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Warrington Bank Quay railway station

Coordinates: 53°23′10″N 2°36′11″W / 53.386°N 2.603°W / 53.386; -2.603
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Warrington Bank Quay
National Rail
Warrington Bank Quay station in June 2014
General information
LocationWarrington, Borough of Warrington
England
Grid referenceSJ599878
Managed byAvanti West Coast
Platforms4
Other information
Station codeWBQ
ClassificationDfT category B
History
Original companyLondon and North Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and North Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
16 November 1868 (1868-11-16)Station opened
(with platforms on two levels)
9 September 1963Low level platforms closed
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 1.336 million
 Interchange  Decrease 0.492 million
2019/20Increase 1.481 million
 Interchange  Decrease 0.339 million
2020/21Decrease 0.312 million
 Interchange Decrease 67,072
2021/22Increase 0.959 million
 Interchange Increase 0.233 million
2022/23Increase 1.126 million
 Interchange Increase 0.468 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Warrington Bank Quay is one of three railway stations serving the town of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is a principal stop on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow Central. The station is a north–south oriented main-line station on one side of the main shopping area, with the west–east oriented Warrington West and Warrington Central operating a more frequent service to the neighbouring cities of Liverpool and Manchester.

Cheshire Cat Buses are operated from the station into Warrington Bus Interchange and in the opposite direction to the Centre Park business park, Stockton Heath and further south into Cheshire.[1]

Layout

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The station consists of two island platforms. The easternmost retains the 19th century buildings, with the western island's buildings dating from the 1950s. Passengers enter the station at street level through a functional modern entrance containing an information office and ticket office, and proceed through a subway, reaching the elevated platforms by stairs or a lift. There is a buffet on the eastern platform.

Platform 1 serves arrivals and departures to Liverpool Lime Street with this service terminating at the platform, and occasionally for North Wales services. Platform 2 is generally used for North Wales services, and southbound intercity services to Birmingham New Street and London Euston. Platform 3 serves northbound intercity trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow Central. Platform 4 for services from North Wales to Manchester. The platforms are not bidirectional, except that the slow line between the station and Winwick Junction, some 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) to the north. This allows northbound departures from platform 1. The present platform 4 was numbered 5 for many years, because there was to be a north-facing bay platform in the west island which was numbered 4, but this saw no passenger use after electrification in 1972 being removed later.

The station's best known landmark is the huge Unilever detergent manufacturing plant which stands overlooking the site.[2]

The station suffered from years of neglect and, because of this, Virgin Trains announced improvements to the station. In 2009, an extension to the existing car park and a new taxi rank were built, along with improvements to the platforms and a new ticket office and travel centre.[3][4] The new entrance hall is now complete, with a ticket office and a newsagents. The buffet on the London bound platforms has been modernised, however a first class lounge is yet to materialise.

Low Level

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Until 1965, 2 west-east oriented through platforms, 5 and 6 (53°23′09″N 2°36′08″W / 53.3857°N 2.6023°W / 53.3857; -2.6023 (Bank Quay Low Level railway station)) were situated on what had been the St Helens Railway lines which pass beneath the station and the north-south West Coast Main Line. (The West Coast Main Line had been elevated to pass over the west to east line when the current station was opened in 1868). Although it was not the official title, this part of the station was referred to as Bank Quay Low Level.[5] There was also a bay platform, 7 situated at the eastern end of the site. The line remains for freight use only[6] and there are no longer any passenger platforms on the low level station.

In the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands the UK government proposed reinstating the Low Level station as part of a new connection to Liverpool from HS2[7]

Services

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A Class 390 EMU Pendolino in old Virgin Trains livery, at platform 2, waiting to head south to London Euston in June 2014
An Arriva Trains Wales Class 175, at platform 3, with the service to Manchester Piccadilly in June 2014

The station lies on the West Coast Main Line, operated by Avanti West Coast, with regular services to London, Birmingham, and Scotland.[8][9] A regular regional express service operates between Manchester, Chester and North Wales operated by Transport for Wales.[10] Northern operate one early morning service per day to Ellesmere Port via Helsby with returning evening service.[11] The regular electric local service to and from Liverpool Lime Street that ran up until spring 2020 no longer operates.

Normal weekday service consists of:

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Runcorn East   Transport for Wales Rail
Chester to Manchester Line 		  Earlestown
Runcorn East   Northern
Ellesmere Port to Warrington Line
Mondays-Saturdays only 		  Terminus
Wigan North Western   Avanti West Coast
West Coast Main Line 		  London Euston
    Crewe
    Rugby
Chester   Northern Connect
Chester - Leeds
   Earlestown
Runcorn East    
  Future services  
Liverpool Lime Street   TBA
Northern Powerhouse Rail 		  Manchester Interchange
Liverpool Lime Street   TBA
Northern Powerhouse Rail 		  Crewe
  Historical railways  
Daresbury   Birkenhead Joint Railway   Terminus
Moore   London and North Western Railway
Grand Junction Railway 		  Earlestown
Disused railways
Sankey Bridges   St Helens Railway   Warrington Arpley

References

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  1. ^ "Cheshire Cat Service Timetable". Warrington's Own Buses. April 2018. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  2. ^ David Dixon. "Bank Quay Station, Warrington". www.geograph.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Warrington Guardian article". Warrington Guardian. 2006. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
  4. ^ "Improvements arriving soon at Warrington Bank Quay station". Virgin Trains. 2007. Archived from the original on 30 March 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  5. ^ Fields, Gilbert & Knight 1980, Photo 251
  6. ^ "Warrington Bank Quay(Low Level)". Disused Stations. 2006. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  7. ^ "Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands". GOV.UK. 22 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Scheduled timetable book for 11 December 2022 to 20 May 2023" (PDF). Avanti West Coast.
  9. ^ "Scheduled timetable book for 21 May 2023 to 9 December 2023" (PDF). Avanti West Coast.
  10. ^ GB eNRT May 2023 Edition, Table 77
  11. ^ GB eNRT May 2023 Edition, Tables 77 & 85

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Fields, N; Gilbert, A C; Knight, N R (1980). Liverpool to Manchester into the Second Century. Manchester Transport Museum Society. ISBN 0-900857-19-6.
[edit]
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53°23′10″N 2°36′11″W / 53.386°N 2.603°W / 53.386; -2.603

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