East Didsbury railway station

Coordinates: 53°24′33″N 2°13′18.50″W / 53.40917°N 2.2218056°W / 53.40917; -2.2218056
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East Didsbury
General information
LocationManchester
Managed byNorthern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeEDY
Key dates
1909Opened

East Didsbury is a suburban railway station in south Manchester, England.

On the Styal Line between Longsight (Slade Lane Junction) and Wilmslow, it is served by Manchester-Crewe trains operated by Northern, and by some peak Manchester Airport services operated by TransPennine Express.

East Didsbury tram stop is close to the railway station.

History

East Didsbury Station was opened in 1909 by the London and North Western Railway and, until 6 May 1974, was called East Didsbury and Parrs Wood.[1][2] From 1923 the line was operated by the London Midland and Scottish Railway. Following the formation in 1948 of British Rail, rail services were operated by the London Midland Region of British Railways, then North-Western Regional Railways. Upon privatisation of rail services in 1996/7, East Didsbury was served by the North Western Trains franchise. Services to Manchester Airport began in 1993 upon the opening of the Manchester Airport spur.

Other Didsbury stations

Before the Beeching Axe of the 1960s, the Didsbury area was served by three railway stations: East Didsbury, Didsbury, and Withington and West Didsbury.

Didsbury opened in 1880 in the centre of Didsbury Village on the Midland Railway line which connected with the Cheshire Lines Committee line into Manchester Central. This connected to the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee line from Chinley, and the Midland Railway used it for its express services from London St. Pancras. It closed in 1967 and, though the building was used for a while by a hardware dealer, it has now disappeared, apart from the platforms, a clock tower and a drinking fountain dedicated to the memory of a local philanthropist, Dr. D.J. Wilson (1847–1900).[3]

There was also Withington and West Didsbury, the next station on the line, the two being so similar in appearance that passengers sometimes alighted at the wrong one. Originally it was called "Withington", then from 1884 "Withington and Albert Park", receiving its final name in 1915. All that remains is a boundary wall; a block of flats (Brankgate Court) has been built on the site.

Services

There is a basic half-hourly service in each direction, northbound to Piccadilly and southbound to the Airport; these call at all intermediate stations.[4] Alternate southbound trains run through to Crewe via Wilmslow and Alderley Edge. Some weekday peak period through trains to other destinations (Liverpool Lime Street and Blackpool North) also stop here.

On Sundays, there is an hourly service each way with two-hourly extensions southbound to Alderley Edge.

There is now an hourly off peak service to and from Llandudno provided by Arriva Trains Wales, this service starts at Manchester Airport.

References

  1. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens.
  2. ^ Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1974). "Notes and News: Stations renamed by LMR". Railway Magazine. 120 (879). London: IPC Transport Press: 363. ISSN 0033-8923.
  3. ^ Radford, J.B. (1988). Midland through the Peak: A pictorial history of the Midland Railway main line routes between Derby and Manchester. Paddock Wood: Unicorn Books. ISBN 978-1-85241-001-8
  4. ^ Northern Rail Timetable 21 – Manchester to Manchester Airport www.northernrail.org; Retrieved 2013-08-20

External links

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Gatley   TransPennine Express
South TransPennine
  Burnage
Gatley   Northern
Styal Line
  Burnage
Manchester Airport   Arriva Trains Wales
North Trains Wales
  Manchester Piccadilly

53°24′33″N 2°13′18.50″W / 53.40917°N 2.2218056°W / 53.40917; -2.2218056