Westhoughton railway station

Railway station in Greater Manchester, England

Westhoughton

Westhoughton railway station in 2015

General information
Location| Westhoughton, Bolton
England
Grid reference| SD654067
Managed by| Northern Trains
Transit authority| Transport for Greater Manchester
Platforms| 2
Other information
Station code| WHG
Classification| DfT category F1
History
Opened| 1848
Passengers
2019/20|  0.199 million
2020/21|  55,874
2021/22|  0.165 million
2022/23|  0.180 million
2023/24|  0.164 million

Location

Notes

Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Westhoughton railway station is one of the two stations which serve the town of Westhoughton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, north-western England. The station is 15+1⁄2 miles (24.9 km) north west of Manchester Piccadilly.

## History

[edit]

It is the only station on a line connecting the Manchester-Preston Line at Lostock Junction and the Manchester-Southport Line at Hindley near Wigan. It was opened in 1848, along with the line, by the Liverpool and Bury Railway, when the route between the two via Wigan and Bolton was completed. It subsequently became part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

The station is in Church Street, about ten minutes walk from the town centre. Westhoughton is also served by Daisy Hill railway station, around 15 minutes on foot from the town centre, on the Manchester-Southport Line, via Atherton.

Unlike the town's other station at Daisy Hill, Westhoughton station has been unstaffed since 1974, when all the trackside and roadside buildings were demolished. This is despite the fact that Westhoughton enjoyed similar levels of patronage and at the time was the more likely of the two to remain open as the line through Daisy Hill was regularly threatened with closure or at the very least a reduction in the number of stations.From 2004 to 2012, passenger usage increased by 231%.[1] The station's passenger usage seems set to grow further, as there has been considerable housing development on brownfield land, which was the site of a mine, within a few hundred yards of the station, as the town continues to grow as a commuter suburb.[2]

In the late 1980s, Westhoughton very nearly had a new third station at Dobb Brow, and planning went as far as allowing the proposed station to appear on railway maps as "may open during the course of this timetable". At the last moment, however, plans were shelved. In 2000, these plans were revived, but did not come to fruition.[3]

In 2008, unspecified development was planned for the station as part of GMPTE's plans to impose a congestion charge on drivers entering Manchester city centre at peak times, and use the funds raised to upgrade public transport provision. The scheme was dropped after the proposal was substantially rejected in a referendum.[4]

## Location and facilities

[edit]

There are neither toilets nor refreshment facilities, nor a payphone since 2011. A card-only ticket machine and "remote travel information" are provided by information screens and automated announcements on each platform.

Until 2013, The Commercial pub stood next door to the station, when it was closed and put up for sale.

Westhoughton station is approximately a fifteen-minute walk from Westhoughton town centre. Local buses 516, 520 and 521 stop outside the station entrance for connections to the town centre and also to Westhoughton's other station at Daisy Hill.

Access to the Bolton platform is by a long steep multi-stepped ramp and to the Wigan platform via a steep unstepped ramp.[5] Access to both platforms has not been improved for those with prams, pushchairs or wheelchairs.

There is a large free car park with unsignposted access to the station.

The station is partly maintained by the Friends of Westhoughton Station, a voluntary group set up in 2012 with the aim of brightening up the station and providing floral displays.[6][7]

## Services

[edit]

A Northern Rail Class 150, with a service to Wigan Wallgate in 2015 A Northern rail Class 150, with a service to Bolton in 2015

For many years Westhoughton had an hourly service.[8] Since the 1980s services have dramatically improved:

Since the December 2022 timetable change, the service pattern has been altered significantly. All westbound trains run to and from Southport, at a frequency of 2 trains per hour. Eastbound, there is one train per hour that runs semi-fast to Manchester Oxford Road and one per hour that calls at all stations to Stalybridge via Manchester Victoria \- this includes the daily parliamentary service to and from Clifton. All services run via Bolton and Salford Crescent. There are no longer regular trains to Wigan North Western on weekdays - passengers must change at Wigan Wallgate if travelling to these destinations, although there is one train to North Western later at night. On Sundays an hourly service runs from this station to Wigan North Western westbound and Stalybridge eastbound. The service to Southport operates via Walkden on a Sunday. On some weekends this service will be curtailed at Manchester Victoria due to ongoing works as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. All services are operated by Classes 150 and 156 diesel multiple units and Class 769 bi-mode units, although no 769s currently operate on Sundays.

On weekends, trains were replaced by buses until the end of 2018 due to ongoing electrification work on the Preston - Bolton - Salford Crescent route (which ran significantly behind schedule).

Regular through services to Liverpool via Wallgate and Kirkby once operated via Bolton/Westhoughton, which originally formed part of the Liverpool and Bury Railway and also the L&Y main line between Liverpool Exchange and Manchester, prior to the opening of the direct route through Swinton. However, since the western end of the route was electrified in 1978, Kirkby trains have either terminated at Wigan or been re-routed via Atherton.

Trains continuing to Bolton pass by, but cannot stop at, Lostock (Junction) station, as there are no platforms for the Wigan line. Passengers wishing to travel from Westhoughton to Preston and Blackpool must either change at Wigan Wallgate, usually crossing the road to Wigan North Western, a 100 yards walk, or via Bolton. Connections to London Euston can be made at Wigan, which is recommended as there is always only one change.

Between May and December 2015, the service pattern was altered temporarily due to the work being carried out to widen Farnworth Tunnel as part of the plans to electrify the Manchester to Preston Line. With only limited capacity south of Bolton, Manchester services were reduced to an hourly frequency, and curtailed at Bolton on Monday to Fridays, whilst weekend services were replaced by buses as Bolton station was also undergoing upgrade work for electrification. A peak hour bus shuttle to and from Daisy Hill was introduced to connect with those trains that had been diverted via Walkden, whilst westbound trains ran to Kirkby once again rather than Southport.[9] This timetable ended in December 2015, when the line through Farnworth Tunnel was reopened.

## Upgrade and electrification

[edit]

An upgrade and electrification to the railway line through the station was first announced in December 2013.[10] It was officially announced as definitely going ahead on 1 September 2021.[11] As of January 2022 electrification and associated work is in progress. This includes bridge renewals and modifications as well as platform lengthening and station modification.[12][13] The Bolton to Wigan electrification including Westhoughton station upgrade is scheduled for completion in 2024.[14] Scaffolds have been installed on the bridge over the station on Church Street in preparation for these works. The platforms at Westhoughton, Hindley and Ince will also be extended to fit 6-car trains, they can currently only fit 4 despite announcements at other stations saying that passengers for Westhoughton must board the front 3 coaches (of a 4-car train) to disembark.

In January 2024 further improvements were planned for Westhoughton station, as originally only vegetation and platform extension works were planned for the station. The improvements now also include resurfacing and repainting of the platforms, installing tactile paving as well as the installation of toilet facilities at the station. The Friends of Westhoughton Station group are also seeking upgrades to the waiting facilities on platform one and for step-free access at the station.[15]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "ORR Station Usage Statistics". Office of Rail and Road. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
2. ^ "Westhoughton". swanonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 October 2006.
3. ^ "BEN OPINION: Top priority on the trains". The Bolton News. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
4. ^ "Voters reject congestion charge". BBC News. 12 December 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
5. ^ "Westhoughton Station Plan". National Rail. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
6. ^ "Who we are". Friends of Westhoughton Station. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
7. ^ "New-look for Westhoughton railway station". MyWesthoughton. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
8. ^ BR Timetable 1973, table 95
9. ^ "Timetable 14 - Manchester to Southport, 2 May - 4 October 2015" (PDF). Northern Rail. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
10. ^ "Road and rail projects to boost local and regional transport". GOV.UK. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
11. ^ News, Mirage (1 September 2021). "Green light given for Wigan to Bolton electrification | Mirage News". www.miragenews.com. Retrieved 1 September 2021. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
12. ^ ""Absolutely horrendous" rail works keep residents up all night". The Bolton News. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
13. ^ "Powering ahead: bridge upgrade for Wigan to Bolton electrification". Network Rail Media Centre. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
14. ^ "Green light given for Wigan to Bolton electrification". GOV.UK. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
15. ^ "Train station undergoing huge transformation as part of major upgrades". The Bolton News. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Westhoughton railway station.

* Train times and station information for Westhoughton railway station from National Rail

Preceding station  |  National Rail | Following station

|
|

Hindley

| | Northern Trains

Southport/Wigan North Western \- Stalybridge

| |

Bolton

| Northern Trains

Southport \- Manchester Oxford Road
(Monday - Saturday only)

| Historical railways |
Hindley
Line and station open |  | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Liverpool and Bury Railway |  | Chew Moor
Line open, station closed

* v
* t
* e

Railway stations in Greater Manchester

Bolton|

* Blackrod
* Bolton
* Bromley Cross
* Daisy Hill
* Farnworth
* Hall i' th' Wood
* Horwich Parkway
* Kearsley
* Lostock
* Moses Gate
* Westhoughton

Bury|

* Bury Bolton Street †( Bury)
* Ramsbottom †
* Summerseat †

Manchester
(Manchester station group in italics)|

* Ardwick
* Ashburys
* Belle Vue
* Burnage
* Deansgate ( Deansgate-Castlefield)
* East Didsbury
* Gorton
* Levenshulme
* Manchester Airport
* Manchester Oxford Road
* Manchester Piccadilly
* Manchester Victoria
* Mauldeth Road
* Moston
* Ryder Brow

Oldham|

* Greenfield

Rochdale|

* Castleton
* Heywood †
* Littleborough
* Mills Hill
* Rochdale
* Smithy Bridge

Salford|

* Clifton
* Eccles ( Eccles)
* Irlam
* Moorside
* Patricroft
* Salford Central
* Salford Crescent
* Swinton
* Walkden

Stockport|

* Bramhall
* Bredbury
* Brinnington
* Cheadle Hulme
* Davenport
* Gatley
* Hazel Grove
* Heald Green
* Heaton Chapel
* Marple
* Middlewood
* Reddish North
* Reddish South
* Romiley
* Rose Hill Marple
* Stockport ( Stockport)
* Strines
* Woodley
* Woodsmoor

Tameside|

* Ashton-under-Lyne ( Ashton)( Ashton)
* Broadbottom
* Denton
* Fairfield
* Flowery Field
* Godley
* Guide Bridge
* Hattersley
* Hyde Central
* Hyde North
* Mossley
* Newton for Hyde
* Stalybridge

Trafford|

* Altrincham
* Chassen Road
* Flixton
* Hale
* Humphrey Park
* Manchester United Football Ground
* Navigation Road
* Trafford Park
* Urmston

Wigan|

* Atherton
* Bryn
* Gathurst
* Hag Fold
* Hindley
* Ince
* Orrell
* Pemberton
* Wigan North Western
* Wigan Wallgate ( Wigan)

† stations on the East Lancashire Railway (heritage)

* List of open stations
* List of closed stations
* TfGM
* Transport

* v
* t
* e

Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, England

Buildings|

* Astley Bridge Mill
* Bolton Town Hall
* Bolton Museum
* Bolton Steam Museum
* Bolton Union Mill
* Century Mill
* Eagley Mills
* Farnworth Town Hall
* 10 Firwood Fold
* 15 Firwood Fold
* Hall i' th' Wood
* Horwich Works
* Little Bolton Town Hall
* Kearsley Mill
* Lostock Hall Gatehouse
* Smithills Hall
* Swan Lane Mills
* Ye Olde Man & Scythe

Places of worship|

* All Souls
* Holy Trinity Church, Bolton
* Holy Trinity Church, Horwich
* St George's
* St James'
* St John the Evangelist's
* St Mary the Virgin's
* St Margaret's
* St Matthew's
* St Maxentius'
* St Patrick's
* St Peter's
* St Saviour's
* St Stephen and All Martyrs'
* St Thomas'
* Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Education|

* Bolton College
* Bolton Muslim Girls' School
* Bolton St Catherine's Academy
* Bolton School
* Bolton Sixth Form College
* Bolton TIC
* Canon Slade School
* Darul Uloom Bolton
* Essa Academy
* Harper Green School
* Kearsley Academy
* Ladybridge High School
* Little Lever School
* Mount St Joseph School
* Rivington and Blackrod High School
* St James's Church of England High School
* St Joseph's RC High School
* Sharples School
* Smithills School
* Thornleigh Salesian College
* Turton School
* University Collegiate School
* University of Bolton
* Westhoughton High School

Transportation|

* Bolton bus station
* Bolton Interchange
* Blackrod railway station
* Daisy Hill railway station
* Farnworth railway station
* Horwich Parkway railway station
* Kearsley railway station
* Lostock railway station
* Moses Gate railway station
* Westhoughton railway station

Shopping complexes|

* Bolton Market Hall
* Middlebrook

Sport and entertainment|

* Bolton Arena
* Bolton Little Theatre
* Octagon Theatre
* Toughsheet Community Stadium

Bridges|

* Prestolee Aqueduct
* Ringley Old Bridge

Others|

* Barrow Bridge
* Queen's Park
* Royal Bolton Hospital

Demolished|

* Bolton Royal Infirmary
* Burnden Park
* Chequerbent railway station
* Chequerbent railway station (1831)
* Daubhill railway station
* Grundy Hill
* Horwich railway station
* Lostock Junction Mills
* Westhoughton Mill

Lists|

* List of schools in Bolton
* List of mills in Bolton

Listed buildings in|

* Blackrod
* Bolton
* Farnworth
* Horwich
* Kearsley
* Little Lever
* South Turton
* Westhoughton

53°33′21″N 2°31′24″W﻿ / ﻿53.5558°N 2.5233°W﻿ / 53.5558; -2.5233
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