General information | |
---|---|
Location | Kirkdale, Liverpool England |
Coordinates | 53°25′48″N2°59′30″W / 53.4300°N 2.9917°W |
Grid reference | SJ342930 |
Managed by | Merseyrail |
Transit authority | Merseytravel |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Station code | SDL |
Fare zone | C1 |
Classification | DfT category E |
Key dates | |
1850 | Opened |
2007 | Closed for Refurbishment |
2008 | Reopened |
Passengers | |
2018/19 | 1.088 million |
2019/20 | 1.299 million |
2020/21 | 0.342 million |
Interchange | 0.123 million |
2021/22 | 0.815 million |
Interchange | 0.232 million |
2022/23 | 0.779 million |
Interchange | 0.556 million |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Sandhills railway station is a railway station in Kirkdale,Liverpool,England,located to the north of the city centre on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. It was built by the Liverpool,Crosby and Southport Railway Company and now stands at the junction between the branch to Southport and the branch to Ormskirk and Kirkby.
The two platforms form a single island,overlooking the River Mersey on one side,and the former industrial area of Commercial Road on the other. It is also used by football fans heading for Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C. matches:a bus service called Soccerbus runs between the station and the football stadiums on match-days only. [1]
Previously passengers had to walk up a ramp to reach the ticket office,then through a subway and up ramps to reach the platform. Now the ramp remains,with alternate staircase. Leading to a lift directly into the Booking Office,accessing both sides of the island platforms.
Sandhills opened in 1850 as an intermediate station when the Liverpool,Crosby and Southport Railway was extended from its previous terminal at Waterloo to Liverpool Exchange. It became part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR),on 14 June 1855. [2] who took over from the (LCSR). The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922 and in turn was Grouped into the London,Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Nationalisation followed in 1948 and in 1978 the station became part of the Merseyrail Network's Northern Line (operated by British Rail until privatised in 1995). The station had four wooden platforms until it was rationalised between December 1973 and September 1974. [3]
An extensive refurbishment plan for the station was suggested in 2006 which involved the building of a completely new booking hall and greatly improved facilities on the platform. A large canopy was constructed - originally intended to cover the entire length of the platform,but now eventually covering approximately half. In addition,a dedicated bus-rail interchange point was built,improving transport beyond the station to localities such as Kirkdale,Anfield and Everton. On 24 April 2007,improvement works to the station at a cost of £6 million were agreed. In November 2007,it was announced that the station would be closed from 17 November 2007 until March 2008 for refurbishment. [4] The refurbishment work was extended until July 2008,when the station reopened in a partly completed state. The full completion of the work at the station was finished in early 2009.
Between March and December 2024,the station is due to have its capacity increased as part of the development of Liverpool Waters. [5]
The station is staffed 15 minutes before the first service and 15 minutes after the last service. There are toilets,platform CCTV and a booking office. There are departure and arrival screens on the platform for passenger information. Each of the two platforms has sheltered seating. The station does not have a car park,though there is a cycle rack with 10 spaces. The station is fully wheelchair accessible and access to the station is via lifts and ramps. [6]
Off-peak service frequency is as follows:
During late evenings and on Sundays,frequencies are reduced to 2 tph on the Ormskirk and Headbolt Lane lines. On Sundays,frequencies are reduced to 2 tph beyond Liverpool Central to Hunts Cross and to Southport,giving a total 6 tph from all lines between Sandhills and Liverpool Central.
In the early nineteenth century,the estate of Sandhills was purchased by Liverpool solicitor and land speculator,John Leigh (1752-1823). As well as building a 'handsome house,where he had beautiful gardens,complete with hothouses and conservatories'. He also turned much of the pasture land to clay pits and brickworks needed to fuel the rapid growth of Liverpool - he reputedly lowered the ground level by seven or eight feet (well over two metres). His son,John Shaw Leigh (1791-1871) reaped the most benefit,selling plots piecemeal at huge profits to supply the land needed for the expanding docks and railways. [8]
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.
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 Exchange railway station was a railway station located in the city centre of Liverpool,England. Of the four terminal stations in Liverpool's city centre,Exchange station was the only station not accessed via a tunnel.
The Liverpool,Crosby and Southport Railway (LC&SR) received parliamentary authorization on 2 July 1847 and opened between Southport and Liverpool,on 24 July 1848. The Liverpool terminal was a temporary station on the viaduct passing near to Waterloo Goods station.
The British Rail Class 507 is a type of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited at Holgate Road carriage works in two batches from 1978 to 1980. They are a variant of British Rail's standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs derived from PEP stock,which eventually encompassed 755 vehicles over five classes. They have worked on the Merseyrail network from new and continue to do so,having been refurbished by Alstom's Eastleigh Works. The Class 507 units are all now at least 43 years old,and,following the withdrawal of the Class 313 fleet in 2023,are the oldest units operating on the mainline rail network in Great Britain. However,the even older 1972 Stock and 1973 Stock are still in service on London Underground.
Burscough Junction pronounced is one of two railway stations serving the town of Burscough in Lancashire,England. It is sited on the Ormskirk Branch Line,2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) north of Ormskirk and is served by Northern Trains. The station was the scene of the Burscough Junction rail accident in 1880.
Ormskirk railway station in Ormskirk,Lancashire,England,is a cross-platform interchange between Merseyrail services from Liverpool Central and Northern Trains services from Preston on the Ormskirk branch line,12+3⁄4 miles (20.5 km) northeast of Liverpool. The station building and three arch road bridge are both Grade II listed structures.
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town centre of Wigan in Greater Manchester,England. The station serves two routes,the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is 16 miles north-west of Manchester Victoria. The station is managed by Northern Trains,who operate all trains serving it.
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).
Kirkby railway station is situated in Kirkby,Merseyside,England. It is situated 7.5 miles (12 km) north-east of Liverpool Central and is on the Kirkby branch of Merseyrail's Northern Line.
Burscough Bridge railway station is one of two railway stations which serves the town of Burscough in Lancashire,England. It is on the Manchester-Southport Line. It is operated and managed by Northern Trains. A bus interchange has recently been constructed next to the station,including a shop and cafe. The station has been identified by Merseytravel as a possible interchange between the Liverpool to Ormskirk line and the Southport to Wigan line in its Liverpool City Region Long Term Rail Strategy.
Bootle Oriel Road railway station is a railway station in Bootle,Merseyside,England. It is situated near the town's Victorian civic centre,opposite Bootle Town Hall,although the surrounding area is now largely residential. It is located on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network.
Bank Hall railway station is a railway station in Kirkdale,Liverpool,England,located to the north of the city centre,on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. As the area around the station is made up of largely closed industrial buildings,the station is one of the quietest on the Northern Line.
Maghull railway station is a railway station in Maghull,a suburb of Liverpool,England. It is situated on the Ormskirk branch of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. During the 2013/14 period,it was the tenth busiest station on the Merseyrail network and the busiest station to not provide an interchange between any other services. As of 2021/22,it is now the twelfth busiest station on the Merseyrail network and the third busiest station to not provide an interchange between other services.
Waterloo railway station is a railway station in Waterloo,Merseyside,England,on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. It serves a largely residential area,although there is a number of shops along South Road,where the station entrance is situated.
Ainsdale railway station serves the village of Ainsdale near Southport,England. The station is located on the Southport branch of the Merseyrail network's Northern Line.
Blundellsands &Crosby railway station is a railway station in the Blundellsands area of Merseyside,England. It also serves the adjacent town of Crosby. It is situated on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network.
Skelmersdale railway station was a station located on the Skelmersdale branch at Skelmersdale,England. The station was originally named Blague Gate,having its name changed to Skelmersdale on 8 August 1874 and carried passengers from 1858 to 1956.
The Kirkby Branch Line is a branch railway line from Wigan to Headbolt Lane. The line's original route was from Liverpool to Bury and later the most northern of the Liverpool to Manchester lines. The line was split at Kirkby in 1977 with the western section forming a high frequency branch of the electrified Merseyrail Northern Line,also referred to as the Kirkby branch line. The Kirkby branch to Wigan remained a low frequency diesel operated service by Northern Trains from Headbolt Lane to Manchester.
The British Rail Class 777 METRO is a class of electric multiple unit passenger trains currently being delivered by the Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail,being used on the Merseyrail network in the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. The trains have the ability to operate on the third rail-powered sections of the network,with some units carrying onboard batteries to allow use on unpowered track,a UK first. Ordered in 2016,construction of the units began in 2018. The first unit entered service on 23 January 2023,following delays to the deployment programme. The Class 777 will replace Merseyrail's current Class 507 and Class 508 units,which were built between 1978 and 1980. Seven units of the total 53 ordered are being configured as battery electric multiple units (BEMUs) for use on non-electrified lines,being designated subclass 777/1.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bank Hall towards Southport | Merseyrail Northern Line Southport Branch | Moorfields towards Liverpool Central or Hunts Cross | ||
Kirkdale towards Ormskirk or Headbolt Lane | Merseyrail Northern Line Kirkby/Ormskirk Branch | |||
Disused railways | ||||
Bank Hall Line and station open | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway | Liverpool Exchange Line and station closed | ||
Kirkdale Line and station open | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway Liverpool and Bury Railway |