Birkenhead North railway station
Encyclopedia
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. Birkenhead North TMD
, situated just to the west of the station, is the main Traction Maintenance Depot
for the Merseyrail
fleet.
, replacing their earlier terminus at Wallasey Bridge Road (a short distance away) which had opened in 1866. It was originally known as Birkenhead Docks and opened on 1 April 1878. The Wirral Railway subsequently became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
, who renamed the station Birkenhead North in 1926, and electrified the line through Birkenhead North in 1938, allowing through services to Liverpool
via the Mersey Railway Tunnel.
to Liverpool. At other times, trains run every 30 minutes to New Brighton and West Kirby, and every 15 minutes to Liverpool.
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...
, Wirral, 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...
. The station is situated on 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...
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, close to the junction of the 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 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....
branches. Birkenhead North TMD
Birkenhead North TMD
Birkenhead North TMD is a traction maintenance depot located opposite Birkenhead North railway station for servicing Merseyrail Class 507 and 508 multiple units and rolling stock. The depot code is BD.-History:...
, situated just to the west of the station, is the main Traction Maintenance Depot
Traction maintenance depot
In the United Kingdom, a traction maintenance depot, or TMD, is a railway depot where locomotives are serviced and maintained. A traction and rolling stock maintenance depot, or T&RSMD, is a maintenance depot where locomotives, multiple units and rolling stock are serviced and maintained. Each rail...
for 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...
fleet.
History
The station was built by the Wirral 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...
, replacing their earlier terminus at Wallasey Bridge Road (a short distance away) which had opened in 1866. It was originally known as Birkenhead Docks and opened on 1 April 1878. The Wirral Railway subsequently became part 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...
, who renamed the station Birkenhead North in 1926, and electrified the line through Birkenhead North in 1938, allowing through services 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...
via the Mersey Railway Tunnel.
Services
Trains operate every 15 minutes (Monday to Saturday daytime) to New Brighton and West Kirby and every 5–10 minutes via Hamilton SquareHamilton Square railway station
Hamilton Square railway station is situated near Hamilton Square in Birkenhead, Wirral, England, on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
to Liverpool. At other times, trains run every 30 minutes to New Brighton and West Kirby, and every 15 minutes to Liverpool.
Problems
Steps connect the Liverpool platform with the ticket office and New Brighton/West Kirby platform. This means that unfoldable buggies and wheelchairs cannot access the Liverpool bound platform at Birkenhead North. One solution is to travel Westbound to Bidston,then to get a train in the opposite direction to Liverpool. In the opposite direction (coming from the West) wheelchair users must continue to Birkenhead Park to "double-back" on Eastbound services.External links
- Station information from Merseyrail