Salford Central railway station

Salford Central National Rail

The glass frontage of the station
Location
Place Salford
Local authority City of Salford
Coordinates 53°28′58″N 2°15′21″W / 53.48278°N 2.25583°W / 53.48278; -2.25583Coordinates: 53°28′58″N 2°15′21″W / 53.48278°N 2.25583°W / 53.48278; -2.25583
Grid reference SJ831984
Operations
Station code SFD
Managed by Northern
Number of platforms 2
DfT category E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2011/12 Increase 0.265 million
2012/13 Increase 0.321 million
2013/14 Decrease 0.316 million
2014/15 Increase 0.380 million
2015/16 Increase 0.412 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE Transport for Greater Manchester
History
Original company Manchester, Bolton and Bury Railway
Pre-grouping Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway
29 May 1838 Opened as Salford
April 1858 Renamed Salford (New Bailey Street)
August 1865 Renamed Salford
3 October 1988 Renamed Salford Central
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Salford Central from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Salford Central railway station in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, is just across the River Irwell from Manchester city centre, close to Spinningfields and Deansgate. It is served by trains to and from Manchester Victoria, towards Rochdale and Wigan Wallgate. The station was removed from the Manchester station group in 1989.

History

The station as it appeared in 1989

The railway station opened on 29 May 1838 as a terminus on the Manchester and Bolton Railway and was originally named Salford railway station.[1] In 1843, a connection to Manchester Victoria was built, carried on iron columns. The roof suffered from corrosion caused by the sulphurous emissions of locomotives passing through the station and one was replaced after only four years.[2] Between April 1858 and August 1865, to avoid confusion with Salford (Oldfield Rd),[3] the station was named Salford (New Bailey Street), after which it reverted to its original name of Salford.[1]

To avoid confusion with the newly built Salford Crescent station, in 1988 it was renamed Salford Central.[1] For many years the station was served at peak times only.[4]

Eastbound ECS entering the station in 1959
Down local train passing through the station in 1959
Westbound empty stock train passing Salford Station in 1963

With only platforms 1 and 2 currently in use (platforms 3 and 4 have been disused since the early 1990s), the station is now managed by Northern and has undergone a major transformation involving construction of a new ticket office as well as making the station building fully accessible by the use of ramps from the entrances to the ticket office and lifts and ramps from the ticket office to the platforms.[5]

Location

Manchester city centre is accessible either on foot or by a short ride on public transport. Salford is also served by Salford Crescent railway station, close to the University of Salford and Salford Precinct. The £700m Middlewood Locks development will be served by Salford Central.[6]

Facilities

The ticket office is manned from 06:25 to 19:35, six days per week (closed Sundays). The ticket hall is connected to the platforms via inclined ramps that are suitable for mobility-impaired users. There are shelters and snack/drink vending machines at platform level, along with timetable posters, digital display screens and automated announcements to provide train running information.[7]

Services

The station has a frequent service on weekdays and Saturdays (typically 6 tph each way), with all trains to and from Victoria calling here. Destinations served include Southport and Kirkby (via Atherton) and Blackpool North, Wigan Wallgate and Clitheroe (via Bolton) westbound and Blackburn (via Todmorden), Stalybridge and Huddersfield eastbound (some services also terminate at Victoria).[8]

The station is closed on Sundays.

Future development

A Network Rail report suggests building platforms on the line to Liverpool (via Newton-le-Willows), the lines of which run through the station but are not provided with platforms.[9] This scheme has since been adopted by Transport for Greater Manchester and included in their Capital Works Programme for 2015–16 to 2020–21.[10] This will see three additional platforms built, at a cost of £20.5 million and will allow Liverpool, Chester & Manchester Airport-bound trains (using the Ordsall Chord) to call here.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Butt 1995, p. 204
  2. ↑ Crookes 1874, p. 213
  3. ↑ Railway Magazine September 1957 p. 615
  4. ↑ British Railways Timetable 95, 1973
  5. ↑ Station's £5 million transformation unveiled, GMPTE, 2008-02-22, retrieved 2008-11-18
  6. ↑ "Middlewood Locks".
  7. ↑ Salford Central station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 22 December 2016
  8. ↑ Table 39 & 82 National Rail timetable, December 2016
  9. ↑ Route Utilisation Strategies (PDF), retrieved 2008-09-17
  10. ↑ Transport for Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Transport Plan 3 – Capital Programme 2015–16 to 2020–21 (PDF), retrieved 2016-06-10
  11. ↑ "Salford Central Expansion". Seed Architects.

Bibliography

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Salford Crescent   Northern
Manchester-Preston Line		   Manchester Victoria
Salford Crescent   Northern
Ribble Valley Line		   Manchester Victoria
Salford Crescent   Northern
Manchester-Southport Line		   Manchester Victoria
Salford Crescent   Northern
Manchester-Kirkby
Mondays-Saturdays only		   Manchester Victoria
  Future services  
Deansgate   Northern
Ordsall Chord		   Manchester Victoria
Historical railways
Oldfield Road
Line open, station closed		   Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Manchester and Bolton Railway		   Manchester Victoria
Line and station open
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