General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Mouldsworth, Cheshire West and Chester England | ||||
Grid reference | SJ512707 | ||||
Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | MLD | ||||
Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 22 June 1870 | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 29,790 | ||||
2020/21 | 9,716 | ||||
2021/22 | 25,446 | ||||
2022/23 | 25,712 | ||||
2023/24 | 26,708 | ||||
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Mouldsworth railway station opened on 22 June 1870 and serves the village of Mouldsworth in Cheshire,England. It is managed by Northern Trains. The station has two platforms and is on the Mid Cheshire Line,with hourly train services to Manchester Piccadilly and Chester.
The station and railway here first opened in 1869 for goods and 1870 for passengers,on the line from Northwich to West Cheshire Junction (near Helsby);the extension line from here to Chester was added in November 1874 (1 May 1875 for passengers). [1] At the same time passenger services on the Helsby line,via Manley,ceased and Manley station was closed to passengers,however the line remained open for freight until 1991 and Mouldsworth Junction was managed by a signal box at the end of the platform. Mouldsworth station had a coal yard which opened in March 1871,and from here James Lowe delivered coal to many villages in the local area. [2] The coal yard was in use until at least 1954,as it was listed at that time by the National Coal Board. [3] The coal yard,goods yard (including goods shed),and sidings on both sides of the track were controlled by a second signal box,which went out of use in 1967 and is now in use at Chinnor on the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway.
Next to the station was the Station Hotel opened around May 1882, [4] and now named the Goshawk,which is a name it has carried from at least the 1970s. The hotel has had a bowling green next to it since at least 1891. [5]
Services used to run to the CLC terminus at Chester Northgate,but this closed in October 1969. [1] Trains henceforth used a connection onto the former Birkenhead Joint Railway main line at Mickle Trafford (where the two lines ran adjacent to each other) to reach Chester General. As part of this rationalisation work,the Mouldsworth to Mickle Trafford section was also reduced to a single line. In the opposite direction,the closure of Manchester Central earlier that year saw eastbound services diverted to start/terminate at Manchester Oxford Road.
The station used to be a request stop but this status was removed at the spring 2011 timetable change.
The signal box here was decommissioned and demolished in 2006, [6] control of the line then passing to Mickle Trafford box. The West Cheshire Railway line from Helsby closed to passengers as long ago as May 1875 (following the opening of the Chester line),but once carried significant volumes of oil and petrochemical traffic from the refineries near Stanlow and Thornton towards Crewe and points south via Middlewich. A change in distribution methods at the refinery led to this all but disappearing by the end of 1990. A few months later,a major fire seriously damaged the signal box at Helsby West Cheshire Junction and this led to the immediate closure of the line on 14 September 1991. [7] [8] The disused track remained intact until 1995,when it was lifted. The old formation is still just visible at the western end of the station,but it is now heavily overgrown and inaccessible.
As of the December 2008 timetable,there were two additional weekday peak services to and from Stockport. On Sundays,a two-hourly service to Chester and Manchester was introduced,with the latter continuing to Southport,via Wigan Wallgate and Bolton. [9] Prior to the new service,trains to Manchester had not operated on Sundays since the early 1990s. Passengers had to change at Altrincham on to the Manchester Metrolink to continue their journeys.
Services beyond Manchester were terminated in the May 2010 timetable change,with all current trains now calling at Manchester Piccadilly and no further. Additional weekday peak services to/from Stockport were suspended in 2020.
Like most others on the route,the station is unmanned. A ticket vending machine is in place for purchase of tickets or promise to pay coupons and for the collection of pre-paid tickets. Train running information is provided through electronic displays and posters. The main buildings on the Chester-bound platform are in private occupation,but waiting shelters are provided on both platforms. Step-free access is only available on the Chester-bound platform. [10]
The station gets one train per hour westbound to Chester and one train per hour eastbound to Manchester Piccadilly. 18 trains per day run to Chester,with 17 running towards Manchester. On Sundays,there is a two-hourly service each way,with 7 trains in each direction. [11] The majority of services are run by Northern Class 150 trains,with some Class 156's also serving the station.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Chester | Northern Trains Mid-Cheshire Line | Delamere | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Manley Line and station closed | Cheshire Lines Committee West Cheshire Line | Terminus | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Barrow for Tarvin Line open, station closed | Cheshire Lines Committee West Cheshire Line | Delamere Line and station open |
There have been repeated plans for a half-hourly service in each direction - it was a part of the 2015 franchise agreement [12] - though this has been repeatedly delayed due to capacity constraints between Stockport and Manchester and is yet, as of January 2022, to be implemented. [13]
As part of Northern's proposed December 2022 timetable (which focuses on additional services within the Manchester area), an additional 4 trains per day between Chester and Stockport (2 in each direction) have been proposed during peak hours on Mondays to Saturdays. These services are aimed at those who are commuting to and/or working in Manchester and Stockport. This change will increase the number of trains departing Chester on the line to 20 per day, with the number departing Stockport also increased to 20 per day. The 2 hourly Sunday service will remain the same, at 7 trains per day. [14] [15]
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.
Ashley railway station is in the village of Ashley in Cheshire, England. It is located on the Mid-Cheshire line 17+3⁄4 miles (28.6 km) southwest of Manchester Piccadilly.
Hale railway station serves the area of Hale in the south of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England; it is also used by people living in the surrounding areas of Bowdon and Hale Barns. It is a stop on the Mid-Cheshire line between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly. The station is located on Ashley Road.
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.
Chester Northgate is a former railway station in Chester, Cheshire, England, that was a terminus for the Cheshire Lines Committee and Great Central Railway. It was the city centre's second station with regular services to Manchester Central, Seacombe and Wrexham Central.
Delamere railway station opened on 22 June 1870. It serves both the village of Delamere and Delamere Forest in Cheshire, England. The station is 9½ miles (15 km) east of Chester on the Mid-Cheshire Line. There is an hourly service each way between Chester and Manchester in each direction, with Delamere being previously operated as a request stop only until the Spring 2010 timetable change. The station marks one end of the Baker Way footpath.
Cuddington railway station serves the village of Cuddington in Cheshire, England. Opened in 1869 by the West Cheshire Railway, it is located 12+1⁄2 miles (20.1 km) north east of Chester. It has won a number of awards for its gardens, which are maintained by local volunteers.
Greenbank railway station serves the village of Hartford, Cheshire as well as the Greenbank and Castle areas of Northwich, Cheshire, England. The station is situated on the A559 road from Northwich to Chester.
Northwich railway station serves the town of Northwich in Cheshire, England. The station has two platforms in use. It is located on the Mid-Cheshire line 28+1⁄4 miles (45.5 km) southwest of Manchester Piccadilly.
Lostock Gralam railway station serves the village of Lostock Gralam in Cheshire, England. The station is on the Mid-Cheshire line from Chester to Manchester Piccadilly, 18½ miles (30 km) east of Chester.
Plumley railway station serves the village of Plumley in Cheshire, England. The station is 20½ miles (33 km) east of Chester on the Mid-Cheshire Line to Manchester Piccadilly.
Knutsford railway station serves the town of Knutsford in Cheshire, England. The station is 21+3⁄4 miles (35.0 km) south of Manchester Piccadilly on the Mid-Cheshire Line to Chester. The line is referred to as the Chester via Altrincham line at Manchester Piccadilly, but as the Manchester via Stockport line at Chester station.
Altrincham Interchange is a transport hub in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It consists of a bus station on Stamford New Road, a Northern Trains-operated heavy rail station on the Mid-Cheshire Line, and a light rail stop which forms the terminus of Manchester Metrolink's Altrincham line. The original heavy rail element of the station was opened by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway as Altrincham and Bowdon railway station in April 1881, changing to Altrincham railway station in May 1974. The Metrolink element opened in June 1992. The Interchange underwent a complete redevelopment, at a cost of £19 million, starting in mid-July 2013. The new bus station opened officially on 7 December 2014.
Navigation Road is a station that serves both Northern Trains and Manchester Metrolink trams located in the east of Altrincham, in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of a Northern Trains-operated bidirectional heavy rail platform on the Mid-Cheshire Line opposite a bidirectional light rail platform on the Altrincham Line of Greater Manchester's Metrolink network. The original heavy rail station was opened by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway in 1931 as a pair of single-face platforms, and in 1992 one was given over to the Metrolink network. A level crossing operates at the southern end of the station.
The Mid-Cheshire line is a railway line in the north-west of England that runs from Chester to Edgeley Junction, Stockport; it connects Chester with Manchester Piccadilly, via Knutsford. After Chester Northgate closed in 1969, the section between Mickle Trafford Junction and Chester was used for freight trains only until it closed in 1992; from Mickle Trafford, passenger trains use the Chester–Warrington line to Chester General instead. The route taken by passenger trains has changed over the years and now differs considerably from the original. Between 2001 and 2014, passenger journeys on the line increased to over 1.7 million per year. A near doubling of the passenger service was expected to occur from December 2018, however this did not materialise.
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. The remainder of the ceremonial county of Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington. Cheshire West and Chester has three key urban areas: Chester, Ellesmere Port and Northwich/Winsford.
Northenden railway station in Sharston, Manchester, England, was built by the Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway (ST&AJ) and opened for passenger and goods traffic on 1 February 1866.
The West Cheshire Railway (WCR) was an early railway company based in Cheshire, England.