Liverpool to Wigan Line

Liverpool to Wigan Line
Overview
System National Rail
Status Operational
Locale Liverpool
Merseyside
Greater Manchester
North West England
Termini Liverpool Lime Street
Wigan North Western
Operation
Owner Network Rail
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Liverpool to Wigan Line

Legend
to Southport
West Coast Main Line
Wigan-Kirkby Line
Wigan N.W.
Wigan Wallgate
to Manchester (via Atherton)
Ince Moss Junction
West Coast Main Line
 Bryn
 Garswood (limit of Merseytravel area)
St Helens Central
NSG Pilkington Glass (freight traffic)
Thatto Heath
Eccleston Park
Prescot
to Manchester (via Chat Moss)
Huyton Junction
Huyton
Roby
Broad Green
Roby Junction
Olive Mount Chord
Kirkdale and Liverpool Docks

Wavertree Technology Park
(freight traffic)
to Runcorn and Birmingham
Edge Hill Junction
Edge Hill
 Edge Hill Tunnel
 Liverpool Lime Street

The Liverpool to Wigan Line is a railway line in the north-west of England, running between Liverpool Lime Street station and Wigan North Western via St Helens Central.

Description

The route from Liverpool, running east follows part of the Northern section of the Liverpool to Manchester line up to Huyton Junction; where it branches north-eastwards, routing via Prescot and St Helens Central, thence to Ince Moss Junction. Here, the line joins the West Coast Main Line near Springs Branch and runs on to Wigan North Western.

The route sees service from three passenger trains per hour (tph) in both directions between Liverpool and Wigan, usually operated by Northern Rail Class 142, Class 150, or Class 156 Diesel Multiple Units and soon to have 4-Car Class 319 electric units introduced[1]. The 3 tph frequency includes two local stopping services and one longer distance express. The longer distance service usually continues to onto Blackpool North and operates a limited stop service of Huyton, St Helens Central and Wigan in the Liverpool to Wigan leg of its journey. For local passenger transport, the route is branded as a significant section of one of Merseytravel's City Line routes.

History

The section of line from St Helens to Wigan was opened on 1 December 1869 by the Lancashire Union Railway,[2][3] and the line from Huyton to St Helens was opened on 1 November 1871 by the London and North Western Railway.

In latter years, the section from St.Helens towards Rainford (originally part of the St. Helens & Runcorn Gap Railway) via Gerards Bridge Junction, terminated at the NSG Pilkington Cowley Hill works as its fuel oil storage depot - such traffic being only for that purpose. However in Spring 2014, the company decided to re-configure redundant areas of the works site as an Industrial Park, offering rail access. There is a similar oil depot spur to the south of St. Helens Central station serving the NSG Pilkington Watson Street site with fuel. However, in recent years, usage of these facilities has become redundant, due to availability of alternative power sources, such as the on-site gas-fired Scottish Power generating station serving their Watson Street and Greengate plants.

The line south from St. Helens Central (formerly St. Helens Shaw Street) to St. Helens Junction on the northern Liverpool to Manchester line has also been discontinued. The trackbed is intact as far as the former Hays Chemical works at Sutton Oak and Network Rail regard the St.Helens Central - to St.Helens Junction line as protected. There has been a number of proposed projects by local authorities and other political bodies in the North-West reinstate the St. Helens Central to St. Helens Junction line. The line would have three purposes: to service local passenger stations along the line, give a more direct route into St.Helens from Manchester and provide a diversionary route in case of disruptions on either the Liverpool-Wigan or Liverpool-Manchester lines. In addition a new station was proposed with a park-and-ride service at Carr Mill, between St. Helens Central and Garswood stations. These elements have been included in or presented to several Route Utilisation Strategies (RUS) for the area.

Services

A Northern Rail Class 142 at St Helens Central, in December 2013.

All services on this route are currently operated by Northern Rail using Class 142 Pacer, Class 150 Sprinter, or Class 156 Super Sprinter DMUs. From the new timetable changeover on 17 May 2015 it is expected electric service will be introduced using 4-Car Class 319 units[4][5].

Monday to Saturday

Daytime hours of operation typically see 3 trains per hour each way between Liverpool and Wigan. The typical service pattern comprises:

The limited-stop service calls only at Liverpool Lime St, Huyton, St Helens Central and Wigan in the Liverpool to Wigan leg of its journey. The service then calls at Euxton Balshaw Lane, Leyland and Preston on the West Coast Main Line, Kirkham and Wesham on the Blackpool branch, terminating at Blackpool North. Some peak time trains additionally call at Poulton-le-Fylde before Blackpool.

Morning and evening peaks see an increase in service frequency, including some services originating or terminating at St Helens Central and some semi-fast services. First service departs Liverpool for Wigan at around 0530. The first train from St Helens leaves for Liverpool just before 0600, and Wigan's first departure for Liverpool is a little later at 0608. Last departures from Wigan and Liverpool vary depending on the day of the week and therefore a consultation of the current timetable is recommended prior to travel.[7]

Sunday

An hourly stopping service operates on the route in both directions between Liverpool and Blackpool North calling at open stations en route.

As of late December 2013, Edge Hill, Eccleston Park and Bryn do not have a regularly scheduled Sunday service.

Technical details

Route

Track Distances

Network Rail's route NW 2023 runs for 20.7 kilometres (12.9 mi) from Springs Branch Junction, Ince-in-Makerfield, to Huyton Junction, Huyton.

NW 2023 M-Ch km
Springs Branch Junction 0-00 0.00
Ince Moss Junction 0-44 0.90
Bryn 2-32 3.85
Garswood 3-56 5.95
St Helens 7-30 11.85
St Helens Station Junction 7-42 12.10
Thatto Heath 9-11 14.70
Eccleston Park 10-07 16.25
Prescot 10-77 17.65
Huyton Junction 12-69 20.70

Signalling

The route is now fully colour-light signalled all the way from Huyton to Wigan, though a manual signal box remains at St Helens Central, that at Huyton having been abolished and demolished in July 2014. The St Helens 'box takes responsibility for the middle section of the line, with the northern end controlled by Warrington PSB since the WCML was resignalled in 1973. All other manual boxes en-route have been abolished, along with the last few semaphore signals (those at Prescot survived until September 2012, along with the box there).[8] As well as the electrification of the line, control will eventually pass to the new North-West Regional Operating Centre in Manchester[9], as various areas are transferred over, Any remaining signal boxes will then be decommissioned. The first of these to do so was the Huyton area in 2014.

Electrification

Partially erected catenary at Eccleston Park, in December 2013.

Work on 25 kV, 50 Hz AC overhead line electrification is now complete as is similar work between Earlestown and Bootle Branch Junction on the Liverpool - Manchester (Chat Moss) route. 4-Car Class 319 electric trains are expected to commence regular passenger operation following the new timetable change on 17 May 2015[10][11].

In 5–13 July 2014 there was a total blockade of the line at Huyton to enable new track together with station, signalling and electrification infrastructure to be put in place. As no rail traffic was able to pass during this closure period a substantial rail bus replacement service was set up to operate together with some other rail service diversions. The aims of the blockade were met and the new, interim three-track layout and remodelled Huyton Junction opened as planned for the first train on Monday 14 July 2014.

Electrification return wires west of Garswood station towards St. Helens Central, May 2014

Electrification was originally scheduled to be accomplished by December 2014,[12] but due to delays the target was missed, however masts and wiring are now in place between Huyton Junction and Ince Moss Junction and the line energised.

In December 2009, the then Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, announced that the line between Huyton and St Helens Line Junctions would also be electrified along with the previously committed Edge Hill to Huyton Junction infill on the Liverpool to Manchester line, as part of a £200 million rail electrification scheme. It has not been clarified if the newly electrified line will be incorporated within Merseyrail, as was the 1973 plan.[13]

The Liverpool to Wigan line was initially scheduled to be on the Merseyrail electric urban network. The Strategic Plan for the North West, the SPNW, in 1973 envisaged that the Outer Loop which was to be an orbital line circling the city of Liverpool, the Edge Hill Spur which is a tunnel connecting the east of Liverpool to the city centre underground sections, and the lines to St. Helens, Wigan and Warrington would be electrified and all integrated into Merseyrail by 1991.[13] This meant that trains from Wigan theoretically could directly access West Kirby on the Wirral via Liverpool city centre's underground stations creating an east-west crossrail using the 1890 Liverpool Central to Liverpool James Street tunnel, which is currently used as a shunting tunnel.

This never transpired, even though tunnelling work had commenced on the Edge Hill Spur section. Wigan was not incorporated into the Merseyrail electric network, with the Wigan line remaining a diesel service and relegated to the Merseytravel diesel-operated City Line, although branded as Merseyrail. However, the current electrification project will give fast electric train access from Wigan to Liverpool's high-level Lime Street railway station. If the mothballed Edge Hill Spur project is completed, trains from Wigan will access the stations in Liverpool city centre's underground section.

This work, in conjunction with the previously-announced Liverpool to Manchester line electrification would electrify the entire Liverpool to Wigan route. Additionally, considering currently-operated services; in conjunction with other infill electrification projects announced, this will allow electric trains to operate from Liverpool to St Helens, Wigan, Preston and Blackpool.[14]

Merseytravel (One of the two PTEs on the route) had previously stated their aspirations for the St Helens infill electrification; considering it a necessary addition to the (then-proposed) Liverpool to Manchester electrification, given the interworking of passenger services between the Chat Moss (Liverpool to Manchester) and St Helens (Liverpool to Wigan) lines imposed by the December 2008 timetable.[15]

Additional track

The track engineering works are visible behind the (now abolished) signal box at Huyton, in December 2013.

Work is in progress to re-instate the four track layout which was originally in place between Huyton and Roby stations until the 1970s. This is part of the Electrification/Northern Hub improvement. It will provide passing tracks to allow for slow and fast traffic plus a remodelling of the Huyton Junction turnout towards Prescot in order to avoid substantial interaction with the Liverpool to Manchester line, which is presently the case. Accompanying platform construction and associated works have been undertaken at both stations. Completion of the scheme was scheduled for 2014, but has had to be split into two stages - Three-Tracking was opened on 14 July 2014, as it is entirely within the existing boundaries of railway land. The fourth track requires requisition of a strip of land 260 yards (240 m) long from the BT Telephone Exchange site[16] together with part of Huyton Bus Station. Given the procedures of acquiring such property and construction, it currently seems unlikely that Four-Tracking will be in place before 2017, though some sources cite 2016, the relevant planning permissions to proceed having been granted in Summer 2014.

The December 2008 timetable change

December 2008 is notable as it brought extensive changes to the Northern Rail timetable, to fit in with new increased-frequency services from Virgin Trains.[17] Timings were altered on all services. Most Liverpool to Wigan daytime local stopping services had previously omitted Edge Hill, but all stopping services on the route now call there.

December 2008 also marked the withdrawal of two relatively infrequent but notable services on this line:[18]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.northernrail.org/
  2. ↑ Awdry, C. (1990), Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, ISBN 1-85260-049-7, p.86
  3. ↑ Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
  4. ↑ http://www.railmagazine.com/news/2015/03/13/electric-services-to-wigan-and-manchester-victoria-start-in-may
  5. ↑ http://www.northernrail.org/
  6. ↑ "City Line Timetable - Book 4 : Liverpool - St Helens Central, Wigan North Western and Blackpool North". Merseytravel. 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  7. ↑ "City Line Timetable - Booklet 4" (PDF). Merseytravel. 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  8. ↑ Northwest Sparks - Huyton to Wigan www.nw-sparks.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-08-28
  9. ↑ http://www.networkrail.co.uk/news/2014/jul/Manchester-rail-operating-centre-opens/
  10. ↑ http://www.railmagazine.com/news/2015/03/13/electric-services-to-wigan-and-manchester-victoria-start-in-may
  11. ↑ http://www.northernrail.org/
  12. ↑ Network Rail
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Couch, Chris (2003). City of change and challenge: urban planning and regeneration in Liverpool. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 978-1-84014-857-2
  14. ↑ "Railway lines being electrified in £200m scheme". BBC News. BBC. 2009-12-14. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  15. ↑ "Electrification RUS Consultation Response" (PDF). Merseytravel. Network Rail. 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  16. ↑ http://www.networkrail.co.uk/improvements/northern-hub/projects/huyton-roby/
  17. ↑ "National Rail timetable CHANGES - December 2008 to May 2009". National Rail. 2008-12-14. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  18. ↑ "Northern Rail Timetable 10, December 2007 - Liverpool to Wigan and beyond" (PDF). Northern Rail. 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

External links