Heswall railway station

This article is about the present-day station serving Heswall. For the former station on the Hooton–West Kirby line, see Heswall railway station (Birkenhead Railway).
Heswall National Rail
Location
Place Heswall
Local authority Wirral
Coordinates 53°19′48″N 3°04′26″W / 53.330°N 3.074°WCoordinates: 53°19′48″N 3°04′26″W / 53.330°N 3.074°W
Grid reference SJ286819
Operations
Station code HSW
Managed by Arriva Trains Wales
Number of platforms 2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05  27,223
2005/06 Decrease 26,143
2006/07 Decrease 23,409
2007/08 Increase 24,670
2008/09 Increase 44,764
2009/10 Increase 45,180
2010/11 Increase 48,660
2011/12 Increase 54,630
2012/13 Decrease 51,820
2013/14 Increase 58,408
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE Merseytravel
Zone B2
History
Original company North Wales and Liverpool Joint Railway
Pre-grouping Great Central Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway
1 May 1898 opened as Heswall Hills
7 May 1973 renamed Heswall
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Heswall from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Heswall railway station is a railway station located on the eastern edge of the town of Heswall on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is situated on the Borderlands Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Arriva Trains Wales. In 2008, the station was refurbished. The station was previously known as Heswall Hills, as there was previously another station serving Heswall, on the Birkenhead Railway's branch line from West Kirby to Hooton, that is now a footpath known as the Wirral Way.

Arriva Trains Wales operate their 'Adopt-a-Station' policy here, where their station is reported upon and light tasks are undertaken by volunteers. This station does not currently have any adoption vacancies.[1]

History

The railway line between Bidston and Hawarden Bridge was authorised on 31 July 1885, and was originally to be a line jointly owned by the Wirral Railway (WR) and the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway (WMCQ), but in 1889 the WR share was transferred to the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR).[2] Construction began in 1892; the line went through several changes of name, and by the time of its opening (goods 16 March 1896, passengers 18 May), was known as the North Wales and Liverpool Joint Railway.[3]

A station known as Heswall Hills was opened two years later, on 1 May 1898.[4][5] The MS&LR in due course became the Great Central Railway (GCR), which absorbed the WMCQ on 1 January 1905, so that by the time of the 1923 Grouping the line was wholly owned by the GCR, and so became part of the London and North Eastern Railway on 1 January 1923.[6]

The station had an extensive goods yard with sidings, where daily shunting operations were carried out until the advent of diesel railcar operations in 1960, at which time light freight operations ceased. The goods yard and sidings were sold off for housing development in about 1967. The line continued to be used for heavy freight however, principally the very long and heavy iron ore trains hauled by 2-8-0 8F freight locomotives, and later double headed diesel electric locomotives, which carried iron ore from Wallasey docks to the steelworks of John Summers at Shotton until its closure in the 1980s. The steam locomotives could be heard at night for at least five miles climbing the bank from Upton station to Heswall.

Heswall Hills station was renamed Heswall on 7 May 1973.[4]

Future

Proposals have been put forward by Merseyrail to electrify the track as part of the 'Borderlands Electrification' scheme. This would allow the station to serve as a part of a direct service to Liverpool.

Facilities

The station facilities are somewhat rudimentary. The station is unstaffed, at nearly all times.[7] Each of the two platforms has a waiting shelter with seating. There is a payphone, and live departure and arrival screens for passenger information, but no booking office. There is a small station car park, with space for 16 cars. Wheelchair and pram access to the platforms is possible, via the access ramps.

Services

From Monday to Saturday, there is an hourly service between Bidston and Wrexham Central (two-hourly in the evening). There is an irregular service on Sundays. Services are provided by an Arriva Trains Wales Class 150/2 "Sprinter" DMU.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ Arriva Trains Wales | Stations Available
  2. ↑ Dow, George (1962). Great Central, Volume Two: Dominion of Watkin, 1864-1899. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 214, 216. ISBN 0-7110-1469-8.
  3. ↑ Dow 1962, pp. 222,226,228–9,292
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 119. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  5. ↑ Dow 1962, p. 295
  6. ↑ Dow, George (1965). Great Central, Volume Three: Fay Sets the Pace, 1900-1922. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 73,347,350. ISBN 0-7110-0263-0.
  7. ↑ Station Facilities for Heswall Accessed 2013-12-18

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heswall railway station.
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Neston   Arriva Trains Wales
Borderlands Line		   Upton