Kirkdale railway station is a railway station in Kirkdale

Kirkdale, Liverpool

Kirkdale is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council ward that covers both Kirkdale and Vauxhall. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 15,653.-Description:...

, 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...

, 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...

, located to the north of the city centre on the Northern Line

Northern Line (Merseyrail)

The Northern Line is one of the two commuter rail lines operated by Merseyrail in Merseyside, England. The other line is the Wirral Line. A third line of the Merseyrail Network, the City Line, is not owned or operated by Merseyrail, although funded by Merseytravel.The Northern Line passes...

 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. It acts as the interchange between the branches to Kirkby

Kirkby

Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...

 and Ormskirk

Ormskirk

Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...

; these lines diverge just north of the station.

Kirkdale TMD

Kirkdale TMD

Kirkdale TMD is a Traction Maintenance Depot located beside Kirkdale railway station in north Liverpool, England. It is the largest depot on the Merseyrail network, located on the Northern Line and is used primarily for stabling units, carrying out minor repair works and cleaning units both...

 train maintenance depot, the largest depot on the Merseyrail Network, is located adjacent to the station.

History

The station was built by the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway

Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway

The Liverpool, Ormskirk & Preston Railway was formed in 1846. It was purchased by the East Lancashire Railway. Today the line still operates, with the section between Liverpool and Ormskirk forming part of Merseyrail's Northern Line and the section between Ormskirk and Preston forming Northern...

 and Liverpool and Bury Railway

Liverpool and Bury Railway

The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching of to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan and Bolton to Bury.In 1846 the line merged with the...

 at the start of their joint line into 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...

, opening in 1848. In 1948 with the advent of British Rail

British Rail

British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...

. In 1977 it became 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's Northern Line.

Five tunnels

The station is aligned north-south. Facing north five tunnel portals can be seen north of the platforms.

A cluster of three very short tunnels running under a road, is to the west. The three short tunnels were to give greater throughput and are all on the same line. The extreme west left hand tunnel is used for shunting. The next tunnel is the main Merseyrail Northern Line tunnel. The third tunnel is disused.

To the east is a cluster of two tunnels. The extreme right hand eastern tunnel was an abandoned project. The adjacent tunnel to the west, nearest the station, runs to Rice Lane in Walton and was a part of the North Liverpool Extension Line

North Liverpool Extension Line

The North Liverpool Extension Line is a now-disused railway line in Liverpool, England. The line was to be the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop...

. This section of line for five years from 1800 to 1885 carried passengers, however never called at Kirkdale station. The line and tunnel were used until 1979.

Freight lines

Two freight lines passed through or under the station.

The busy Canada Dock Branch

Canada Dock Branch

The Canada Dock Branch is a 4 mile 59 chain long railway line in Liverpool, England. The line runs from the large Edge Hill rail junction in the east of Liverpool to Seaforth Dock to the north. The line was originally built by the London and North Western Railway terminating at Canada Dock, with...

 freight only line serving Liverpool Docks passes under the station, roughly north-east to south-west, via a tunnel.

The North Liverpool Extension Line

North Liverpool Extension Line

The North Liverpool Extension Line is a now-disused railway line in Liverpool, England. The line was to be the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop...

, also referred to as the Outer Loop, emerged from the north out of a tunnel next to the station, running parallel to the west platform. This section of line for five years from 1800 to 1885 carried passengers, however never called at Kirkdale station. The line and tunnel were used until 1979.

Refurbishment

The station was extensively refurbished in 2000 to provide an improved footbridge, new lifts on both platforms and a more modern atmosphere, similar to Wavertree Technology Park

Wavertree Technology Park railway station

Wavertree Technology Park railway station is in the suburbs of Liverpool in the north west of England. The station, and all services calling there, are operated by Northern Rail...

 on the City Line

City Line (Merseyrail)

The City Line is the name given to local rail routes out of Liverpool Lime Street station, Liverpool, Merseyside. It appears on maps of the Merseyrail network as red, and covers the Liverpool-Wigan Line as well as the two routes of the Liverpool-Manchester Line...

. The refurbishment was several months behind schedule due to the contractor going into receivership, before the project was complete.

Services

Trains operate every 15 minutes, Monday-Saturday daytime to either Kirkby or Ormskirk to the north, and every 5 or 10 minutes to Liverpool Central

Liverpool Central railway station

Liverpool Central railway station is a railway station in Liverpool, England, and forms the central hub of the Merseyrail network, being on both the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. In the years 2008/09, Liverpool Central station was shown to be the busiest station in Liverpool, despite being...

 to the south. During the evenings and all day Sundays, services are every 30 minutes to Kirkby and Ormskirk, and every 15 minutes to Liverpool.

External links

• Station information from Merseyrail