General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Kirkham, Fylde England | ||||
Coordinates | 53°47′12″N2°52′56″W / 53.7868°N 2.8823°W | ||||
Grid reference | SD419326 | ||||
Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||
Platforms | 3 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | KKM | ||||
Classification | DfT category E | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Preston and Wyre Joint Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | L&YR / LNWR (joint) | ||||
Post-grouping | London Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
16 July 1840 | Opened as Kirkham [1] | ||||
1890 | Rebuilt | ||||
1906/7 | Renamed Kirkham and Wesham [1] | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | 0.236 million | ||||
2019/20 | 0.307 million | ||||
2020/21 | 83,240 | ||||
Interchange | 799 | ||||
2021/22 | 0.269 million | ||||
Interchange | 4,560 | ||||
2022/23 | 0.315 million | ||||
Interchange | 22,264 | ||||
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Kirkham and Wesham railway station serves the Lancashire towns of Kirkham and Wesham,in England. It is managed by Northern Trains,who operate most of the passenger services that call there.
There were originally two platforms,but work in 2017 and 2018,added a third. There are fairly obvious signs of the former size of the station in the form of disused sidings areas and blocked-off arches. The station ticket office is at street level with two staircases leading down to the platforms. Originally a cast iron and glass roof covered the platforms similar to that at Poulton-le-Fylde station. This was removed in the 1960s. In 2018 lifts were also installed. [2]
Fast lines used to run from Kirkham North Junction (located a half a mile to the west of the station) to what was known as Kirkham South Junction - just east of the station allowing through trains to pass without running through the platforms. These were the last vestige of the four track which originally started at Preston and were removed during remodelling work in 2017 to allow for a third platform and a faster alignment of the remaining and new lines As part of the works,all of the disused sidings were removed. The signalbox at Kirkham North Junction was opened in 1903 and had over 70 levers and was worked by two signalmen and a train recorder. A framed summary in the box detailed the total number of train movements there in a 24-hour period in July 1936 as 656 - the vast majority of these would have been connected with the Blackpool holiday trade.
The station,opened in 1840,was originally located to the west of Station Road and named Kirkham. In 1890,it was rebuilt on the east side of the road [3] and later renamed Kirkham and Wesham. Historically the "Wrangway Brook",beside which the railway was laid,has always been the boundary between Kirkham and Wesham,and the station buildings are all situated in Kirkham.
Two tracks were built on the northern side of the line for a platform planned but never built due to the outbreak of World War II.
Kirkham Station signalbox which was located in between the Up (Salwick bound) Fast and the Down Fast line was demolished during resignalling operations in 1977. The same scheme also abolished Treales signalbox.
To the west of the station,Kirkham North Junction is where the suburban branch line to Blackpool South follows the Fylde coast through Lytham,Ansdell and Fairhaven,St Annes on Sea;the main line to Blackpool North proceeds via Poulton. Between 1903 and 1965 there was a third express line,the "Marton Line",which went straight to Blackpool South and beyond to Blackpool Central. This junction involved a flyover to allow Preston-bound trains to access the Up Fast line from the Marton line. Although the Marton line closed in 1965,the disused flyover bridge was not removed until the 1980s.
In March 2011 the station was given a makeover with a major modernisation and refurbishment of the staircase. In 2017-2018 it was given another major refurbishment as part of the electrification programme.
The station has a street-level ticket office,which is staffed throughout the week (06:40-17:45 Monday to Saturdays,08:30-16:15 Sundays). [4] A self-service ticket machine has also been installed for use when the booking office is closed or to collect pre-paid tickets. Waiting shelters are in place at platform level,along with digital CIS displays and timetable posters. There was no step-free access to the platforms,but new lifts were installed as part of the Preston to Blackpool electrification scheme.
As part of GNRP - Great North Rail Project and NPR - Northern Powerhouse Rail,the line from Manchester to Blackpool North was approved by the government for electrification. It was originally approved in 2009 [5] The opportunity was taken to completely renew the signaling of the line and rebuild and improve stations along the line including Kirkham and Wesham. A big chunk of the work was done in a blockade. The plans have seen the track layout remodelled (with the non-platform lines removed),a third platform added,the footbridge rebuilt,new signalling installed and the route from Preston - Blackpool North electrified. The route to Blackpool South has not been electrified. The work at the station started in mid 2017 with a total blockade from Preston to Blackpool North and South starting in November 2017 and completed in April 2018,in time for the May 2018 timetable change. [6] The station reopened with service to Blackpool South on 29 January 2018,but reopening of the line to Blackpool North was pushed back to 16 April 2018,as a result of bad weather and maintenance issues with one of the infrastructure trains being used in the upgrade works. [7]
As of December 2022,the following Northern services call at the station: [8]
On Sundays,the service to Manchester Airport is reduced to hourly in each direction. The service to York is replaced by an additional call on the service from Blackpool North to Liverpool Lime Street. Additionally,on Sundays only,1 train every 2 hours on the Blackpool South route extends to Colne via the East Lancashire line. [9]
Additionally,on Mondays to Fridays,the station was formerly served by one Avanti West Coast train per day to London Euston in the southbound direction only,departing at 05:46. This was replaced in the May 2023 timetable by a Sunday-only service to Preston only,departing at 18:38. [10]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Avanti West Coast Blackpool North branch line Limited service,Sundays only | ||||
Northern Trains | ||||
Northern Trains Monday to Saturday | ||||
Northern Trains Sunday only | ||||
Northern Trains | Limited service | |||
Historical railways | ||||
Singleton | Preston and Wyre Joint Railway Fleetwood Branch Line Blackpool (N) Branch Line | Salwick | ||
Blackpool South | Preston and Wyre Joint Railway Marton Line 1903–1965 | |||
Wrea Green | Preston and Wyre Joint Railway Lytham Branch Line |
Kirkham aka Kirkam-in-Amounderness is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England, midway between Blackpool and Preston and adjacent to the town of Wesham. It owes its existence to Carr Hill upon which it was built and which was the location of a Roman fort. At the census of 2011, it had a population 3,304 plus 3,890, giving a total of 7,194. By the census of 2021 the total had risen to 3,217 plus 4,666, giving a total of 7,883.
The Calder Valley line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool. It is the slower of the two main rail routes between Leeds and Manchester, and the northernmost of the three main trans-Pennine routes.
Blackburn railway station serves the town of Blackburn in Lancashire, England. It is 12 miles (19 km) east of Preston and is managed and served by Northern Trains.
The Preston and Wyre Railway was promoted to open up agricultural land in the Fylde in Lancashire, access a new port at what became Fleetwood and the Lancaster Canal at Preston: it opened in 1840. An associated company built the dock leading to the company changing its name to the Preston and Wyre Railway, Harbour and Dock Company. Passenger business was more buoyant than expected, and the company built branch lines to the nascent resort of Blackpool and Lytham that opened in 1846. At that time the line was leased by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and later the London and North Western Railway took a share in the lease which was later converted to outright ownership. The Preston and Wyre Railway continued to be jointly owned as the Preston and Wyre Joint Railway.
Salwick railway station is situated on the Blackpool South branch line in England, 5+1⁄4 miles (8.4 km) west of Preston, and is managed by Northern. The station lies between Preston and Kirkham, near the village of Clifton.
Poulton-le-Fylde railway station serves the town of Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is managed by Northern Trains, but also served by Avanti West Coast.
Moss Side railway station is on the Blackpool South-to-Preston line, in Lancashire, England. It is located in Moss Side, a hamlet where the B5259 road crosses the railway at a level crossing. It is managed by Northern, which operates all passenger services that call there.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach railway station serves the Pleasure Beach Resort theme park in Blackpool, England. It is the penultimate station before Blackpool South on the Blackpool South to Colne line. Pleasure Beach Station is located about 300 metres (980 ft) from Burlington Road West tram stop on the Blackpool Tramway.
Blackpool South railway station serves the suburban south of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the South Fylde Line, around 12 miles (19 km) west of Kirkham and Wesham by rail, though all services run through from Preston. The station is managed by Northern Trains, which operates all trains serving it. Blackpool South is located around 500 metres (1,600 ft) from Waterloo Road tram stop on the Blackpool Tramway.
Blackpool North station is the main railway station serving the seaside resort of Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the main Blackpool branch line and is 17+1⁄2 miles (28 km) northwest of Preston. It also has an adjacent tram stop on the Blackpool Tramway.
Chorley railway station serves the town of Chorley in Lancashire, England. Since 2004 it has been linked with Chorley Interchange bus and coach station. It is on the Manchester–Preston line.
Blackrod railway station serves the towns of Blackrod and Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. It is 6.5 miles north west of Bolton railway station. It is just 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) from the town centre of Horwich - closer than Horwich Parkway station.
Accrington railway station serves the town of Accrington in Lancashire, England. It is a station on the East Lancashire line 6+1⁄4 miles (10.1 km) east of Blackburn railway station operated by Northern.
Huyton railway station serves Huyton in Merseyside, England. The station is an interchange between the Liverpool-Wigan Line and the northern route of the Liverpool-Manchester Line which diverge soon after the station. It is one of the busier stations on the lines and close to the shopping centre and bus station.
The Blackpool branch lines are two railway lines running from the West Coast Main Line at Preston to Blackpool. The main branch, which is double-tracked and electrified, runs to Blackpool North station via Poulton-le-Fylde. A second branch, which is single-tracked and non-electrified, diverges from the main branch at Kirkham and Wesham junction, running on a southerly route to Blackpool South station via Lytham.
Blackpool Central was the largest railway station in the town of Blackpool in the county of Lancashire, England. It contained 14 platforms; at its closure in 1964, it became the station with the highest number of platforms ever to close. Principal railway services to Blackpool now terminate at Blackpool North.
The Fleetwood branch line is a railway line that ran from Preston to Fleetwood. It passed through many smaller stations along the way, most of which are now closed. When work at Fleetwood docks was under threat in the mid-1960s, the main Fleetwood station was closed, and the remainder of the branch south to Poulton followed in 1970. There are active proposals to re-open the branch to passenger services.
Medlar-with-Wesham is a civil parish and an electoral ward on the Fylde in Lancashire, England, which contains the town of Wesham. It lies within the Borough of Fylde, and had a population of 3,245 in 1,294 households recorded in the 2001 census rising to 3,584 in 1,511 households, at the 2021 census.
Alliance Rail Holdings was a railway company developing plans to operate passenger trains in the United Kingdom through its subsidiaries Great North Western Railway Company Limited (GNWR) and Grand Southern Railway (GSR). Despite various proposals, the company did not run any passenger services.
Public transport in the Fylde is available for three modes of transport—bus, rail and tram—assisting residents of and visitors to the Fylde, a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England, to travel around much of the area's 64 square miles (170 km2).