![]() Widnes railway station | |
General information | |
Location | Farnworth, Halton England |
Coordinates | 53°22′43″N2°44′01″W / 53.378502°N 2.7336°W Coordinates: 53°22′43″N2°44′01″W / 53.378502°N 2.7336°W |
Grid reference | SJ512871 |
Managed by | Northern Trains |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Station code | WID |
Classification | DfT category E |
History | |
Original company | Cheshire Lines Committee |
Pre-grouping | Cheshire Lines Committee |
Post-grouping | Cheshire Lines Committee |
Key dates | |
1 August 1873 | Opened as Farnworth for Widnes |
ca. 1914/15 | Renamed Farnworth for Appleton |
ca. 1938/39 | Renamed Farnworth (Widnes) |
5 January 1959 | Renamed Widnes North |
6 July 1964 | Closed for goods |
6 May 1968 | Renamed Widnes |
Passengers | |
2017/18 | ![]() |
2018/19 | ![]() |
2019/20 | ![]() |
2020/21 | ![]() |
2021/22 | ![]() |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Widnes railway station (formerly Widnes North) is a railway station serving the town of Widnes,Halton,England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. [1] The station is operated by Northern Trains.
The station opened as Farnworth for Widnes on 1 August 1873 when the Cheshire Lines Committee opened the line between Glazebrook and Cressington &Grassendale to passengers. [lower-alpha 1] [3] [4] Farnworth being at the time a village over 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Widnes,but has since been absorbed to become a northern suburb of the town. [5]
The station is located where the line is bridged by Birchfield Road,now the B5419. The main station building is of the "common twin-pavilion type adopted by the CLC" with a larger,two-storey,projecting pavilion forming a house and a smaller single-storey one. Linking them is an entrance hall,ticket office and three-bay iron-arcaded waiting shelter. The building is decorated with elaborately fretted bargeboards. The station was equipped with a carved stone drinking fountain. [6] Opposite the main building was a matching waiting shelter,this was replaced sometime after 1961 with a steel and glass type shelter. [7]
It had two platforms,both accessed by steps down from the road overbridge [lower-alpha 2] on either side of two running lines,the platforms had sidings at their back the one to the north was equipped with a cattle pen. [9] There was a goods yard and shed to the north of the lines and west of the station. [10] [11] The goods yard was able to accommodate most types of goods,it was equipped with a five-ton crane. [12]
In about 1914/15 the station was renamed Farnworth for Appleton and then Farnworth (Widnes) around 1938/39. [3] The station was renamed Widnes North on 5 January 1959,the former LN&WR station becoming Widnes South at this time and finally Widnes on 6 May 1968 after Widnes Central and Widnes South had closed. [3] [13]
The station closed to goods traffic on 6 July 1964 and the goods yard demolished. [14] [15]
Widnes railway station is generally believed to be the station where Paul Simon reputedly composed the song "Homeward Bound" [16] though some think it more likely that it was Ditton railway station,in order to get to London by train. Simon is quoted as saying "[i]f you'd ever seen Widnes,then you'd know why I was keen to get back to London as quickly as possible." [17] However,rather than actually being 'homeward bound' (Simon temporarily lived in London at the time),Simon was on tour and had just performed at local DJ Geoff Speed's Howff Folk Club in Widnes and was reportedly dropped off at Widnes station by Speed. [18] [19] Simon was not headed for London but for Humberside and Widnes station would have been the logical choice of station to travel there. [20]
A footbridge now connects the two platforms. The station is staffed,but only until early afternoon. There is a car park outside. The station was refurbished in 2009 and as of 2010 houses a station shop and a beauty parlour,though there are still no toilet or waiting facilities for passengers other than the already existent shelter on the Manchester-bound platform. The platforms and footbridge have recently been refurbished. A ticket machine has been installed on both platforms. Digital display screens and automated announcements provide train running information.
The ticket office is staffed on a part-time basis between the hours of 07:00 and 14:25 Mon-Sat. Step free access is available to both platforms. [21]
There are generally two local trains (operated by Northern Trains) per hour in each direction,to Manchester Oxford Road to the east and Liverpool Lime Street to the west. Journey times from Widnes to Manchester on these local trains are around 45–50 minutes,depending on the number of stops. Journey time to Liverpool is around 25–30 minutes,again depending on stops.
An express service also operates hourly in each direction (run by East Midlands Railway),continuing beyond Manchester Piccadilly towards Sheffield,Nottingham and Norwich. The journey time on most of these trains to Manchester is 30 minutes,whilst Liverpool can be reached in 18 minutes. [22]
Until the May 2018 timetable change Widnes was also served by one service to Scarborough on Mondays to Saturdays (run by TransPennine Express). All TransPennine services now operate via Newton-Le-Willows.
The typical off-peak service is:
Northern
East Midlands
Manchester Oxford Road railway station is a railway station in Manchester, England, at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Oxford Street. It opened in 1849 and was rebuilt in 1960. It is the second busiest of the four stations in Manchester city centre.
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 get grouped into one 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.
Warrington Central railway station is one of three main railway stations serving the town of Warrington in the north-west of England. It is located on the southern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Lines, being situated approximately halfway between the two cities. Central station is served by diesel trains to Liverpool, Manchester, Manchester Airport and East Anglia.
Sankey railway station, also known as Sankey for Penketh, is a railway station in the west of Warrington, Cheshire, England, serving the Great Sankey, Penketh and Whittle Hall areas of the town. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Trains. It is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.
Hough Green railway station is a railway station to the west of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade listed building. The station is on the Liverpool–Warrington–Manchester line 10 miles 42 chains (16.9 km) east of Liverpool Lime Street and all trains serving it are operated by Northern Trains.
Aintree Central railway station was a station located on the North Liverpool Extension Line on Park Lane, Aintree, Merseyside, across Park Lane from the current Aintree station.
Ditton railway station, originally Ditton Junction, was a railway station which served the Ditton area of Widnes in Cheshire, England. It was located on Hale Road on the border between Ditton and Halebank.
Gateacre railway station was located on the North Liverpool Extension Line on the north side of Belle Vale Road, Gateacre, Liverpool, England. Next door was the Black Bull public house which still stands.
Clubmoor railway station was located on the North Liverpool Extension Line at Broad Lane, Norris Green, Liverpool, England.
Walton on the Hill railway station was located on the Huskisson branch of the North Liverpool Extension Line at the junction of Rice Lane and Queens Drive in Walton, Liverpool, England.
Warbreck railway station was on the North Liverpool Extension Line to the south of Walton Vale, Liverpool, England.
Knotty Ash & Stanley railway station was located on the North Liverpool Extension Line to the north of the East Prescot Road, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, England.
Huskisson railway station was located on the North Liverpool Extension Line near Huskisson Dock in Liverpool, England.
Stockport Portwood railway station was a railway station in Stockport, England on the Stockport and Woodley Junction Railway
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.
Widnes Central railway station served the town of Widnes, England from 1879 to 1964.
Tanhouse Lane railway station is a closed station on the former Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee line, which formed a loop off the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) line in the Widnes area between Liverpool Central and Manchester Central. It was opened on 1 September 1890 as "Tanhouse", being changed later to "Tanhouse Lane". It closed on 5 October 1964.
Farnworth & Bold railway station served the Farnworth area of Widnes, England. The station was on the southern section of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway which was later absorbed by the London and North Western Railway.
The Widnes loop was a 5 miles 2 chains (8.1 km) railway line which served the town of Widnes, England from 1879 to 2000.
Golborne South railway station was one of two stations serving the town of Golborne, to the south of Wigan.
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Hough Green | Northern Trains Manchester to Liverpool Line | Warrington West | ||
Warrington Central | ||||
Sankey | ||||
Liverpool South Parkway | East Midlands Railway Liverpool - Norwich | Warrington Central | ||
Hunts Cross |