Transport in Warrington

There are various modes of transport available in Warrington.

Rail

The town has two main railway stations, Bank Quay on the London to Glasgow and Chester – Warrington – Newton-le-Willows – Manchester lines, and Central on the Liverpool – Widnes – Manchester line and the Transpennine route. Bank Quay is much altered, but Central (built 1873) is of some architectural merit, featuring polychromatic brickwork. However, both main railway stations have suffered from years of under investment. A new entrance and concourse has been built at Bank Quay, and similar work started in July 2010 at Central station. There are also stations in the suburbs at Padgate, Sankey and Birchwood.

Routes through Bank Quay

Warrington Bank Quay (WBQ), to the south-west of Warrington's Town Centre, is between Crewe and Preston on the West Coast Main Line from London Euston and Birmingham New Street to Glasgow and Edinburgh, with services operated by Virgin Trains. There are also regional trains to Chester and North Wales and to Liverpool and Ellesmere Port. Arpley and Walton Sidings nearby are a major rail freight interchange, and connect the main line to the freight line to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station, crossing the main line under Bank Quay station, where there were once low level platforms.

Routes through Central

Central station has local services to Liverpool and Manchester and express services from Liverpool to Manchester then to Yorkshire or East Anglia.

The trains departing Central serve the urban-rural fringe of Warrington and Manchester, serving Birchwood, Padgate, Irlam etc. before heading into Manchester. To the west, trains serve Sankey-for-Penketh before heading into Merseyside and Liverpool. Beyond Manchester, the hourly TransPennine Express Trains serve Yorkshire before terminating at Scarborough, while the hourly East Midlands Trains serve Manchester and then head to Nottingham and East Anglia.

The station has an average daytime frequency of four trains per hour (two local trains operated by Northern Rail, one fast train to Norwich (East Midland Trains) and one fast train to Scarborough operated by TransPennine Express).

In the case of First TPX, the trains operate Warrington, Birchwood then to Oxford Road.

In the case of Northern Rail, trains operate a local stopping service to Manchester Oxford Road.

History

The first railway to reach Warrington was the Warrington and Newton Railway in 1831, which connected to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Later, the Grand Junction Railway provided a connection to Birmingham and thence to London.

By 1900 the local rail network was complete, with the London and North Western Railway having 3 routes

North to South (Carlisle-Preston-Warrington Bank Quay-Crewe-London)
East to West (Manchester-Warrington Bank Quay (low level)-Ditton Junction-Liverpool
Warrington Bank Quay to Chester and North Wales

and the Cheshire Lines Committee having one route from Liverpool Central via Warrington Central to Manchester Central. There was also a line avoiding Warrington Central (closed in 1968).

The Warrington Bank Quay low level route was closed to regular passenger traffic in 1962. Freight services continue on the Ditton Junction-Warrington section but the line east towards Manchester has been closed and converted into the Trans-Pennine Trail.

Former stations in the Warrington area include

closed 1949 – Sankey Bridges
1950 – Fidler's Ferry and Penketh
1954 – Warrington Arpley
1962 – Heatley and Warburton, Lymm, Latchford, Thelwall

Buses

The town and its districts are fairly well served by bus services. Warrington Borough Transport are the main provider of services, operating 78% of day time bus routes. Arriva, First, Bennetts of Warrington and Warrington Coachways, Halton Transport. National Express also operate their long-distance services through Warrington. All services that serve Warrington depart from and arrive at the new bus station (known as Warrington Interchange). However services can be caught from various points around the town centre, principally Rylands Street (for South and Eastbound routes), Academy Way (Inbound and Eastbound routes), Warrington Central for Northbound services, Sankey Street for Westbound, Eastbound and Southbound buses.

Routes

Notes

First buses are those leaving either Wilderspool Depot (in the case of Warrington Borough Transport) or the Town Centre, to start the full route.
Last buses are those leaving the outer terminus on linear routes, or arriving into Warrington on circulars; some last buses terminate elsewhere in the town centre, e.g. Garven Place.
Asterisked times show first/last bus operating full route, beyond this there may be a partial operation, terminating before the normal terminus.
A red background in the route number column denotes routes normally operated by Warrington Borough Transport
A teal background in the route number column denotes routes normally operated by Arriva North-West & Wales
A golden background in the route number column denotes routes operated by Fairbrothers
A green background in the route number column denotes routes operated by Link Network
A purple background in the route number column denotes routes operated by Halton Borough Transport
A grey background in the route number column denotes routes operated by First Manchester

Daytime route table ^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Route Number	Route Summary	Direction	Mon - Sat Frequency	Sunday Frequency	Route
1 2	Warrington - Westy Circular Warrington - Westy Circular	Southbound Eastbound	20 mins 20 mins	60 mins 60 mins	Warrington, Knutsford Road, Latchford, Westy, Manchester Road, Warrington Warrington, Manchester Rd, Westy, Latchford, Knutsford Road, Warrington
1^C	Warrington - Westy	Eastbound	15 mins	No service	Knutsford Road, Latchford, Westy
3	Warrington - Martinscroft	Eastbound	30 mins	30 mins	Paddington, Woolston, Manchester Road, Martinscroft
4^A	Warrington - Woolston	Eastbound	30 mins	No service	Paddington, Woolston
5 35	Warrington - Altrincham	Southbound	60 mins 60 mins	60 mins No service	Stockton Heath, Grappenhall, Thelwall, Statham, Lymm, Warburton, Dunham, Altrincham Serves Broomedge and Agden instead of Warburton and Dunham
6 6^C	Warrington - Thelwall Circular Warrington - Cobbs Estate	Southbound	30 mins Infrequent	No service 60 mins	Stockton Heath, Cobbs Estate, Grappenhall, Thelwall Terminates at Cobbs Estate
7	Warrington - Liverpool	Westbound	30 mins	60 mins	Penketh, Cronton, Huyton, Broadgreen, Edge Hill, Liverpool
8 8^A 9	Warrington - Appleton Thorn - (Hatton - infrequently) Warrington - Hatton Warrington - Hatton	Southbound	60 mins Infrequent Infrequent	No service No service No service	Stockton Heath, Cobbs Estate, Appleton Thorn, (Stretton - infrequently), (Hatton - infrequently) Serves Bridgewater High instead of Cobbs Estate Serves Owens Corner instead of Cobbs Estate and Appleton Thorn
10^C	Warrington - Appleton Thorn	Southbound	60 mins Off-peak only	No service	Centre Park, Lower Walton, Latchford, Grappenhall, Stockton Heath, Cobbs Estate, Dudlows Green, Owens Corner, (Stretton - - infrequently), (Appleton Thorn - infrequently)
11 11^A 12 12^A	Warrington - Lower Walton Circular	Southbound	Peak only 60 mins Peak only 60 mins	No service	Knutsford Road, Loushers Lane, Gainsborough Road, Lower Walton, Centre Park Also serves Latchford centre Centre Park, Lower Walton, Gainsborough Road, Loushers Lane, Latchford, Knutsford Road Also serves Latchford centre
13	Warrington - Callands	Westbound	30 mins	60 mins	Chapelford, Westbrook
14 15	Warrington - Sankey Circular	Westbound	30 mins 30 mins	60 mins	Warrington, Hood Manor, Sankey Station, Lingley Green, Meeting Lane, Hood Manor, Warrington Warrington, Hood Manor, Meeting Lane, Lingley Green, Sankey Station, Hood Manor, Warrington
16 16^A	Warrington - Dallam	Westbound	30 mins 30 mins	30 mins (16/20^A/21^A) No service	General Hospital, Folly Lane, Dallam Serves Troutbeck Avenue
16^X	Warrington - Dallam	Westbound	30 mins	No service	General Hospital, Folly Lane, Dallam
17 17^A 17^C	Callands - Warrington - Birchwood	East/westbound	30 minutes Infrequent Infrequent	60 mins No service No service	Gemini, Callands, Westbrook, Old Hall, Warrington, Paddington, Fearnhead, Birchwood, Oakwood Also serves Birchwood Park Also serves Birchwood Park
18	Warrington - Callands	Westbound	30 mins	See 13/17^A/17^C	Old Hall, Westbrook, Callands
19	Warrington - Leigh	Northbound	60 mins	60 mins	Winwick, Croft, Culcheth, Glazebury, Leigh
20 20^A 21 21^A	Warrington - Orford Circular Warrington - Orford Circular Warrington - Longford Circular Warrington - Longford Circular	Northbound	12 mins Early morning only 12 mins Early morning only	60 mins 60 mins 60 mins 60 mins	Warrington, Winwick Rd, Longford, Orford, Warrington Also serves Warrington Hospital and Dallam Warrington, Orford, Longford, Winwick Road, Warrington Also serves Dallam and Warrington Hospital
21^X	Warrington - Longford Circular	Northbound	30 mins	No service	Warrington, Orford, Longford, Winwick Road, Warrington
22	Warrington - Vulcan	Northbound	60 mins	60 mins Terminates at Earlestown	Winwick, Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown, Vulcan
23 23^A	Warrington - Cinnamon Brow Warrington - Orange Grove	Eastbound	60 mins 60 mins	See 26/27	Paddington, Fearnhead, Cinnamon Brow Also serves Orange Grove
25 25^A	Warrington - Gorse Covert Warrington - Cinnamon Brow	Eastbound	30 mins 2 early morning journeys	See 26/27	Orford, Cinnamon Brow, Birchwood, Oakwood, Gorse Covert Terminates at Cinnamon Brow
25^B	Warrington - Ryfields Village	Eastbound	One return journey (M-F)	No service	Ryfields Village
26 27	Warrington - Gorse Covert	Eastbound	No service No service	120 mins 120 mins	Orford, Cinnamon Brow, Birchwood, Oakwood, Gorse Covert Serves Fearnhead instead of Cinnamon Brow
28 28^A	Warrington - Leigh	Eastbound	60 mins Peak-only	No service 60 mins	Paddington, Padgate, Longbarn, Birchwood, Locking Stumps, Risley, Culcheth, Glazebury, Leigh Omits Birchwood
29^A 29^C	West Warrington Circle	Anti-clockwise Clockwise	60 mins 60 mins	No service No service	Warrington, Sankey, Lingley Green, Whittle Hall, Westbrook, Chapelford, Warrington Warrington, Chapelford, Westbrook, Whittle Hall, Lingley Green, Sankey, Warrington
30 30^B	Warrington - Penketh Circular	Westbound	See 32^A Infrequent	60 mins No service	Liverpool Road, Penketh Lane Ends, Meeting Lane Also serves Sankey Station and Lingley Green
32^A	Warrington - Penketh Circular	Westbound	20 mins	See 30	Liverpool Road, Penketh Lane Ends, Doe Green, Meeting Lane
45	Warrington - Northwich	Southbound	120 minutes	No service	Stockton Heath, Owens Corner, Stretton, (Antrobus - some journeys), Comberbach, Budworth, Wincham, Lostock Gralam, Marston, Northwich
46	Warrington - Northwich	Southbound	120 mins	No service	Stockton Heath, Owens Corner, Stretton, Antrobus, Comberbach, Anderton, Barnton, Northwich
47	Warrington - High Legh	Southbound	Infrequent	No service	Latchford, Grappenhall, Lymm, Broomedge, High Legh
62 62^A	Warrington - Widnes	Southbound	30 mins Peak only	No service No service	Walton, Moore, Murdishaw, Halton Lea, Runcorn, Widnes (often continuing to Halebank as service 2) Also serves Daresbury Science and Technology Park
100	Warrington - Manchester	Eastbound	60 mins	Hourly	Martinscroft, Hollins Green, Partington, Cadishead, Trafford Centre, Eccles, Salford, Manchester Shudehill
110	Warrington - Murdishaw	Westbound	20 mins	30 mins	Penketh, Widnes, Runcorn, Halton Lea, Murdishaw, (Whitehouse - peak only), (Windmill Hill - Sun only)
110	Warrington - Widnes	Westbound	2 per hour	No service	Penketh, Widnes
329	Warrington - Saint Helens	Northbound Southbound	30 mins	No service	Winwick, Burtonwood, Collins Green, Parr, Saint Helens
360	Warrington - Wigan	Northbound	30 mins	No service	Winwick, Newton-le-Willows, Golborne, Wigan
X30	Warrington - Chester	Southbound	60 mins	No service	Walton, Daresbury, Halton Lea, Frodsham, Helsby, Chester

Evening route table ^[7]^[8]

Route Number	Route Summary	Direction	Mon - Sat Evening Frequency	Route
1^E	Warrington - Westy Circular	Southbound	60 mins	Warrington, Knutsford Road, Latchford, Westy
3^E	Warrington - Martinscroft	Eastbound	60 mins	Paddington, Woolston, Manchester Road, Martinscroft
5^E	Warrington - Lymm	Southbound	120 mins	Stockton Heath, Cobbs Estate, Grappenhall, Thelwall, Statham, Lymm
7	Warrington - Liverpool	Westbound	60 mins	Penketh, Cronton, Huyton, Broadgreen, Edge Hill, Liverpool
8^E	Warrington - Appleton Thorn	Southbound	120 mins	Stockton Heath, Cobbs Estate, Appleton Thorn
15^E	Warrington - Sankey Circular	Westbound	60 mins	Warrington, Hood Manor, Meeting Lane, Lingley Green, Sankey Station, Hood Manor, Warrington
16^E	Warrington - Dallam	Westbound	60 mins	General Hospital, Folly Lane, Dallam Serves Troutbeck Avenue
18^E	Warrington - Callands	Westbound	60 mins	Old Hall, Westbrook, Callands
21^E	Warrington - Longford Circular	Northbound	60 mins	Warrington, Orford, Longford
22^E	Warrington - Earlestown	Northbound	60 mins	Winwick, Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown
24^E	Warrington - Earlestown	Northbound	60 mins	Winwick, Burtonwood, Collins Green, Earlestown
26^E 27^E	Warrington - Cinnamon Brow	Eastbound	60 mins 60 mins	Winwick Road, Longford, Orford, Cinnamon Brow Orford, Padgate, Cinnamon Brow
28^E	Warrington - Leigh	Eastbound	60 mins	Paddington, Padgate, Longbarn, Locking Stumps, Birchwood, Gorse Covert, Risley, Culcheth, Glazebury, Leigh
32^E	Warrington - Penketh Circular	Westbound	60 mins	Liverpool Road, Penketh Lane Ends, Doe Green, Meeting Lane

Roads

There are three key motorways serving the town and surrounding areas. The town is located roughly halfway between Liverpool and Manchester.

The M6 has four junctions in Warrington. Junction 20 serves the rural south-eastern outskirts of Warrington (i.e. Lymm, Grappenhall, Appleton Thorn and Hatton), it also acts as the "Lymm Interchange" for the M56. Junction 21 serves Woolston, Padgate, Birchwood and the town centre. Junction 21A is the "Croft Interchange" for the M62. Finally, junction 22 serves the north-eastern rural suburbs (i.e. Kenyon, Croft, and Culcheth). To the North, the next exit is for Haydock, to the south the next exit is for Macclesfield, Knutsford and Northwich.

The M62 also has four junctions serving Warrington. Junction 11 serves the Eastern suburbs (Birchwood, Risley, and Culcheth). Junction 10 is known as the "Croft Interchange" and links to the M6. Junction 9 serves the town centre, and inner city areas (Orford, Winwick, and Longford). Finally, junction 8 serves the western suburbs (Westbrook, Sankey and Callands). To the west, the next junction serves St.Helens, Prescot, and Widnes. Towards the east, the next junction is known as the "Eccles Interchange", linking the M60.

The third motorway skirts the south-east of Warrington, the M56 interchanges with the M6 at junction 9. Junction 10 serves the very rural outskirts of Warrington (Stretton and Hatton).

There are several A-roads serving Warrington:

River

The River Mersey runs through the heart of the town dividing it into two. There are only two main thoroughfares crossing the Mersey in Warrington: at Bridgefoot and at the Kingsway Bridge. Another crossing is planned from Lower Walton to Arpley.

Canals

Warrington is also divided by the Manchester Ship Canal but there are three swing bridges and a high-level cantilever bridge providing crossing points, and another high-level crossing is planned between Warrington and Runcorn.

The picturesque Bridgewater Canal runs through the Borough from the scenic village of Lymm to Walton Lea Gardens, a local park/leisure area.

The first modern canal is also located in Warrington. The Sankey Canal starts at Spike Island in Widnes, going through Sankey Valley Park past Bewsey Old Hall & Gullivers World theme park, on through Earlestown and ending at the old Safeway store (now Tesco) in St. Helens.

Air

Although, Warrington itself does not have an airport, it is within half an hour (by road) of two international airports : Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport, each with a mix of various international, European, domestic and regional flights. You can reach Manchester Airport by train (via Piccadilly Station in Manchester).

At one point Warrington was home to a world famous military airfield used intensively during the World War Two at Burtonwood. Now the runway is part of the M62 and the area has now been transformed into Gemini business park. When driving down the M62 one can still see some of the old aircraft hangars that are now home to various businesses.

Cycling

Warrington is home to the Warrington Cycle Campaign, a cycling advocacy group that has received international attention with its 'Cycle facility of the month' feature.

External links

References

[1] ttp://www.arrivabus.co.uk/

[2] ttp://www.networkwarrington.co.uk/

[3] ttp://www.pound2town.com/

[4] ttp://www.firstgroup.com/

[5] ttp://www.haltontransport.co.uk/

[6] ttp://www.ghacoaches.co.uk/timetables/

[7] ttp://www.arrivabus.co.uk/

[8] ttp://www.networkwarrington.co.uk/

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