East Didsbury railway station
Encyclopedia
East Didsbury is a suburban railway station in the south of the city of Manchester
, England.
It stands on the Styal Line, between Longsight (Slade Lane Junction) and Wilmslow. It is now served by the Manchester
-Crewe
service, operated by Northern Rail
, and by First TransPennine Express
for Manchester Airport
services.
and, until 6 May 1974, was called East Didsbury and Parrs Wood. From 1923 the line was operated by the London Midland and Scottish Railway. Following the formation in 1948 of British Rail
, rail services were operated by the London Midland Region of British Railways
, then North-Western Regional Railways
. Upon privatisation of rail services in 1996/7, East Didsbury was served by the North Western Trains
franchise. Services to Manchester Airport began in 1993 upon the opening of the Manchester Airport spur.
of the 1960s, the Didsbury area was served by three different railway stations: East Didsbury, Didsbury, and Withington and West Didsbury.
Didsbury Station
was opened in 1880 in the centre of Didsbury Village on the Cheshire Lines Committee
line into Manchester Central
. This connected to the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee
line from Chinley
, and the Midland Railway
used it for its express services from London St. Pancras. It closed in 1967 and, though the building was used for a while by a hardware dealer, it has now disappeared, apart from the platforms, a clock tower and a drinking fountain dedicated to the memory of a local philanthropist, Dr. D.J. Wilson (1847–1900).
There was also Withington and West Didsbury
, the next station on the line, the two being so similar in appearance that passengers would alight at the wrong one. Originally it was "Withington" then from 1884 "Withington and Albert Park", receiving its final name in 1915. All that remains is a boundary wall, a block of flats, Brankgate Court, having been built on the site.
"Big Bang" extension plans. It will be a newly-built station on the re-opened Cheshire Lines Committee
route, which runs under the Styal line.
Located on the east side of the Kingsway, north of Parrs Wood Lane, East Didsbury will the terminus of the Metrolink line. Situated in a cutting, the station will provide access to both the East Didsbury & Heaton Mersey areas of Manchester & Stockport. The Metrolink station will be approximately 200m north-east of the National Rail station of the same name.
All three Didsbury station sites are featured in proposals to extend the Metrolink system. In the 1980s it was first proposed to re-open the CLC line between Chorlton and Didsbury, providing a light-rail service between East Didsbury and central Manchester.
In 2006, it was announced that the CLC line would be re-opened as part of a phased expansion project, dubbed the "Big Bang", and that the extension would initially go only as far as St Werburgh's Road. Following the rejection of the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund in a public referendum in 2008, extension of the line to East Didsbury (Phase 3B) will now go ahead with funding from national and local government.
Construction of the line through Chorlton began in April 2009 and that part of the new line became operational in July 2011. The date for the opening as far as East Didsbury has not been confirmed as yet, but the Metrolink station is currently scheduled to open in the summer of 2013. Passengers will be able to travel on the old rail alignment into Manchester for the first time since 1967.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England.
It stands on the Styal Line, between Longsight (Slade Lane Junction) and Wilmslow. It is now served by the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
-Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
service, operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
, and by First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
for Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport railway station
Manchester Airport railway station is the railway station that serves Manchester Airport and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993.- Description:...
services.
History
East Didsbury Station was opened in 1909 by the London and North Western RailwayLondon and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
and, until 6 May 1974, was called East Didsbury and Parrs Wood. From 1923 the line was operated by the London Midland and Scottish Railway. Following the formation in 1948 of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
, rail services were operated by the London Midland Region of British Railways
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
, then North-Western Regional Railways
Regional Railways
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, 3 years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial....
. Upon privatisation of rail services in 1996/7, East Didsbury was served by the North Western Trains
First North Western
First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England. It operated from 1997 to 2004.The company when first privatised was known as North Western Trains and was owned by Great Western Holdings, a partnership between Great Western's management, First...
franchise. Services to Manchester Airport began in 1993 upon the opening of the Manchester Airport spur.
Other Didsbury stations
Prior to the Beeching AxeBeeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
of the 1960s, the Didsbury area was served by three different railway stations: East Didsbury, Didsbury, and Withington and West Didsbury.
Didsbury Station
Didsbury railway station
Didsbury railway station is a former station in Didsbury, in the southern suburbs of Manchester, England, United Kingdom. The station was located on Wilmslow Road, just north of the junction with Barlow Moor Road and opposite Didsbury Library...
was opened in 1880 in the centre of Didsbury Village on the Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
line into Manchester Central
Manchester Central railway station
Manchester Central railway station is a former railway station in Manchester City Centre, England. One of Manchester's main railway terminals between 1880 and 1969, it now houses an exhibition and conference centre named Manchester Central.-History:...
. This connected to the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee
Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee
The Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1869 as a joint venture between the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.-Origins:...
line from Chinley
Chinley railway station
Chinley railway station serves the village of Chinley in Derbyshire. The station is 28 km south east of Manchester Piccadilly....
, and the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
used it for its express services from London St. Pancras. It closed in 1967 and, though the building was used for a while by a hardware dealer, it has now disappeared, apart from the platforms, a clock tower and a drinking fountain dedicated to the memory of a local philanthropist, Dr. D.J. Wilson (1847–1900).
There was also Withington and West Didsbury
Withington and West Didsbury railway station
Withington and West Didsbury railway station is a former station in the southern suburbs of Manchester, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1880 as Withington and Albert Park station when the Midland Railway opened its new Manchester South District line out of Manchester Central Station...
, the next station on the line, the two being so similar in appearance that passengers would alight at the wrong one. Originally it was "Withington" then from 1884 "Withington and Albert Park", receiving its final name in 1915. All that remains is a boundary wall, a block of flats, Brankgate Court, having been built on the site.
Future plans
East Didsbury Metrolink station is a future station proposed in Phase 3B of the Manchester MetrolinkManchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
"Big Bang" extension plans. It will be a newly-built station on the re-opened Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
route, which runs under the Styal line.
Located on the east side of the Kingsway, north of Parrs Wood Lane, East Didsbury will the terminus of the Metrolink line. Situated in a cutting, the station will provide access to both the East Didsbury & Heaton Mersey areas of Manchester & Stockport. The Metrolink station will be approximately 200m north-east of the National Rail station of the same name.
All three Didsbury station sites are featured in proposals to extend the Metrolink system. In the 1980s it was first proposed to re-open the CLC line between Chorlton and Didsbury, providing a light-rail service between East Didsbury and central Manchester.
In 2006, it was announced that the CLC line would be re-opened as part of a phased expansion project, dubbed the "Big Bang", and that the extension would initially go only as far as St Werburgh's Road. Following the rejection of the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund in a public referendum in 2008, extension of the line to East Didsbury (Phase 3B) will now go ahead with funding from national and local government.
Construction of the line through Chorlton began in April 2009 and that part of the new line became operational in July 2011. The date for the opening as far as East Didsbury has not been confirmed as yet, but the Metrolink station is currently scheduled to open in the summer of 2013. Passengers will be able to travel on the old rail alignment into Manchester for the first time since 1967.