Garston and Liverpool Railway

Last updated

Liverpool RJD 42 - Garston and Liverpool.png

The Garston and Liverpool Railway line ran from the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway line at Garston Docks to Brunswick railway station, later to central Liverpool. The company was formed on 17 May 1861 by the Garston & Liverpool Railway Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. xxxv) and the line opened on 1 June 1864. [1]

Contents

Garston Dock station had opened in 1852 as the terminus of the St Helens Canal and Railway Company's line from Warrington. The act of Parliament for this line had also given the company rights to construct a deepwater dock on the River Mersey at Garston, extending the early St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway further down the Mersey to a better and less tidal port. [1] The company also aspired to reach Liverpool and the Garston and Liverpool Railway would be the means for this, extending beyond the Garston terminus, and following the Mersey downstream to the North West. [1]

Cheshire Lines

It was absorbed by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) on 5 July 1865, [2] [3] whose Liverpool to Manchester line joined it at Cressington Junction.

Extension to Liverpool Central

The first terminus at Brunswick was poorly placed as a station to serve central Liverpool and almost as soon as it opened, an act of Parliament[ which? ] was obtained for the Liverpool Central Station Railway, [3] [4] which would divert from just before Brunswick through a mile and a half of deep cuttings and tunnels in the red sandstone through St James and to a terminus at Liverpool Central. The extensive civil engineering works needed meant that construction took nearly ten years, opening on 2 March 1874. [5] Brunswick station remained open as a goods station between Harrington Dock and Herculaneum Dock into the 1970s. [6] [7]

Stations

Mersey Road & Aigburth station
Most of the station buildings were above, or even across, the lines. Aigburth railway station (geograph 3787311).jpg
Mersey Road & Aigburth station
Most of the station buildings were above, or even across, the lines.

Closure and re-opening

Junctions around Garston, 1913.
Garston and Liverpool in orange, L&NWR in red Garston junctions RJD.png
Junctions around Garston, 1913.
Garston and Liverpool in orange, L&NWR in red

Although the line had been built through mostly open countryside, Liverpool's southern suburbs began to develop and expand along the line around this time, making it an important commuter route into Central station, the most central of Liverpool's three major termini.

Competition for routes along the Mersey had led to duplication of routes within the Cheshire Lines Committee and against their competitors the London and North Western Railway. Although Central was always a busy station, it was scheduled for closure under the Beeching Axe, services to Central from Warrington and beyond Garston being re-routed around the Allerton Curve, the L&NWR Speke to Edge Hill line, [1] and into Lime Street instead. Central High Level, and the Garston line, closed in 1972. [8]

The line would re-open again in 1978, as part of the electrified Merseyrail network, which integrated the underground and under-river Mersey Railway with suburban lines to North and South of Liverpool. The Garston line formed the southern portion of Merseyrail's Northern Line.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merseyside</span> County of England

Merseyside is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Welsh county of Flintshire across the Dee Estuary to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Liverpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merseyrail</span> Commuter rail system in England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway</span> Former British railway company

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsby. It pursued a policy of expanding its area of influence, especially in reaching west to Liverpool, which it ultimately did through the medium of the Cheshire Lines Committee network in joint partnership with the Great Northern Railway and the Midland Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire Lines Committee</span> Railway in England: active from 1863 to 1947

The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed in the 1860s and became the second-largest joint railway in Great Britain. The committee, which was often styled the Cheshire Lines Railway, operated 143 miles (230 km) of track in the then counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. The railway did not become part of the Big Four during the implementation of the 1923 grouping, surviving independently with its own management until the railways were nationalised at the beginning of 1948. The railway served Liverpool, Manchester, Stockport, Warrington, Widnes, Northwich, Winsford, Knutsford, Chester and Southport with connections to many other railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool Central railway station</span> Railway station in Liverpool, England

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 outside of London at 3,979,547 per platform per annum and coming tenth out of all stations outside the capital, underground or overground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway</span> Former railway line in England

The St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway was an early railway line owned by a company of the same name in Lancashire, England, which opened in 1833. It was later known as St Helens Railway. It ran originally from the town of St Helens to the area which would later develop into the town of Widnes. Branches were opened to Garston, Warrington and Rainford. The company was taken over by the London and North Western Railway in 1864. The line from St Helens to Widnes and the branch to Rainford are now closed, the latter terminating at the Pilkington Glass' Cowley Hill works siding near Gerard's Bridge, but part of the lines to Garston and to Warrington are still in operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool–Manchester lines</span> Railway line serving between Liverpool and Manchester

There once were four direct railway routes between Liverpool and Manchester in the North West of England; only two remain, the two centre routes of the four. The most northerly and the most southerly of the four routes are no longer direct lines. Of the remaining two direct routes, the northern route of the two is fully electric, while the now southern route is a diesel-only line. The most northerly of the four has been split into two routes: the western section operated by Merseyrail electric trains and the eastern section by diesel trains, requiring passengers to change trains between the two cities. The fourth route, the most southerly of the four, has been largely abandoned east of Warrington; the remaining section caters mainly for freight trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garston railway station (Merseyside)</span> Railway station in Liverpool, England

Garston railway station was a railway station in the Garston district of Liverpool, England. The station was located on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail suburban rail network. The station was closed in 2006 when it was replaced by Liverpool South Parkway, which is a combined bus and rail interchange. The proximity of the stations was so close the platforms of South Parkway nearly merged onto the Garston station's platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern line (Merseyrail)</span> Line part of the Merseyrail network

The Northern line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside, England, the other being the Wirral line. The cross-city route runs from Hunts Cross in south Liverpool then branches in the north to terminate at Southport, Headbolt Lane and Ormskirk (Lancashire).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunswick railway station</span> Railway station in England

Brunswick railway station serves the Toxteth district of Liverpool, England, on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. The station serves the nearby district of Dingle and is situated on a short section of track between two tunnels, between the now in-filled Toxteth and Harrington Docks. The station also serves businesses on the Brunswick Dock estate, which gives it name to the station. The residential area of Grafton Street is reached by steps or ramp from the southbound platform.

The North Liverpool Extension Line was a railway line in Liverpool, England in operation between 1879 and 1972. It was at one stage intended to become the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop, an orbital line circling the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runcorn Railway Bridge</span> Bridge in northwest England

The Runcorn Railway Bridge, Ethelfleda Bridge or Britannia Bridge crosses the River Mersey at Runcorn Gap between Runcorn and Widnes in Cheshire, England. It is alongside the Silver Jubilee Bridge. The bridge is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* Listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aigburth railway station</span> Railway station in Liverpool, England

Aigburth railway station serves the Aigburth district of Liverpool, England. It is situated on the Southport–Hunts Cross route of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail suburban system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Line (Merseytravel)</span> Railway network brand in the UK

The City Line is the brand name used by Merseytravel on suburban rail services in the Liverpool City Region starting eastwards from the mainline platforms of Liverpool Lime Street railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool Central High Level railway station</span> Former railway station in Liverpool, England

Liverpool Central High Level was a terminus railway station in central Liverpool, England. It opened on 1 March 1874, at the western end of the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) line to Manchester Central. It replaced Brunswick as the CLC's Liverpool passenger terminus, becoming the headquarters of the committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancashire Union Railway</span>

The Lancashire Union Railway ran between Blackburn and St Helens in Lancashire, England. It was built primarily to carry goods between Blackburn and Garston Dock on the River Mersey, and also to serve collieries in the Wigan area. Most of the line has now been closed, except for the St Helens-to-Wigan section that forms part of the main line between Liverpool and the North.

Liverpool in North West England, is a major British city with significant road, rail, and ferry networks, in addition to an international airport and a well-known dock system. As with most other major UK cities, Liverpool's transport infrastructure is centred on its road and rail networks. Public transport services within the city are controlled and run by Merseytravel.

Garston Dock railway station served Garston, Liverpool, Merseyside, England and Garston Docks. It was situated on the east side of Dock Road.

Widnes South railway station was located in the town of Widnes in Cheshire, England on the east side of Victoria Road. It was built by the London and North Western Railway and situated on their Widnes Deviation Line, opening to passengers and goods in March 1870. This route was constructed by the LNWR to improve traffic flow on the busy Ditton Junction to Warrington Bank Quay Low Level and Manchester. It replaced an earlier station on the G&WR line located slightly further south and also had a connection to the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway, providing access towards the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cressington railway station</span> Grade II listed train station in Liverpool, United kingdom

Cressington railway station serves the Grassendale district of Liverpool, England. It is situated on the Southport-Hunts Cross route of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail suburban system. The station takes its name from the Cressington Park area inside of Cressington.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Garston Dock". Disused Stations.
  2. The Impact of the Coming of the Railway on 19th Century Halewood
  3. 1 2 "No. 22913". The London Gazette . 18 November 1864. p. 5497.
  4. "No. 23189". The London Gazette . 23 November 1866. p. 6377.
  5. "Liverpool St. James". Disused Stations.
  6. "Brunswick". Disused Stations.
  7. Map of Mersey railways
  8. "Liverpool Central". Disused Stations.

Bibliography