Manchester Victoria station in
ManchesterManchester 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 is the city's second largest mainline railway station. It is also a
MetrolinkMetrolink 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...
station, one of eight within the City Zone. It is situated to the north of the city centre on Hunts Bank, close to
Manchester CathedralManchester Cathedral is a medieval church on Victoria Street in central Manchester and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The cathedral's official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester...
.
The station serves destinations north and east of Manchester, with some trains to
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
(mostly on the original Manchester to Liverpool line). The line from
BuryBury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
was converted to light-rail operation in the early 1990s when the
MetrolinkMetrolink 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...
tram system was created, and the trams switch to on-street running once they emerge from Victoria Station. Current plans for Phase 3 of Metrolink involve the conversion of the rail routes from
Victoria to Rochdale via OldhamThe Oldham Loop Line was a local railway route in Greater Manchester, England, used by trains that ran from Manchester Victoria station to Rochdale railway station...
to light rail. Most trains calling at the station are operated by
Northern RailNorthern 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...
, except during engineering works, when some trains are diverted from
Manchester PiccadillyManchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
.
History
In 1838
Samuel BrooksSamuel Brooks was born at Great Harwood, near Whalley in Lancashire, England, the second son of William Brooks. In 1815 he became a partner in his father’s Blackburn-based business, Cunliffe Brooks & Co. This business supplied cotton and/or textile equipment, and also ran a bank as a sideline...
, vice-chairman of the
Manchester and Leeds RailwayThe Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Normanton....
(M&LR) bought land at Hunt's Bank close to the cathedral and presented it to the company for a station to replace the inconveniently located
Manchester Oldham Road railway stationManchester Oldham Road was a railway station built on the Manchester and Leeds Railway in Miles Platting, Greater Manchester. Built in 1839 and opened on 3 July, it was the Manchester terminus for the railway.-History:...
opened by the company on 3 July 1839. The station was initially a long low single-storey building designed by
George StephensonGeorge Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
and completed by
John BrogdenJohn Brogden was a cleansing, building and railway contractor, railway promoter, a miner of coal and iron and an iron smelter. He was brought up on a farm near Clitheroe, Lancashire. As a young man he migrated to a rapidly growing Manchester and applied his farmer's knowledge of horses as a...
on 1 January 1844. It was named Victoria by permission of Her Majesty. The long single platform handled M&LR trains to Leeds and elsewhere at its eastern end. The
Liverpool and Manchester RailwayThe Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
extended its line from Ordsall, near the original Manchester Liverpool Road railway station, and its trains operated from Victoria's western end from 4 May 1844.
By the mid-1840s six railway companies operated from the station connecting Manchester to London,
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
,
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. Victoria Station came to dominate the Long Millgate area and was one of the biggest passenger stations in Britain.
Victoria was enlarged by William Dawes, who is responsible for most of the remaining facade, in 1909. The enlarged building was erected on land originally consecrated as a burial ground on 1 January 1815 by the Bishop of Chester; this land had been acquired by the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1844. It eventually boasted 17 platforms. Wealthy commuters travelled here from
BlackpoolBlackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
and
SouthportSouthport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
rather faster than is possible today (e.g. 45 minutes from Southport in 1910, 67 today; and 65 minutes from Blackpool in 1910, 77 today) in specially-constructed club cars hauled by express steam locomotives. These non-stop services were abandoned in the early 1960s.
The
EdwardianEdwardian architecture is the style popular when King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was in power; he reigned from 1901 to 1910, but the architecture style is generally considered to be indicative of the years 1901 to 1914....
building has a 160 yards (146 m) facade, which carries an iron and glass canopy bearing the names of the original destinations served, and a tile mural depicting the routes of the
Lancashire and Yorkshire RailwayThe Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
, which operated most of the trains from the station between 1847 and 1923, when it became one of the main constituents of the
London, Midland and Scottish RailwayThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
. The canopies served as a covered waiting area for taxi cabs until they were damaged in the
Provisional IRAThe Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
1996 bombing. They have been restored. The cast-iron train sheds behind the façade are 700 yards (640.1 m) long. Initially the station was approached by a wooden footbridge over the
River IrkThe River Irk is a river in Greater Manchester in North West England that flows through the northern suburbs of Manchester before merging with the River Irwell in Manchester city centre....
, which has subsequently disappeared beneath culverting alongside the cathedral.
From 1884, Victoria Station was adjacent to Manchester Exchange Station, operated by the rival
London and North Western RailwayThe 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, from 1929, a single passenger platform linked the stations; this was the longest passenger platform in Europe at 2194 feet (669 m). Exchange Station was closed in 1969 and its services were transferred to Victoria. Its site opposite the cathedral is now a car park.
In the early 1970s, as part of the
Picc-Vic tunnelPicc-Vic was a proposed, and later cancelled, underground railway designed in the early 1970s with the purpose of connecting two major mainline railway terminals in central Manchester, England. The name Picc-Vic was a contraction of the two station names, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria...
project, there were proposals to build an underground station, Victoria Low Level. The project was cancelled and subsequent rail improvements concentrated on surface projects and the introduction of
light railLight rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
.
Victoria is the main station for the adjacent
Manchester Evening News ArenaThe Manchester Evening News Arena is an indoor arena situated in Manchester, England. It is adjacent to Manchester Victoria station near Corporation Street...
, which was joined to the station between 1992 and 1996 by means of a raft above the through rail platforms. The principal access to the MEN Arena is via stairs on Hunts Bank although there is an entrance from the main station concourse.
Facilities
The station has a barber's shop, newsagents, coffee bars and buffet.
Network RailNetwork Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
aims to lease offices on the first and second floors to businesses. In 2009 the station was identified as one of the ten worst
category BThe 2,535 railway stations on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom are classified into six categories and four subcategories by the Department for Transport. The scheme was devised in 1996 and there was a review in 2009 when 106 stations changed categories. The categorisation scheme is...
interchange stations for its fabric and environment. Victoria was set to receive a £5m share of the £50m 'Better Stations' Network Rail funding for improvements; this was cancelled in the June 2010 budget cuts, but a replacement funding package has since been arranged.
Station refurbishment
In November 2009, it was announced that Manchester Victoria was officially the worst station in Britain. As a result, the transport secretary, Lord Adonis, announced that, along with nine others, it would receive an urgent injection of £50 million and an emergency rebuilding programme.
It is intended to build new west-facing platforms for terminating services to and from
Yorkshire and the HumberYorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine regions of England and formally one of the government office regions. It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The...
. New shops and cafés will be included. After agreeing a £30 million funding package with
Manchester City CouncilManchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
and the North West Development Agency, Network Rail will replace the roof, refurbish the station toilets, and install new passenger help points and wind-break shelters on Platforms 3-6. However, as part of cuts announced by the
coalition governmentDavid Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
, a £5 million grant from the
Department for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
was withdrawn, making the project uncertain.
On 16 February 2010 it was reported that Network Rail intended to refurbish Manchester Victoria as part of the Northern Hub improvement proposals. The station will become an interchange for local and regional services throughout the North West of England. In August 2010, Network Rail announced that the refurbishment of Victoria Station would go ahead, despite the government withdrawing £5 million funding from the scheme.
Services
Manchester Victoria is served by a single
train operating companyThe term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand...
,
Northern RailNorthern 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...
. It is occasionally used by
First Transpennine ExpressFirst 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...
and
CrossCountryCrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
services during engineering works.
Northern Rail operates
Class 142The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
pacers and
150The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...
or
156The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
Sprinter DMUs on most train services around Manchester, while the
Leeds Calder ValleyThe Caldervale Line is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool...
services are usually operated by
Class 155The British Rail Class 155 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit. These DMUs were built by British Leyland at Workington between 1987 and 1988 as part of British Rail's replacement of its ageing diesel fleet which were First-Generation.- History and description :The Class 155 train is made up...
or
158British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
Sprinter DMUs. The Leeds via Dewsbury services mainly use 3-car
Class 144The British Rail Class 144 "Pacer" diesel multiple units were built by BREL Derby from 1986-1987. A total of 23 units were built, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs....
Monday - Friday, although at weekends this service sees other classes on the route such as a pair of
Class 153The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter is a single car diesel multiple unit converted from British Rail Class 155s.-Description:These units were originally built as two-car Class 155 units by British Leyland from 1987–88, but were converted by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock from 1991-92...
DMUs or Class 150 or 155. Because of a shortage of rolling stock,
Class 180The Class 180 is a type of British diesel multiple unit train built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 for use on then-new express services by First Great Western . They were built at Washwood Heath in Birmingham and are part of the Coradia 1000 family along with the Class 175. FGW stopped using the...
s are often used on Blackpool services, an example of high-speed trains capable of 125 mph being used on slow stopping services.
Manchester Victoria is used by Transpennine Express as a diversionary route and alternative station when the route through Manchester Piccadilly is unavailable as a result of engineering works. Night services between
Manchester AirportManchester 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:...
and
YorkYork railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station...
run via Manchester Victoria, although they do not stop. They then run via
Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne railway station serves Ashton-under-Lyne, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 10 km east of Manchester Victoria and is operated by Northern Rail.- History :...
to rejoin the usual route at
StalybridgeStalybridge railway station serves Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 12 km east of Manchester Piccadilly and 13 km east of Manchester Victoria. The station is managed by First TransPennine Express....
, or continue through
RochdaleRochdale railway station serves the town of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. The Manchester and Leeds Railway opened a station serving the town in the 19th century...
and
Hebden BridgeHebden Bridge railway station serves the town of Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, England. The station is on the Caldervale Line, currently operated by Northern Rail from York and Leeds towards Manchester Victoria and Blackpool North...
before reaching
HuddersfieldHuddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
.
Service summary
- 2 trains per hour (tph) to Wigan Wallgate
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station is on 2 lines, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is north west of Manchester Victoria...
(via Bolton) calling:
-
- Salford Central
Salford Central railway station is a railway station in Salford, Greater Manchester in the North West of England just over the River Irwell from Manchester city centre. It is very close to Manchester's Spinningfields district and the area behind the House of Fraser department store, Deansgate...
, Salford CrescentSalford Crescent is one of two railway stations in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The other station is Salford Central.The station is west of Manchester Victoria and west of Manchester Piccadilly...
, KearsleyKearsley railway station serves the Greater Manchester town of Kearsley and the villages of Stoneclough, Prestolee and Ringley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in North West England...
, FarnworthFarnworth Railway Station serves the Greater Manchester town of Farnworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, England. The station has had several names, the present name being adopted on 6 May 1974....
, Moses GateMoses Gate railway station serves the Moses Gate suburb of Farnworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.It lies on the Manchester-Preston Line, though only local services run by Northern Rail call here....
, BoltonBolton Interchange is a transport interchange combining the railway station and a four stand bus station in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. The station is located on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line and is managed by Northern Rail...
and Wigan Wallgate
-
- Salford Central, Salford Crescent, Bolton, Westhoughton
Westhoughton railway station serves the town of Westhoughton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, north-western England. The station is 15½ miles north west of Manchester Piccadilly.- Overview :...
, HindleyHindley railway station serves the area of Hindley in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan.Hindley is one of the principal stations that lie on the Wigan to Manchester line, just before the route branches to use either the Atherton line or the Eastern Branch line via Westhoughton and Bolton...
and Wigan Wallgate
- 1tph to Kirkby
Kirkby railway station is situated in Kirkby, Merseyside, England. The station is an interchange between Merseyrail services from Liverpool Central and Northern Rail services from Manchester Victoria via Wigan Wallgate....
calling:
-
- Salford Central, Salford Crescent, Swinton
Swinton railway station serves the town of Swinton and Pendlebury in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England.Swinton is one of the local stations that lie on the Manchester to Southport Line between Wigan and Manchester...
, MoorsideMoorside railway station is located in the Moorside and Wardley areas of Swinton, near Manchester, England. The station stands on Moorside Road close to the junction with Chorley Road , Swinton....
, WalkdenWalkden railway station is one of the principal stations that lie on the Atherton line, between Wigan and Manchester. The station is located 8¼ miles west of Manchester Victoria with regular Northern Rail services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton and Hindley...
, AthertonAtherton railway station serves the town of Atherton, Greater Manchester, and is the main station on the line between Wigan and Manchester on the Manchester to Southport Line, and according to Strategic Rail Authority figures) is the busiest station on the line .The station is located 19 km...
, Hag FoldHag Fold railway station is one of the local stations that lie on the Atherton line, between Wigan and Manchester. The station is located 13 miles west of Manchester Victoria with regular Northern Rail services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton, Walkden and Hindley.The station was built...
, Daisy HillDaisy Hill railway station serves the Daisy Hill area of Westhoughton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.Daisy Hill is one of the principal stations that lie on the Atherton line, between Wigan and Manchester...
, Hindley, Ince, Wigan WallgateWigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station is on 2 lines, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is north west of Manchester Victoria...
, PembertonPemberton railway station serves the Pemberton area of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. It is on the Wigan to Kirkby branch line.The station is situated on the A571 Billinge Road...
, OrrellOrrell railway station serves the Orrell area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. It is a small two-platform commuter hub on the Wigan to Kirkby branch line....
, Upholland, RainfordRainford railway station is situated in the village of Rainford, Merseyside, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail.- History :...
and Kirkby
- 1tph to Southport
Southport railway station serves the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. It is at the end of one of the branches of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, and at the end of the Manchester-Southport Line which runs via Wigan...
calling:
-
- Salford Central, Salford Crescent, Swinton
Swinton railway station serves the town of Swinton and Pendlebury in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England.Swinton is one of the local stations that lie on the Manchester to Southport Line between Wigan and Manchester...
, Walkden, Atherton, Daisy Hill, Hindley, Wigan Wallgate, GathurstOn the outskirts of the town of Wigan, Greater Manchester, the semi-rural Gathurst is a recently refurbished two-platform station on the Southport line 2¾ miles north west of Wigan Wallgate station...
, Appley BridgeAppley Bridge railway station serves the villages of Appley Bridge and Shevington in England.The station is 4½ miles north west of Wigan Wallgate on the Manchester-Southport Line....
, ParboldParbold railway station serves the village of Parbold and the nearby village of Newburgh in West Lancashire, England.The station is north west of Wigan Wallgate on the Manchester to Southport Line.-History:...
, HoscarHoscar railway station serves the rural village of Lathom, near the town of Burscough, Lancashire. The station stands between two level crossings: in Hoscar Moss Road and Frog Lane. 2,070 passengers used the station in 2004-5...
, Burscough BridgeBurscough Bridge railway station serves the town of Burscough in Lancashire, England. It is a main stop on the Manchester-Southport Line. A bus interchange has recently been constructed next to the station, including a shop and cafe....
, New LaneNew Lane railway station serves the rural communities and farming villages around New Lane in West Lancashire, in the north-west of England. It is served and managed by Northern Rail and is situated near the Martin Mere bird sanctuary, which can be reached by a 1 mile walk.Trains run to Southport...
, Bescar LaneBescar Lane railway station is on the Manchester to Southport Line, east of Southport in the village of Scarisbrick. Bescar Lane is an old cottage-style station, operated by the Northern Rail franchise...
, Meols CopMeols Cop railway station serves the Blowick suburb of the coastal town of Southport, Merseyside, England. The station has an island platform and is served by Northern Rail's - via branch services, on which it is the last stop before the terminus...
and Southport
Note that the Monday - Saturday peak 17:06 is a faster Wigan Wallgate service, which calls only at:
-
- Salford Central, Salford Crescent, Atherton, Daisy Hill, Wigan Wallgate, Gathurst, Appley Bridge, Parbold, Burscough Bridge, Meols Cop and Southport.
- 1tph to Blackpool North
Blackpool North railway 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 from Preston....
calling at:
-
- Salford Central, Salford Crescent, Bolton, Lostock
Lostock railway station serves the suburb of Lostock in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. According to large scale Ordnance Survey maps and local usage, the area is named Lostock Junction and the station is referred to as such by many local people...
, Horwich ParkwayHorwich Parkway is a railway station serving the town of Horwich and Middlebrook near Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically located within Lancashire, the station is 16¼ miles north west of Manchester Piccadilly on the Manchester to Preston commuter line...
, BlackrodBlackrod railway station serves the village of Blackrod, 6.5 miles north west of Bolton railway station, 1.5 miles from the town centre of Horwich - closer indeed than station....
, AdlingtonAdlington railway station serves the village of Adlington, near Chorley in Lancashire, England. It is a two-platform station on the Chorley-Bolton line...
, ChorleyChorley railway station serves Chorley in Lancashire, England. Since 2004 it has been linked with its "interchange" bus and coach station.The railway station is a modern 1980s built on top of the original station, the level of which can be seen under the existing station's two platforms connected...
, LeylandLeyland railway station serves the town of Leyland in Lancashire, England. It was formerly "Golden Hill", the name of the street and area in which the station is based, but was re-named Leyland soon after opening...
, PrestonPreston railway station serves the city of Preston in Lancashire, England and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line.It is served by Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, and TransPennine Express services, plus First ScotRail overnight sleeper services between London and Scotland.-Station layout...
, Kirkham and WeshamThe Lancashire towns of Kirkham and Wesham, in England, are served by one railway station, Kirkham and Wesham. It is managed by Northern Rail, who operate most of the passenger services that call there .-Description:There are two platforms, and fairly obvious signs of the former size of the station...
, Poulton-le-FlyldePoulton-le-Fylde railway station serves the town of Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is managed by Northern Rail, but also served by First TransPennine Express.-History:...
, LaytonLayton railway station is on the Blackpool North to Preston railway line, in Lancashire, England, serving the Blackpool suburb of Layton. It is managed by Northern Rail and is unstaffed.-History:...
and Blackpool North
- 1tph to Clitheroe
Clitheroe railway station serves the town of Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. The station is the northern terminus of the Ribble Valley Line operated by Northern Rail and is north of Blackburn. The station forms part of the multi-award winning Clitheroe Interchange.- History :The original station...
calling at:
-
- Salford Central, Salford Crescent, Bolton, Hall-i-th-Wood
Hall i' th' Wood railway station is the last stop before Bolton on the Northern Rail franchise's "Ribble Valley Line" line into Blackburn and Clitheroe....
, Bromley CrossBromley Cross railway station, situated in Bromley Cross, a suburb to the north of Bolton, is served by the Northern Rail 'Ribble Valley' line 4 km north of Bolton....
, DarwenDarwen railway station serves Darwen, a medium sized Lancashire town. It is served by Northern Rail services on the Ribble Valley Line from Manchester Victoria/Bolton to Blackburn and into Clitheroe...
, BlackburnBlackburn railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Blackburn in Lancashire, England. It is east of Preston and is managed and served by Northern Rail.-Description:The station is served by two lines...
, Ramsgreave & WilpshireRamsgreave and Wilpshire is a railway station on the Ribble Valley Line that serves the villages/suburbs of Ramsgreave and Wilpshire, just north of Blackburn in Lancashire, England...
, LanghoLangho railway station serves the village of Langho in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. The station is 5¼ miles north of Blackburn....
, WhalleyWhalley railway station serves the village of Whalley in Lancashire, England. The station is 7¼ miles north of Blackburn. The station has two platforms, slightly offset from each other.-Services:...
and Clitheroe
-
- , , Castleton
Castleton railway station serves Castleton in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is 14 km north of Manchester Victoria on the Caldervale Line operated and managed by Northern Rail.-Services:...
and Rochdale
-
- , , , , St. Helens Junction
St Helens Junction railway station is a railway station serving the town of St Helens, Merseyside, England. It is situated in Sutton, south of St.Helens town centre. The station is on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line east of Liverpool Lime Street...
, , , , , , , Wavertree Tech ParkWavertree Technology Park railway station is in the suburbs of Liverpool in the north west of England. The station, and all services calling there, are operated by Northern Rail...
, and Liverpool Lime Street
-
- Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne railway station serves Ashton-under-Lyne, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 10 km east of Manchester Victoria and is operated by Northern Rail.- History :...
and Stalybridge
- 1tph to Huddersfield
Huddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
calling at:
-
- Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge, , , , and Huddersfield
-
- , (1tph), (1tph), (1tph), , , (1tph), (1tph), , , , Bramley
Bramley railway station serves the suburb of Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Caldervale Line west from Leeds.The present station off Stanningley Road opened on 12 September 1983 by Metro . It replaced a station on the same site, opened on 1 August 1854 and closed on 2 July...
and Leeds
-
- Moston
Moston is a district of Manchester, in North West England, approximately 3 miles north east of the city centre. Historically a part of Lancashire, Moston is a predominantly residential area, with a population of about 12,500 and covering approximately .-History:The name Moston may derive...
, , CastletonCastleton is an area of Rochdale and an electoral ward of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It is south-southwest of Rochdale town centre and north-northwest of the city of Manchester....
, Rochdale, Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, Walsden (1800 service only), Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge, BrighouseBrighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the...
, MirfieldMirfield is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury...
, Ravensthorpe-United Kingdom:*Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury in West Yorkshire**Ravensthorpe railway station*Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire*Ravensthorpe, Peterborough in Cambridgeshire-Australia:*Ravensthorpe, Western Australia**Shire of Ravensthorpe**Ravensthorpe Airport...
(Peak Hours only) , DewsburyDewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, BatleyBatley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
, Morley- Places :United Kingdom* Morley, County Durham, England* Morley, Derbyshire, England* Morley, West Yorkshire, England* Morley Saint Botolph, Norfolk, England* Morley Saint Peter, Norfolk, EnglandUnited States* Morley, Iowa* Morley, Michigan...
, CottingleyCottingley may refer to:*Cottingley, Bradford, near Bingley, West Yorkshire, England**The Cottingley Fairies photographs were taken in Cottingley, Bradford*Cottingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England**Cottingley railway station serves Cottingley, Leeds...
(peak hours only) and Leeds
Future
Proposed open access rail company Alliance rail plan to run a two hourly servie between London Euston and Bradford and 6 car trains will be uesd for services calling at Victoria, in addition to this they also plan to run a two hourly cross penine route from Liverpool Lime Street to Hull this will be operated using 4 car trains.
The construction of the
Ordsall ChordThe Ordsall Chord is a short proposed railway line in the Ordsall area of Greater Manchester. When constructed, it will provide a direct rail link between and...
will allow trains to run directly between Piccadilly and Victoria stations reducing journey times on First Transpennine Express services between Manchester Airport, and Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Hull and Scarborough.
Electrification
In July 2009, it was announced that the line between Manchester and Liverpool (via Earlestown) will be electrified at 25 kV ac (overhead line). Class 319 EMUs will be used on services from Victoria and Piccadilly to Liverpool Lime Street. The project is expected to be completed within four years.
Victoria Metrolink station
Manchester Victoria is served by Manchester's
MetrolinkMetrolink 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...
light railLight rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system, at the northern edge of the City Centre zone, forming part of the Bury Line. Metrolink services run through Victoria to
BuryBury Interchange is an interchange in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. The interchange was opened in 1980, incorporating a new bus station and the northern terminus of the Bury to Manchester railway line.-History:...
, Altrincham, St Werburgh's Road and Piccadilly. Trams enter Victoria station from Shudehill Interchange by crossing Corporation Street and Long Millgate and passing through a specially constructed arch in the station wall. From there they curve right and stop at the Metrolink platforms.
The Metrolink station is at the southern end of Victoria station, near the exits, and occupies the site of the former Bury electric train platforms. The Metrolink station was originally built with three platforms, denoted A, B and C; Platform A, close to the point where the trams enter the station, was used for Bury-bound trams, but is now closed to public use due to leaks in the station roof. Platforms B and C, located on a single island platform further along the tracks, are now used, and passengers must cross the tram lines to reach these platforms.
The Metrolink system was opened in 1992, the result of a long-running project to link the two main rail stations in Manchester, Piccadilly and Victoria, with a rail line running across the city. Previous proposals involving an
underground railwayPicc-Vic was a proposed, and later cancelled, underground railway designed in the early 1970s with the purpose of connecting two major mainline railway terminals in central Manchester, England. The name Picc-Vic was a contraction of the two station names, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria...
were abandoned due to costs, but
Greater Manchester CouncilThe Greater Manchester County Council — also known as the Greater Manchester Council — was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater Manchester from 1974 to 1986...
instead secured funding for a light rail solution. The original system was based on the conversion of selected
British RailBritish 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...
lines to light rail operation, linked by on-street tram tracks. The Bury line to Victoria opened as a Metrolink line in 1992, replacing former
heavy railThe British Rail Class 504 was a unique type of electric multiple unit that ran on 1200 V DC third rail with side-contact current collection. All other UK third rail has the electric "shoe" on top of the rail. The type was used only between Manchester and Bury...
services with
Metrolink tramsThe T-68 is a type of tram used only on the Manchester Metrolink system in Greater Manchester, England. The trams have unusually high floors, designed to be accessed from standard UK railway platforms: all tram stops on the city streets have been built to a height of , for compatibility with...
.
Future
As part of the Phase 3 of the Metrolink expansion project, it is planned to extend the tram network to
RochdaleRochdale railway station serves the town of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. The Manchester and Leeds Railway opened a station serving the town in the 19th century...
by converting most of the Oldham Loop Line to light rail operation. The conversion of the line will involve
electrificationElectrification originally referred to the build out of the electrical generating and distribution systems which occurred in the United States, England and other countries from the mid 1880's until around 1940 and is in progress in developing countries. This also included the change over from line...
of the route and replacing diesel
PacerThe British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
and
SprinterThe British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple units were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.- Background :...
train services with the new generation of
Flexity SwiftThe Flexity Swift tram is a family of urban and inter-urban light-rail vehicles manufactured by Bombardier Transportation for a wide number of customers across Europe...
trams. The Rochdale line expected to come into service around 2011/2012. Further expansion of the line will see the addition of a Metrolink branch via the old branch line via
Oldham CentralOldham Central Metrolink Station is a future station proposed in Phase 3b of the Manchester Metrolink and will be located in Oldham Town Centre, to the west of Clegg Street. The station will take its name from the closed Oldham Central railway station, the site of which is now on the other side of...
, the extension of the northern end of the line via a tram line into Rochdale Town Centre and a second city crossing via
Exchange SquareExchange Square Metrolink station is a proposed station on the second city crossing of the Manchester Metrolink, due to open in 2016 providing a new route for trams crossing the city centre. The station will be located on the eastern end of Exchange Square, serving the adjacent Arndale shopping...
to St Peter's Square which would require additional platforms to be built to more easily accommodate terminating services.
External links
- Tram times and station information for Manchester Victoria station from Manchester 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...