Ardwick railway station
Encyclopedia
Ardwick railway station serves Ardwick
in Manchester
, England. It is about one mile (1.5 km) south of Manchester Piccadilly. It was opened by the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
in 1842.
during mergers in 1847. That company changed its name to the Great Central Railway
in 1897. The station became a meeting point of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
and the London and North Eastern Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923, and passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948.
When British Rail brand names
were introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways
under arrangement with the Greater Manchester PTE until the Privatisation of British Rail
ways.
Ardwick is unstaffed and has a single island platform
on the electrified Manchester to Glossop/Hadfield line. This is across a footbridge from the entrance, so wheelchair access is impossible. It is immediately adjacent to the main Manchester branch of the WCML
, and the two routes join just north of the station. It has a very limited peak-hour-only service of five trains per day (Monday - Friday only). The modern maintenance depot for the Class 185
DMU fleet is a short distance to the east.
In 2004-2005 financial year, only 285 passengers used the station, or less than one per day. This number increased slightly in 2005-2006, to 358. As a result it was proposed to close the station, but it was given a reprieve as a consequence of the increased commercial activity in the vicinity. The station is in the New East Manchester regeneration area.
Ardwick
Ardwick is a district of the City of Manchester, in North West England, about one mile east of Manchester City Centre.By the mid-19th century Ardwick had grown from being a village into a pleasant and wealthy suburb of Manchester, but by the end of that century it had become heavily industrialised...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England. It is about one mile (1.5 km) south of Manchester Piccadilly. It was opened by the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne...
in 1842.
History
Opened by the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway, it became part of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire RailwayManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
during mergers in 1847. That company changed its name to the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
in 1897. The station became a meeting point of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
and the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923, and passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
on nationalisation in 1948.
When British Rail brand names
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
were introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways
Regional Railways
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, 3 years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial....
under arrangement with the Greater Manchester PTE until the Privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
ways.
Non-closure
Network Rail, in its draft Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) for the North West, proposed the closure of Ardwick station. However, the closure proposals were dropped from the final report published on 1 May 2007. Proposals to close Ardwick and two other stations in Greater Manchester were shelved after residents and passenger groups persuaded Network Rail that long-term development could improve the business case for keeping the stations open.Ardwick is unstaffed and has a single island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
on the electrified Manchester to Glossop/Hadfield line. This is across a footbridge from the entrance, so wheelchair access is impossible. It is immediately adjacent to the main Manchester branch of the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, and the two routes join just north of the station. It has a very limited peak-hour-only service of five trains per day (Monday - Friday only). The modern maintenance depot for the Class 185
British Rail Class 185
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million....
DMU fleet is a short distance to the east.
In 2004-2005 financial year, only 285 passengers used the station, or less than one per day. This number increased slightly in 2005-2006, to 358. As a result it was proposed to close the station, but it was given a reprieve as a consequence of the increased commercial activity in the vicinity. The station is in the New East Manchester regeneration area.