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Ince &Elton railway station,on the Hooton–Helsby line,serves both Ince and Elton in Cheshire,England. The station is unstaffed.
Ince station was opened on 1 July 1863 by the Birkenhead Joint Railway. [1] It was renamed Ince &Elton on 17 April 1884. [1] Services were operated jointly by the London and North Western Railway and Great Western Railway up until the 1923 Grouping,then by the GWR and the London,Midland and Scottish Railway. After nationalisation in 1948,the station became part of the London Midland region of British Railways. The route through the station carried significant amounts of freight from the outset,from the docks at Birkenhead and later from the oil refineries and dock complex at Ellesmere Port as well as a local passenger service between Birkenhead Monks Ferry (from opening until March 1878)/Birkenhead Woodside (from April 1878) or Hooton and Helsby,where passenger could access the other section of the joint line between Warrington Bank Quay and Chester.
This station was earmarked for closure,along with Stanlow and Thornton,Helsby and Ellesmere Port,under the proposals made by Dr. Beeching. [2] This was never implemented,although services gradually began to reduce and the remaining through trains to/from Birkenhead Woodside ended in 1967 when the station there was closed. [3]
Services originally operated regularly between Helsby and Hooton via Ellesmere Port,with some services running through to Rock Ferry prior to the electrification of the line between there and Hooton in 1985. Once electric trains began running to Hooton,the service was revamped to run between Chester and Helsby via Hooton (with a reversal there) every 30 minutes on weekdays &Saturdays. Convenient connections were available at Helsby for Warrington &Manchester and at Hooton for Liverpool. However,following the extension of the third rail southwards to Chester in 1993,the service east of Ellesmere Port was cut back substantially –most trains ran as a shuttle to Ellesmere Port only,with only a two-hourly service beyond there. The pattern was then altered again when electrification of the Hooton to Ellesmere Port section was completed in 1994 –from that point onwards,all services from Helsby terminated at Ellesmere Port but ran beyond Helsby to Warrington Bank Quay and Liverpool Lime Street (every two hours Mon–Sat),calling at all stations en route. The new service was poorly patronised though,and by 1996 it had been cut back to the current pattern of two pairs of services each way in the early morning and mid afternoon.
Some station signs are outdated,displaying information about those former services to Chester and Hooton (see image of sign on Platform 2).
There is level access from the small car park at the front of station onto the Helsby platform. From this platform,to reach the Ellesmere Port platform,turn left,go down the platform end ramp,and providing the level crossing warning lights indicate that it is safe,cross the lines using the foot crossing and then up the platform end ramp.
The road leading down from the main road at Ince to the station is step-free,although there is no pavement. The alternative exit,via the narrow path involves walking up steep steps,which is not accessible for passengers with pushchairs and/or mobility problems.
Northern Trains's Adopt-a-Station scheme is in operation at this station. Members of the local community support the station by carrying out regular duties such as picking up litter and ensuring the station remains in a good overall condition.
All services at Ince &Elton are operated by Northern Trains.
The station is served by a limited parliamentary service of two trains per day in each direction on weekdays and Saturdays only between Ellesmere Port and Helsby. One eastbound train per day continues beyond Helsby to Liverpool Lime Street. There is no service on Sundays although a normal service operates on most Bank Holidays. [4]
A rail user group,the North Cheshire Rail User Group,supports and campaigns for improved services at the station and on the line. [5]
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
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(service suspended) | Northern Trains Monday-Saturday only | |||
Freightliner usually run a class 70 'heavy-haul' service to Ellesmere Port twice a day from/to Fiddlers Ferry on Monday to Fridays. On Saturdays there is one scheduled working. [6]
When the Shell oil refinery at Stanlow used the railways to transport freight,over fifteen trains per day used this line. Since then,the sidings and signal box have been removed,and freight is becoming increasingly rare on this line.[ citation needed ]
No freight trains currently use the station,other than to pass through it.
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.
Elton is a village and civil parish in Cheshire West and Chester,Cheshire,England,13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of Chester,between Helsby and Ellesmere Port,near the River Mersey. Its proximity to the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal have contributed to its industrial character. The village is on the north-western edge of the Cheshire Plain,2.5 km (1.6 mi) from Stanlow Refinery.
Helsby is a village,civil parish and electoral ward in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire,England. Overlooking the Mersey estuary,it is approximately 9 miles (14 km) north east of Chester and 2.5 miles (4 km) south west of Frodsham.
Helsby railway station serves the village of Helsby in Cheshire,England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II listed building.
The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside,England,the other being the Northern line.
Ince is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire,England. It is situated immediately to the east of the Stanlow Oil Refinery. It shares Ince &Elton railway station with the village of Elton,which it runs into.
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.
Birkenhead Woodside was a railway station at Woodside,in Birkenhead,on the Wirral Peninsula,Cheshire. It was served by local services in Cheshire as well as long-distance services to southern England,including London.
Ellesmere Port railway station is located in the town of Ellesmere Port,Cheshire,England. The station was an intermediate through station on the Hooton–Helsby line. Now all passenger services terminate at the station from both directions. It is both a terminus of the Wirral Line,a commuter rail system operated by Merseyrail and of Northern Trains services to Warrington Bank Quay. Departures and arrivals of Merseyrail services are on platform 1 with departures and arrivals to Warrington Bank Quay on platform 2.
Stanlow and Thornton railway station is located within the Stanlow Refinery in Cheshire,England. It lies on the Hooton–Helsby line with services operated by Northern Trains. The station is surrounded by the refinery site,so as a result most station users are refinery employees. In 2018–19 it was the joint least-used railway station in Britain,tied with Denton in Greater Manchester. In 2020/21,the station was also one of the least used stations in Britain,with 0 entries/exits. Since 3 February 2022 the station has been temporarily closed due to safety concerns of the footbridge which is the only entrypoint to the station.
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.
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.
Overpool railway station was opened on 17 August 1988 and serves the central area of Ellesmere Port,Cheshire,England. It is situated on the Hooton–Helsby line and is served by the Wirral Line which is part of the Merseyrail network.
Little Sutton railway station serves the village of Little Sutton,near Ellesmere Port,Cheshire,England. It is situated on the Hooton–Helsby line and is served by the Wirral Line which is part of the Merseyrail network. The station is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The station opened in 1863 as "Sutton" and was renamed Little Sutton in 1886. It became part of the Merseyrail network in 1994,when the branch from Hooton to Ellesmere Port was electrified by British Rail,and through train services to Liverpool via Birkenhead commenced.
The Chester–Warrington line is a railway line running between Chester and Warrington Bank Quay in North West England.
The Hooton–Helsby line is a railway line in the north-west of England that runs from Hooton on the Chester–Birkenhead line to the village and junction station at Helsby where it joins the Chester–Warrington line.
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status in Cheshire,England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 local government changes,by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. It superseded the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston,Vale Royal and the City of Chester;its council assumed the functions and responsibilities of the former Cheshire County Council within its area. The remainder of ceremonial Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East,Halton and Warrington. Cheshire West and Chester has three key urban areas:Chester,Ellesmere Port and Northwich/Winsford.
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.
53°16′37″N2°48′58″W / 53.277°N 2.816°W