Ormskirk railway station
Encyclopedia
Ormskirk railway station is situated in the town of Ormskirk
, Lancashire
, England
. The station is an interchange between Merseyrail
services from Liverpool Central
and Northern Rail
services from Preston
. The station building and three arch road bridge are both Grade II listed structures.
The station was built by the East Lancashire Railway
, Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston section, and opened on 2 April 1849. From 13 May 1859, the station was owned by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
. From 1 January 1923 the station was owned by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
. British Railways nationalised all railways on 1 January 1948 and the station became part of the London Midland Region.
The current station consists of a single platform. An interesting characteristic is how the electric Merseyrail trains and diesel Northern Rail trains are separated on arrival by a large buffer
, so passengers wishing to go from one to another walk a dozen yards or so along the platform to move between trains. (A similar layout exists at Kirkby
.) Prior to the restructuring
of the railways in the 1960s and 1970s, there were two platforms. The EMU
commuter trains would pull into a bay platform (with buffers) as can be seen on the 1915 photograph (to the right of the picture). This practice ended following the withdrawal of through trains between Liverpool and Preston via this route (the last through trains ran on 3 May 1970) and all trains now use the former Liverpool platform (the Preston-bound Up platform remains but is disused). The bay platform is now a footpath leading to the bus station.
Services to Liverpool Central operate frequently, running every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at other times. Services to Preston are irregular, with a total of 12 services in each direction Monday–Saturday, and no service on Sundays.
The former link between Ormskirk and Southport, via the Burscough Curves, was closed in 1962. The Skelmersdale Branch
has also been lost, having closed to passengers in 1956 and to all traffic seven years later. It was lifted in 1968, though the Burscough curves remained extant until the mid 1980s.
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:...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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 an interchange between 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...
services from 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...
and Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
services from Preston
Preston railway station
Preston railway station serves the city of Preston in Lancashire, England and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line.It is served by Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, and TransPennine Express services, plus First ScotRail overnight sleeper services between London and Scotland.-Station layout...
. The station building and three arch road bridge are both Grade II listed structures.
East Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...
, Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston section, and opened on 2 April 1849. From 13 May 1859, the station was owned by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
. From 1 January 1923 the station was owned by 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...
. British Railways nationalised all railways on 1 January 1948 and the station became part of the London Midland Region.
The current station consists of a single platform. An interesting characteristic is how the electric Merseyrail trains and diesel Northern Rail trains are separated on arrival by a large buffer
Buffer stop
A buffer stop or bumper is a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a physical section of track.The design of the buffer stop is dependent in part upon the kind of couplings that the railway uses, since the coupling gear is the first part of the vehicle that the buffer stop...
, so passengers wishing to go from one to another walk a dozen yards or so along the platform to move between trains. (A similar layout exists at Kirkby
Kirkby railway station
Kirkby railway station is situated in Kirkby, Merseyside, England. The station is an interchange between Merseyrail services from Liverpool Central and Northern Rail services from Manchester Victoria via Wigan Wallgate....
.) Prior to the restructuring
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
of the railways in the 1960s and 1970s, there were two platforms. The EMU
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
commuter trains would pull into a bay platform (with buffers) as can be seen on the 1915 photograph (to the right of the picture). This practice ended following the withdrawal of through trains between Liverpool and Preston via this route (the last through trains ran on 3 May 1970) and all trains now use the former Liverpool platform (the Preston-bound Up platform remains but is disused). The bay platform is now a footpath leading to the bus station.
Services to Liverpool Central operate frequently, running every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at other times. Services to Preston are irregular, with a total of 12 services in each direction Monday–Saturday, and no service on Sundays.
The former link between Ormskirk and Southport, via the Burscough Curves, was closed in 1962. The Skelmersdale Branch
Skelmersdale Branch
The Skelmersdale Branch railway connected the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway at Ormskirk with Rainford Junction . At Rainford it connected with the Liverpool and Bury Railway and the St. Helens Railway. It was built by the East Lancashire Railway, which was taken over by the Lancashire...
has also been lost, having closed to passengers in 1956 and to all traffic seven years later. It was lifted in 1968, though the Burscough curves remained extant until the mid 1980s.
Refurbishment
The Ormskirk Advertiser announced in June 2008 that Ormskirk railway station was to undergo a £1.5 million makeover, a project which was run in partnership between West Lancashire District Council, Lancashire County Council, Merseyrail and Network Rail. Among the refurbishments include a new booking hall, waiting room, toilet facilities, ticket counters and new automatic swinging doors, as well as a remodelled and landscaped path and bicycle route up to the bus interchange. Work started in January 2009 and completed during the summer of 2009, with the opening taking place on 31 July 2009. The station is classed as eco-friendly and gets its green credentials by using a system that harvests rainwater, as well as other various energy-saving measures.External links
- Station information from Merseyrail