated in the Rock Ferry area of Birkenhead,Merseyside,England. The station lies 4.5 miles (7 km) south west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Chester and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. The station has an island platform with four platforms in total and four tracks.
Bebington railway station serves the town of Bebington in Merseyside,England. The station is situated on the Chester and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line,forming part of the Merseyrail network.
Port Sunlight railway station serves the village of Port Sunlight in Merseyside,England. The station is situated on the Chester and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line,part of the Merseyrail network.
Bromborough railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Bromborough in Merseyside,England. The station is situated on the Chester and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line,part of the Merseyrail network.
Bromborough Rake railway station is one of two stations serving the town of Bromborough in Merseyside,England. The station is situated on the Chester and Ellesmere Port branches of the Wirral Line,part of the Merseyrail network.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Birkenhead Central towards Chester or Ellesmere Port | Merseyrail Wirral Line Ellesmere Port/Chester | James Street towards Liverpool Central | ||
Conway Park towards New Brighton or West Kirby | Merseyrail Wirral Line New Brighton/West Kirby |