Bowdon railway station served the district of Bowdon , Cheshire (now Greater Manchester ), between 1849 and 1881.
59-569: The Mid-Cheshire line is a railway line in the north-west of England that runs from Chester to Edgeley Junction, Stockport ; it connects Chester with Manchester Piccadilly , via Knutsford . After Chester Northgate closed in 1969, the section between Mickle Trafford Junction and Chester was used for freight trains only until it closed in 1992; from Mickle Trafford, passenger trains use the Chester–Warrington line to Chester General instead. The route taken by passenger trains has changed over
118-520: A 15- bay central section and 5-bay lateral projecting pavilions , each of which have two towers. A large clock , manufactured by J. B. Joyce & Co on the front of the station was originally located centrally, but was moved to the western half of the facade following the construction of the Queen Hotel, which obscured it. The central section's middle seven bays contain carvings by sculptor John Thomas . Several carved wooden owls occupy locations in
177-540: A cutback in the number of peak services to and from Manchester, which started in December 2008 and prompted an online petition. It also included the loss of a daily direct service to Blackpool from Northwich and the loss of a limited stop afternoon train from Chester to Manchester, as well as improvements made to the Sunday service, which was previously a 3 hourly Chester to Altrincham service. Due to growing numbers of passengers,
236-489: A large section of the MSJ&;A route between Manchester and Altrincham being quadrupled, and the whole route (from Manchester to the former Bowdon railway station , which was used as carriage sidings and repair depot) was electrified at 1500 volts DC in 1931. Local services between Manchester London Road and Altrincham were then provided by electric multiple unit trains. From 1960, Manchester Oxford Road railway station became
295-517: A second staircase to access the island platform, structural repairs to platforms, restoration of the overbridge and work to enhance the station's frontage. The station is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building . It is one of 22 Grade I or II* listed railway stations in England. A plaque commemorating Thomas Brassey was installed on the wall opposite
354-467: Is an additional through platform, the only one with third-rail electrification; it is split into 'a' (eastern) and 'b' (western) sections and thus capable of accommodating two trains at once. The station has a booking office and is staffed from 15 minutes before the first train until 15 minutes after the last train. There is a payphone, vending machine, booking office and live departure and arrival screens, for passenger information. The station has lifts and
413-503: Is fully accessible for disabled users. There is a car park with 83 spaces and cycle racks for 68 cycles. Bowdon railway station The station was built by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJ&AR), and opened on 22 September 1849, the same day that a short southerly extension to the MSJ&AR line to reach Bowdon was completed from the original Altrincham station of 20 July 1849. Bowdon station
472-525: Is located in Newtown , Chester , England. Services are operated by Avanti West Coast , Merseyrail , Northern and Transport for Wales . From 1875 to 1969, the station was known as Chester General to distinguish it from Chester Northgate . The station's Italianate frontage was designed by the architect Francis Thompson . Work on a £10 million regeneration scheme, the Chester Renaissance programme
531-709: The Chester and Birkenhead Railways . The C&HR and GJR merged with other companies to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). In 1850 the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway built a line from Chester to near Warrington, later absorbing the C&;BR. The S&CR was later merged with others into the Great Western Railway (GWR). The LNWR and the GWR later acquired
590-544: The Crewe line from Manchester Piccadilly as far as Stockport , where the line diverges westwards. The line then curves around the south of Manchester until it meets the Metrolink line. Metrolink and Mainline services run parallel between Deansgate Junction through Navigation Road railway station to Altrincham , where the Metrolink terminates. Part of the route is single track between Stockport and Altrincham. South of Altrincham,
649-620: The Great Northern Railway (GNR), MSLR and the Midland Railway (MR). This committee became an independent company after 1867 and survived the 1923 Grouping intact. Services were operated by the CLC until nationalisation on 1 January 1948, when the line became part of British Railways London Midland Region . Between 1880 and 1969, CLC trains from Chester via Altrincham terminated at Manchester Central railway station . The junction with
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#1732854904806708-543: The Halton Curve 's redevelopment to permit services between Liverpool and North Wales via Liverpool South Parkway and Chester. The 30-year plan for the curve included connections to South Wales. The services started running in May 2019 and now provide Chester with a direct link to Liverpool Airport and an alternative route to central Liverpool. Platform 1 Platform 3 Platform 4 Platforms 5/6 Platform 7 Under
767-651: The Office of Rail and Road , passenger numbers doubled over the previous ten years, making Chester the eighth-busiest station in the North-West region . The rise was attributed to new services, such as direct trains to London and increased frequencies on the Merseyrail network. Starting in 2005, the station was restored in the Chester Renaissance Project. Improvements made by Network Rail included groundworks around
826-567: The booking office. Brassey was born at Buerton 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Chester. In 1993, an extension to the Wirral Line received third rail electrification on existing track and Chester became its terminus. Its trains use Platform 7 the only one with access to the third rail. The line provides frequent rapid access to the Wirral, Birkenhead and all four underground stations in central Liverpool. The historic Chester and Birkenhead Railway ,
885-512: The 1990s, though little progress was made. However, in March 2009 it was mentioned in a Network Rail document as a possible project in the future, although reopening the Northwich to Sandbach line to regular passenger services was not mentioned in that document. The link to Manchester Airport railway station would be a 3.5 mile new railway, starting north of Mobberley railway station and continuing under
944-517: The Altrincham route and they lacked the acceleration of the older trains, causing the journey time from Manchester to Altrincham to be extended by 3 minutes. 1990 saw further changes as Mid-Cheshire line trains were diverted via Stockport in preparation for conversion of the Sale route to Metrolink. The electrification system between Manchester and Altrincham was changed for the second time, to 750 V DC, and
1003-521: The BL&;CJR jointly. Chester Station was served by GWR express passenger trains (and subsequently by the Western Region of British Railways ) from Birkenhead Woodside via Chester, Wrexham, Ruabon , Gobowen , Shrewsbury , Wellington (Shropshire) , Wolverhampton , Birmingham Snow Hill , Leamington Spa and Banbury to London Paddington until 4 March 1967. The final service, a special The Zulu ,
1062-649: The Electrification Task Force said that the Mid-Cheshire line was a tier 1 priority for being electrified in the CP6 period (2019-2024). New station at Cheadle Stockport Council has proposed a new single-platform station at Cheadle , to be supported by the Towns Fund. The CLC owned its own coaching stock but no locomotives (apart from four Sentinel steam railmotors ). From the start of operations, motive power
1121-537: The ICI plant and refuse incinerator at Folly Lane near Runcorn to destinations in and around Manchester (including one on the route itself at Northenden) using the Greenbank to Hartford spur line to enter or leave the route. Some limestone traffic from Buxton to the former ICI terminal near Lostock Gralam (serving Tata's other chemical plant in the area) continues to run. Chester railway station Chester railway station
1180-504: The Northern franchise, Arriva Rail North (branded 'Northern') must fulfil the following requirements: The Chester to Leeds route via Manchester Victoria was finally introduced on 20 May 2019, eighteen months later than initially planned. The station has seven platforms. Platform 1 is a bay platform located at the east end (a second one alongside it is no longer utilised for passenger traffic but can be used for stock stabling). Platform 2 at
1239-589: The Sandbach branch became a triangular junction in 1957, with the addition of the single-line connection from Sandbach towards Chester. Before the Beeching closures in the 1960s, there were branch lines with services from the Mid-Cheshire line (see also the Winsford and Over branch ). Beeching had no plans to close part or all of the Mid-Cheshire line, although in his proposed second phase of closures there were plans to close
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#17328549048061298-624: The airport campus in tunnel, before making an end-on junction with the southernmost platforms of the existing airport station, which was designed with this extension in mind. As well as providing links from mid-Cheshire and Chester to Manchester Airport, the new line would enable services from North Wales, Liverpool and the Wirral to reach the airport by shorter routes than today. The route from Chester and North Wales, in particular, would cut off more than 20 miles from today's route via Warrington and Manchester. Manchester Piccadilly via Styal Line Additionally, by running services from Cheshire through
1357-585: The airport, these could hypothetically continue through to Manchester Piccadilly via the Styal Line . Such a route would cut more than 5 miles off the current Stockport route and would restore journey times between Cheshire and Manchester to the times achieved before 1990, when the Sale route was transferred to Manchester Metrolink. However, the Styal Line route between the Airport and Manchester Piccadilly has become one of
1416-536: The east end frontage and repairs to the façade's east and west wings, renewal of the roof's glazing , enhancements to the train shed and other general improvements. Improved local traffic management and access to the station was achieved by alterations to Station Square which were completed in December 2007. Architectural lighting was installed in strategic areas and a new concourse was opened by Arriva Trains Wales in October 2008. Between 2009 and 2010, improvements included
1475-641: The electric trains replaced by trams. The journey time by tram to Altrincham was 27 minutes and the faster diesel service (the Mid-Cheshire line trains) ceased as these trains were diverted via Stockport with considerably extended journey times. The journey time by train from Manchester to Hale, for example, doubled from 17 to 34 minutes. Manchester Metrolink trams now exclusively use the trackbed between Deansgate Junction (between Navigation Road and Timperley) and Manchester. The line serves many small, rural settlements in Cheshire before reaching Chester. Services follow
1534-412: The fewest passengers to the service. Passenger services in the off-peak period are better utilised than passenger services on similar lines, with Altrincham being in the top 10 busiest Greater Manchester stations (excluding Central Manchester stations) for the morning off-peak period; Hale and Altrincham also both perform well in the morning peak period. The following are proposals for future services to
1593-486: The first railway to serve Chester, became a part of Merseyrail's Wirral Line. In April 2017, Network Rail and contractors completed the redoubling of the Wrexham to Chester line enabling increased line speeds up to 90 mph on certain sections. When the work was completed, there were no plans to increase speeds or introduce new services until late 2017 at the earliest. In 2014, George Osborne announced funding to finance
1652-572: The first station at Chester was opened by the Chester and Birkenhead Railway (CBR). One week later, on 1 October 1840, the Grand Junction Railway (GJR) opened a separate station. Neither station was open for long, due to the inconvenience of transferring goods and passengers between them. They were replaced by the new joint station at the junction between the CBR, GJR and Robert Stephenson 's new Chester and Holyhead Railway (CHR) which started at
1711-521: The former station at Middlewich to re-open, and the possibility of a new station opening at Rudheath . An independent feasibility report found the Benefit to Cost Ratio for the reopening to be 5:1, which is almost four times higher than the recently reopened Borders railway in Scotland. Manchester Airport western link Proposals for a link to Manchester Airport from near Mobberley were first put forward in
1770-797: The future operator has gained agreement for the additional service to call at Hale although this was not specified in the invitation to tender. Services on Sunday from Chester to Manchester were planned to become every hour in each direction. The franchise agreement also required the removal and replacement of all Pacer trains by 2019. However it was not until 2020 that all class 142 were retired. Monday to Friday Manchester to Chester: 18 trains per day Stockport to Chester: 2 trains per day Chester to Manchester: 18 trains per day Chester to Stockport: 2 trains per day Saturday Manchester to Chester: 18 trains per day Chester to Manchester: 18 trains per day Sunday Chester to Manchester: 7 trains Manchester to Chester: 7 trains The above shows
1829-507: The increasing number of passengers and freight in the 1860s and 1870s, the station was extended again. Two island platforms, two bay platforms, and additional facilities connected via a footbridge to the existing station were completed by 1890. From its opening on 1 August 1848, Chester was a joint station used by the Chester and Holyhead, Grand Junction, the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway and
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1888-547: The joint station. The station was designed by the architect Francis Thompson , and constructed by Thomas Brassey . The engineer C. H. Wild designed the train shed . Elements of the overall design were produced by other engineers, including Stephenson. On 1 August 1847, construction of the station began, the foundation stone was laid by Brassey. It was built by a workforce of around 2,000 people, including bricklayers, stonemasons, carpenters, roofers, plumbers and other skilled and unskilled workers. On 1 August 1848, Chester Station
1947-441: The line between Chester and Warrington Bank Quay , which would have increased the number of passengers using the Mid-Cheshire line. Although those proposed closures never went ahead, the original termini at Chester and Manchester were closed in 1969 and services were re-routed to Chester General , via a new junction at Mickle Trafford, and Manchester Oxford Road . The route was double track between Chester and Altrincham, although
2006-413: The line if engineering work is taking place on the Chester to Manchester via Warrington line. Goods trains continue to use the line. The primary source of traffic for many years was limestone from quarries near Buxton , Derbyshire, to Brunner Mond 's works at Winnington. This decreased sharply in 2014 when the works was closed by Tata Chemicals Europe. Since then, the majority of freight runs to and from
2065-518: The line. Additional services between Chester and Stockport As part of Northern Trains' proposed December 2022 timetable (which focused on additional services within the Manchester area), an additional 4 trains per day between Chester and Stockport (2 in each direction) were proposed during peak hours on Mondays to Saturdays. These services were aimed at those who are commuting to and/or working in Manchester and Stockport. This change would have increase
2124-601: The most congested routes on the national rail network, with commuter stations on the line now operating on a skip-stop basis since the May 2018 timetable and no spare capacity left. Running tram-trains directly to Manchester The possibility of running tram-trains between Greenbank or Knutsford and central Manchester has been examined. However, it was decided in 2013 that the use of tram-trains alongside existing heavy rail passenger and freight services would provide poor value for money and alternative heavy rail options should be examined instead. Electrification In March 2015,
2183-617: The nationalisation era and were eventually displaced by LMS and BR standard tank engines. Dieselisation of passenger services began in the early 1960s with class 108 and later class 101 diesel multiple units displacing the steam locomotives. The route was a very busy freight artery – especially the section between Greenbank and Deansgate Junction. The I.C.I. works at Winnington and Lostock attracted much traffic, in particular heavy trains consisting of custom-built bogie hoppers, which carried limestone from Derbyshire. These trains required banking between Northwich and Winnington works and were
2242-450: The new Northern franchise planned to include increased services. Passenger numbers for the Mid-Cheshire line show that the station on the line with the highest number of people boarding and alighting Manchester to Chester via Altrincham services is Manchester Piccadilly . The second highest, and the highest station served only by this line, is Knutsford , followed by Stockport , Chester , and Altrincham respectively. Ashley contributes
2301-544: The number of trains departing Chester on the line to 20 per day, with the number departing Stockport also increased to 20 per day. The 2 hourly Sunday service would have remained the same, at 7 trains per day. Reopening the Northwich to Sandbach line to passenger trains This would allow a direct train service from stations along the line to access Crewe, without the need to change at Chester, which will should reduce journey times to destinations south of Chester, as well as reducing fares to those destinations. It would also allow
2360-520: The passenger trains used on this line are Class 150s and Class 156s . In the past Class 142 , Class 158 and Class 175s were used on some journeys on this line. Class 175s have not been used on services on this line since Northern Rail took over and the small fleet of Manchester-based Class 158s, which were used on the line until 2005, were transferred to Leeds to work services in the Yorkshire and North East areas. Class 175s occasionally travel along
2419-411: The preserve of LMS class 8F 2-8-0 locomotives, later BR class 40 , class 47 and class 20 diesels. Other locomotives to be seen included LMS class 4F , GCR class 8K (LNER class O4) and class 9D (LNER class J10) steam locomotives. Shunting and trip working was carried out by GCR class 9F (LNER class N5) steam and BR class 08 diesel locomotives. The line sees a mix of diesel traction. Many of
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2478-546: The roof beams above platform 4 to deter feral pigeons from roosting. As first built, the station had a single through platform, a pair of bay platforms, and the main building. Early on, it became highly trafficked, partially due to its position as a junction between multiple lines and railway companies. In its first few decades of opening, it was expanded via the construction of sidings, warehouses , signalboxes and two motive power depots to service steam locomotives that belonged to different railway companies. To accommodate
2537-411: The route leaves Manchester's suburbs. There are no further passenger interchanges on the line until the service reaches Chester. There is a single-track freight -only branch to the west of Northwich which links Northwich to Sandbach on the Crewe to Manchester Line . There is a campaign for this line to be re-opened as a passenger line to allow interchange with services at Sandbach or Crewe and serve
2596-578: The section between Mickle Trafford and Mouldsworth was reduced to single track after Chester Northgate station closed in 1969. For many years the line had the reputation of being one of the busiest double-track routes in the UK. CLC trains from Manchester to Chester departed from Manchester Central and joined the MSJ&A tracks at Old Trafford, sharing the MSJ&A line as far as Altrincham. These trains usually ran "express", some non-stop, others calling only at Sale . The frequency of trains over this section led to
2655-632: The station daily and more than one hundred staff were employed. Large quantities of freight were also moved, including the Royal Mail 's letters and parcels business. Special excursion trains were laid on for Chester Races . During the First World War , troop trains used the station when moving military personnel from training camps in North Wales to the Western Front . During the interwar period ,
2714-519: The station was busy, only slightly affected by the rise of road transportation. Trams, and later buses linked the station to the city and its suburbs. During the Second World War , the station saw a high volume of traffic, including trains hauling ammunition . It survived the conflict unscathed, sustaining no direct hits but to mitigate against aerial attacks, a concrete bunker was built to house signalling equipment. In January 2016, according to
2773-412: The system was changed to 25 kV AC . Through running to Manchester Piccadilly was reintroduced and some services from Altrincham to Manchester were extended through Manchester to Alderley Edge/Crewe/Stoke-on-Trent and occasionally Wolverhampton. Services were provided by 'AM4' (later British Rail Class 304 ) electric multiple units. Unlike the 1931-built trains, these had not been designed specifically for
2832-439: The terminus for the Altrincham electrics and through running from London Road (renamed Piccadilly in that year) ceased. The journey time by the electric trains from Oxford Road to Altrincham was typically 20 or 21 minutes. The CLC trains typically took 13 minutes to travel between Manchester Central (Oxford Road from 1969) and Altrincham with one stop at Sale. The original electric trains , built in 1931, were withdrawn in 1971 and
2891-511: The town of Middlewich , the railway station of which closed in 1960. There is also a curve to access the West Coast Main Line further west, but passenger services do not use this. The line joins up with the line from Chester to Warrington just east of Chester at Mickle Trafford Junction. As part of the (then) new Northern franchise, which commenced in April 2016, the new operator Arriva
2950-467: The western end is another bay platform. Platform 3 is a through bi-directional platform and is closest to the concourse; it is split into sections 3a and 3b although on occasions a train will use the middle of the platform. Over the bridge – or by way of lifts – is the island platform. Opposite Platform 3 is Platform 4, another through bi-directional platform, with sections designated as 4a and 4b. There are two east facing bays (Platforms 5 and 6). Platform 7
3009-417: The years and now differs considerably from the original. Between 2001 and 2014, passenger journeys on the line increased to over 1.7 million per year. A near doubling of the passenger service was expected to occur from December 2018, however this did not materialise. The Mid-Cheshire line has its origins in railways promoted by three separate railway companies in the 19th century. The Cheshire Midland Railway
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#17328549048063068-747: Was completed in 2007; the development includes a new roof, improved customer facilities and improved access to the station. A plaque commemorating Thomas Brassey is installed on the wall opposite the booking office. The station marks one end of the Baker Way ; this is a footpath leading to Delamere railway station . Scheduled services from Chester station are operated by Avanti West Coast to London Euston and Holyhead ; Merseyrail to Liverpool Central ; Northern to Manchester Piccadilly and Leeds ; and Transport for Wales to Liverpool Lime Street , Manchester Airport , Crewe , Birmingham New Street , Cardiff Central , Llandudno and Holyhead. On 23 September 1840,
3127-541: Was hauled by 7029 Clun Castle . During 1875, Chester Northgate railway station was opened by the Cheshire Lines Committee . To prevent confusion between the stations, the older station was renamed "Chester General". In 1969, as a result of the Beeching cuts , Chester Northgate was closed and Chester General reverted to Chester. Peak activity was during the Edwardian era when more than 200 trains called at
3186-405: Was located on Lloyd Street/Railway Street in Altrincham, near to the boundary with Bowdon. A service of steam-hauled trains ran via Sale station to Manchester Oxford Road . The station served the locality until 3 April 1881, when both it and the first Altrincham station were closed, replaced by the new large facility named Altrincham and Bowdon, situated between the two former stations. From 1931
3245-453: Was officially opened, exactly a year after construction began. The opening was met with great acclaim amongst the city's populace due to the wide range of destinations that could be reached for the first time. The station building is built of Staffordshire blue brick and pale grey Storeton sandstone with slate roofs in the Italianate style. It has a 305-metre two-storey façade with
3304-410: Was opened to passengers between Altrincham and Knutsford on 12 May 1862 ( 1862-05-12 ) , then completed to Northwich on 1 January 1863 ( 1863-01-01 ) . The West Cheshire Railway opened from Northwich to West Cheshire Junction in 1869. This railway was extended from Mouldsworth to a new terminus at Chester Northgate in 1874. The line from Altrincham to Manchester
3363-819: Was provided by the MSLR and later the GCR, although locomotives and stock from the other CLC constituent companies could also be seen. This gave the Mid-Cheshire line a very "cosmopolitan" feel until well into the 1960s when older locomotives were replaced by British Railways (BR) standard designs. Early passenger services were handled by MSLR/GCR class 12A (LNER class E3) 2-4-0 locomotives designed by Charles Sacre . These were replaced by John Robinson -built GCR class 11B (LNER class D9) 4-4-0, GCR class 11E (LNER class D10) 4-4-0 'Small Directors', GCR class 11F (LNER class D11) 4-4-0 'Large Directors' and GCR class 9K (LNER class C13) 4-4-2 tank locomotives. The 'Directors' and C13s lasted well into
3422-434: Was required to run the existing service, as well as an additional service every hour on weekdays and Saturdays between Greenbank and Manchester. One service was required by the terms of the invitation to tender to run semi-fast and must call at Stockport, Altrincham, Knutsford and Northwich only, between Greenbank and Manchester in both directions. The announcement of Arriva as the franchise winner in December 2015 indicated that
3481-466: Was the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR), opened on 20 July 1849 ( 1849-07-20 ) and jointly owned by the London and North Western Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR, later the Great Central Railway ). The line from Chester to Altrincham was vested in the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC), a joint committee regulated by
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