Bidston railway station
Encyclopedia
Bidston railway station is a railway station in Bidston
, Birkenhead
, on the Wirral
, England
. It is situated at the junction of the West Kirby
branch of the Wirral Line
(part of the Merseyrail
network) with the Borderlands Line
from Wrexham Central
(operated by Arriva Trains Wales
).
in 1866 as an intermediate station on their line from Birkenhead to Hoylake
. After the extension of this line to West Kirby
in 1878 to the west and into a new station to the east at Birkenhead Docks (the current Birkenhead North
station), through trains to Liverpool
commenced in 1938 when the London Midland and Scottish Railway electrified the line to West Kirby. In 1896 the North Wales and Liverpool Railway
opened their line to Hawarden Bridge
, which joined the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
line to Wrexham
.
During the earlier half of the twentieth century, Bidston station was known as 'Bidston Dee Junction' and was a busy interchange between the Wirral line electric services and the Seacombe to Wrexham & Chester steam trains. In 1960 the Wrexham service (by now operated by diesel trains
) was diverted east of Bidston to terminate at New Brighton
and later to Birkenhead North. However it was subsequently cut back to start and terminate at Bidston in the late 1970s and this remains the situation today.
Several sidings were situated adjacent to the eastern side of the station, but these were removed in the 1970s. The station was the nearest to the former Bidston Dock
. The adjacent Bidston East Junction gives access to the Birkenhead Dock Branch
line, but this is disused at present.
The station is likely to provide a Park and Ride service: designs indicate that there will be approximately 190 new car parking spaces, lighting columns and CCTV to meet Merseytravel's Travelsafe requirements and construction is set to begin late in 2009.
Bidston
Bidston is a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within the geographical county of Cheshire...
, Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, on the Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated at the junction of the West Kirby
West Kirby
West Kirby is a town on the north-west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England, at the mouth of the River Dee across from the Point of Ayr in North Wales. To the north-east of the town lies Hoylake, with the suburbs of Grange and Newton to the east, and the village of Caldy to the...
branch of the Wirral Line
Wirral Line
The Wirral Line is one of the two commuter railway lines operated by Merseyrail that are centred around Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern Line...
(part of the Merseyrail
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
network) with the Borderlands Line
Borderlands Line
The Borderlands Line is the railway line between Wrexham, Wales, and Bidston, Wirral, England.Passenger train services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales between Wrexham Central and Bidston. Trains run every hour Monday to Saturday daytime, every two hours after 18:45 and on Sundays...
from Wrexham Central
Wrexham Central railway station
Wrexham Central railway station is the smaller of two main railway stations serving the central area of Wrexham in Wales. The platform can accommodate a three car diesel train, but has room for platform extension...
(operated by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
).
History
The station was originally built by the Hoylake RailwayWirral Railway
The Wirral Railway was incorporated in 1863 as the Hoylake Railway , with powers to build lines from Birkenhead to New Brighton, and to Parkgate on the western side of the Wirral Peninsula; the latter line was not built. Between 1872 and 1882 the HR was renamed twice, and extensions of the line...
in 1866 as an intermediate station on their line from Birkenhead to Hoylake
Hoylake railway station
Hoylake railway station serves the town of Hoylake, Wirral, England. It lies on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line, part of the Merseyrail network. It is in the art deco style with a circular clerestory over the booking hall and after the 1938 rebuild, became a Grade II Listed Building in 1988...
. After the extension of this line to West Kirby
West Kirby railway station
West Kirby railway station is situated in the town of West Kirby, Wirral, England. It is situated at the end of one of the branches of the Wirral Line, part of the Merseyrail network.The beach can be reached easily from the station....
in 1878 to the west and into a new station to the east at Birkenhead Docks (the current Birkenhead North
Birkenhead North railway station
Birkenhead North railway station is situated in Birkenhead, Wirral, England. The station is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network, close to the junction of the New Brighton and West Kirby branches...
station), through trains to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
commenced in 1938 when the London Midland and Scottish Railway electrified the line to West Kirby. In 1896 the North Wales and Liverpool Railway
North Wales and Liverpool Railway
The North Wales and Liverpool Railway , was the name given to the joint committee formed to construct a railway between Bidston, on the Wirral Railway and Hawarden on the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway's Chester & Connah's Quay Railway from Chester to its link with the Wrexham,...
opened their line to Hawarden Bridge
Hawarden Bridge railway station
Hawarden Bridge railway station is a railway station near Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It is situated on the Borderlands Line north of Wrexham Central, on the north side of Hawarden Bridge over the River Dee...
, which joined the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
The Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway was incorporated on 7 August 1862 to build a line from Wrexham to Buckley.-Overview:The Buckley Railway had already been incorporated on 14 June 1860 to build a line from that town to a junction with the London and North Western Railway Chester-Holyhead...
line to Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
.
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
) was diverted east of Bidston to terminate at New Brighton
New Brighton railway station
New Brighton railway station is situated in New Brighton, Wirral, England. It is situated at the end of the New Brighton branch of the Wirral Line 13 km west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Merseyrail network.-History:...
and later to Birkenhead North. However it was subsequently cut back to start and terminate at Bidston in the late 1970s and this remains the situation today.
Several sidings were situated adjacent to the eastern side of the station, but these were removed in the 1970s. The station was the nearest to the former Bidston Dock
Bidston Dock
Bidston Dock, was a dock at Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England. It was situated to the west of the Great Float, between Bidston and Poulton.-History:...
. The adjacent Bidston East Junction gives access to the Birkenhead Dock Branch
Birkenhead Dock Branch
Birkenhead Dock Branch is a presently disused railway line running from the South junction of Rock Ferry, to the site of the former Bidston Dock on the Wirral Peninsula, England....
line, but this is disused at present.
Services
Current services are every 15 minutes (Monday to Saturday daytime) to West Kirby & Liverpool, and every hour to Wrexham. At other times, trains operate every 30 minutes to West Kirby & Liverpool and every two hours to Wrexham, with a limited service on Sundays.Future
Proposals have been made to electrify some or all of the Borderlands Line and possibly incorporate it into the Wirral Line services, but no commitment has been made.The station is likely to provide a Park and Ride service: designs indicate that there will be approximately 190 new car parking spaces, lighting columns and CCTV to meet Merseytravel's Travelsafe requirements and construction is set to begin late in 2009.
External links
- Station information from Merseyrail
- The Wrexham-Bidston Line