Liverpool to Manchester Lines
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There are two Liverpool to Manchester Lines between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in the north-west of England.
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[edit] Description
[edit] Northern Route
The more northerly of the two lines follows George Stephenson's original 32 mile (51.5-km) Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which was the world's first passenger railway, having opened in 1830. It runs from Liverpool Lime Street station, via Earlestown and Newton-le-Willows, and continues to either Manchester Victoria or Manchester Piccadilly.
The Airport route (ie the fast services) are generally booked for Class 156 trains, whilst the Victoria route is mainly booked Class 142 trains and Class 150 trains.[1]
[edit] Technical Details
The key junctions on this route are:
- Edge Hill West Jn (to CLC line via Warrington Central)
- Edge Hill East Jn (to Edge Hill CS)
- Bootle Branch Jn (to Bootle branch, leading to the docks)
- Huyton Jn (to Wigan line)
- Earlestown West Jn (WCML Southbound via Warrington Bank Quay)
- Earlestown East Jn (WCML Southbound via Warrington Bank Quay)
- Newton-le-Willows Jn (for daily Wigan via Golborne Junction services)
- Parkside Jn (for daily Wigan via Golborne Junction services)
- Eccles Station Jn (to the Weaste branch towards the Manchester Ship Canal)
- Ordsall Lane Jn (Separates Chat Moss line (to Victoria) from Bolton lines (to Piccadilly)
During a journey, the trains pass through Lime Street control (LS), Liverpool Edge Hill signalbox (LE), Huyton signalbox (HN), Warrington North signalbox (WN), Astley signalbox (AY), Eccles signalbox (ES) and Manchester Piccadilly control (MP).
[edit] Southern Route
The more southerly, and currently busier, route runs from Liverpool Lime Street via Warrington Central to Manchester Piccadilly. It follows the London and North Western Railway's route as far as Allerton Junction just south of Liverpool South Parkway, where a spur connects it to the line built by the Cheshire Lines Committee in 1873. Originally, this ran between Liverpool Central and Manchester Central. However the line uses Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations in Manchester since Central station closed in the 1960s, while the line between Liverpool Central and Hunts Cross is now used by the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. Liverpool South Parkway is itself a replacement for Allerton, which closed in 2006.
This route is normally diagrammed for six trains, one Class 156, two Class 150 and the rest Class 142
[edit] Technical Details
The key junctions on this route are:
- Lime Street (used to move trains onto appropriate platform)
- Edge Hill East Junction (for the Huyton line)
- Allerton West Junction (to WCML, knows as Allerton junction)
- Hunts Cross Junction (to Merseyrail Northern Line)
- Glazebrook East Junction (Formerly for Warrington-Stockport services, but now used as a passing point)
- Trafford Park Junction (for Euroterminal freight terminal)
- Castlefield Junction (where lines to Manchester converge). [3]
During a journey trains pass through:
- Lime Street control (LS) (Lime Street and the Lime Street tunnels)
- Edge Hill signalbox (LE) (Through Edge Hill to Edge Hill junction)
- Allerton signalbox (AN) (Edge Hill junction to Liverpool South Parkway)
- Hunts Cross signalbox (HC) (Allerton junction to Hough Green station)
- Warrington Central signalbox (WC) (Widnes station to just beyond Warrington Central station)
- Glazebrook East signalbox (GE) (Warrington Central to Urmston)
- Manchester Piccadilly control (MP) (Urmston to route terminus)
[edit] Services
[edit] Northern Route
An hourly fast service is operated by Northern Rail, from Liverpool to Manchester Piccadilly, usually calling at Wavertree Technology Park, St Helens Junction, Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Oxford Road, and continuing to Manchester Airport. Northern Rail also operates an hourly service calling at all stations from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria. This is supplemented by an additional all-stations service between Liverpool and Earlestown, which continues to Warrington Bank Quay.
Between Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly, there are additional services (at least one per hour) operated by Arriva Trains Wales, which originate from Chester and the North Wales Coast Line.
[edit] Southern Route
A half-hourly fast service operates between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, calling at Warrington Central and Manchester Oxford Road. Of the two trains per hour, one is operated by East Midlands Trains and the other by TransPennine Express. East Midlands Trains' services usually also stop at Widnes and continue to Norwich via Sheffield and Nottingham, while the TransPennine services call additionally at Birchwood and usually continue to Scarborough via Leeds and York.
There is also a half-hourly local service operated by Northern Rail. Many intermediate stations are served by both of these trains, although some just by one per hour, while Glazebrook, Humphrey Park and Trafford Park are served only occasionally outside peak periods.
[edit] History
Other routes:
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway had its own route to the north of the present two. This ran from Liverpool Exchange station via the Liverpool and Bury Railway to Wigan Wallgate, then via the Manchester and Southport Railway to Manchester Victoria; at 37 miles (59.5 km) this route was the longest of the three. It is still possible to travel from Liverpool to Manchester via this route, by changing at Kirkby.
A further southerly route, using what was St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway and Warrington and Stockport Railway, connected Liverpool Lime Street with Manchester Oxford Road via Ditton Junction, Warrington Bank Quay (low level platforms) and Timperley. Part of this route is still used for coal and limestone traffic to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station, but east of Warrington it has been abandoned and forms part of the Trans Pennine Trail.
[edit] Further reading
- R.V.J.Butt, (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1 85260 508 1
[edit] See also
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