Meols railway station
Encyclopedia
Meols railway station is situated in Meols
, Wirral
, England
. It lies on the West Kirby
branch of the Wirral Line
, part of the Merseyrail
network.
Meols was one of the original stations on the Hoylake Railway, opening in 1866. The Hoylake Railway became part of the Wirral Railway
in 1883, which subsequently became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Through services to Liverpool
began in 1938, when the line was electrified. The station was rebuilt to coincide with this.
After 1938 the signalbox at the level crossing was closed, and semaphore Intermediate Block Signals, operating automatically, were introduced, the only such signals on the Liverpool to west Kirby line. They broke the otherwise long distance between Moreton and Hoylake, the two signalboxes on either side. These semaphore signals remained until the 1990s when the line was resignalled with colour-light signals. The station had recently completed a refurbishment with work involving new glazing to the footbridge windows and staircase, redevelopment of existing buildings to provide enclosed passenger waiting shelters, a new passenger toilet and automatic entrance doors to the booking hall.
. At other times, trains operate every 30 minutes.
Meols
Meols is a village on the northern coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is contiguous with the larger town of Hoylake, situated immediately to the west. Formerly, Meols was in the county of Cheshire, although since 1 April 1974 it has been a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in 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 lies on 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.
History
Wirral 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 1883, which subsequently became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. 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...
began in 1938, when the line was electrified. The station was rebuilt to coincide with this.
After 1938 the signalbox at the level crossing was closed, and semaphore Intermediate Block Signals, operating automatically, were introduced, the only such signals on the Liverpool to west Kirby line. They broke the otherwise long distance between Moreton and Hoylake, the two signalboxes on either side. These semaphore signals remained until the 1990s when the line was resignalled with colour-light signals. The station had recently completed a refurbishment with work involving new glazing to the footbridge windows and staircase, redevelopment of existing buildings to provide enclosed passenger waiting shelters, a new passenger toilet and automatic entrance doors to the booking hall.
Services
Current services are every 15 minutes (Monday to Saturday daytime) to West Kirby and LiverpoolLiverpool
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...
. At other times, trains operate every 30 minutes.