Birchwood railway station
Birchwood | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Warrington |
| Managed by | First TransPennine Express |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BWD |
| History | |
| Opened | July 1981 |
Birchwood railway station is a railway station opened in 1981 by British Rail, serving the Birchwood district to the north east of Warrington, Cheshire, in the north west of England. The station is 13+1⁄4 miles (21.3 km) west of Manchester Piccadilly on the Manchester-Liverpool Line.
The station is operated by First TransPennine Express, and is on the southern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line. It is manned full-time (between 0610 and 2345 Mondays-Saturdays and 0825 and 2320 Sundays). It is across from the main Birchwood shopping complex and is well served by onward transportation to all parts of Birchwood and further afield.
Facilities
There is sheltered seating on the Liverpool-bound platform, and a ticket office with seating on the Manchester-bound platform. A footbridge connects the two platforms. There is also a news kiosk open six days a week. Outside the station there is a bus stop and the station is close to the Birchwood shopping mall.
The ticket office is open until around 2200 (occasionally earlier or later), though it does occasionally close during the day whilst staff carry out other duties. During the daytime there are three staff members on the station (station clerk, kiosk and a cleaner), and two of an evening (station clerk and a security guard). When the ticket office is closed there is a ticket machine in the station lobby.
Services
The station sees a general frequency of three trains per hour per direction, provided by TPE and Northern Rail:
- Two suburban trains per hour to Manchester Oxford Road via Irlam (Northern)
- Two suburban trains per hour to Liverpool Lime Street via Warrington Central (as above)
- One fast train per hour to Liverpool Lime Street stopping only at Warrington Central and Liverpool South Parkway en route (TPE)
- One fast train per hour to Leeds, York and Scarborough via Manchester Piccadilly (TPE) [1]
TPE services are due to cease in December 2017, as a result of the new Northern & TransPennine Express franchise agreements coming into effect in the spring of 2016. All services thereafter will then be provided by Arriva Rail North (who will also take over the management of the station). The fast service will run to and from Manchester Airport rather than Scarborough (all TPE services from Liverpool will be diverted via Newton-le-Willows) and be marketed under Northern Connect brand.[2]
References
- ^ GB National Rail Timetable 2015-16, Tables 39 & 89
- ^ Northern Franchise Improvements - DfT
External links
- Train times and station information for Birchwood railway station from National Rail
