Rainford Village railway station was a station on the railway line from Rainford Junction

Rainford railway station

Rainford railway station is situated in the village of Rainford, Merseyside, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail.- History :...

 to St Helens

St Helens, Merseyside

St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...

, 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...

, later Merseyside

Merseyside

Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...

.

Opening and early history

The station was opened on 1 February 1858 by the St Helens Canal and Railway Company (SHC&R). The SHC&R was absorbed by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) on 29 July 1864. From 1 January 1923 the LNWR became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). From 1858 until November 1861, the station was named 'Rainford

Rainford

Rainford is a village and civil parish within Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. It is around north of St Helens. At the 2001 Census the population of the civil parish was 8,344....

', but it was thought this would cause confusion with Rainford Junction railway station and the word 'Village' was added.

Location and facilities

Rainford Village station was located immediately north of the level crossing over Crosspit Lane. The main station building for trains to St Helens was on the east side of the twin tracks (furthest from the village centre). A lightly constructed wooden building on the opposite side of the tracks sufficed for passengers towards Rainford Junction 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:...

, next to which was the signalbox which controlled the level crossing gates.

Nearby railway halts

Two small lightly built railway 'halts' were constructed nearby to serve other parts of the Rainford area. Rookery Halt, adjacent to Rookery Lane, existed from 1865 until 18 June 1951. Old Mill Lane Halt one mile south of the village and adjacent to Pilkington Brothers sand washery, opened on 1 October 1911 and closed on 18 June 1951.

Passenger train service

The three stations were served by local steam loco-hauled trains, some originating in Ormskirk, with others starting at Rainford Junction. In July 1922, thirteen LNWR trains left Rainford Village for St Helens (Shaw Street)

St Helens Central railway station

St Helens Central railway station is a railway station serving the town of St Helens, Merseyside, England. It is on the Liverpool to Wigan Line from Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan North Western...

 each weekday, all carrying only third class passengers, first class accommodation not being provided.

By July 1946, the LMS timetable showed ten weekdays passenger trains to St Helens, still described as 'one class only'. British Railways took over the LMSR on 1 January 1948 and withdrew the passenger service on 18 June 1951, closing the station.

Use of the line by freight trains and post-closure history

Freight trains continued to pass through the village for a few more years, before these, too, were withdrawn on 6 July 1964 and the railway line was closed and lifted. Much of the railway's route through Rainford has been converted to a 'linear park', with shorter stretches used for housing.