Huyton railway station

Huyton
Northern Class 150 heading to Liverpool in 2014
Location
Place	Huyton
Local authority	Knowsley
Grid reference	SJ440906
Operations
Station code	HUY
Managed by	Northern
Number of platforms	4 (3 in use)
DfT category	D
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.393 million
2005/06	0.430 million
2006/07	0.426 million
2007/08	0.427 million
2008/09	1.189 million
2009/10	1.150 million
2010/11	1.235 million
2011/12	1.234 million
2012/13	1.150 million
2013/14	0.990 million
2014/15	0.953 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	Merseytravel
Zone	C1/A3/C2/C3
History
1830	Opened
2010	Renovated
2015	Electrification and reopening of disused platforms
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Huyton from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Huyton railway station serves the area of Huyton in Merseyside, England. The station acts as an interchange between the Liverpool-Wigan Line and the northern route of the Liverpool-Manchester Line which diverge soon after the station. It is one of the busier stations on these lines. The station is close to the shopping centre and bus station.

History

Huyton station was opened in 1830 as part of George Stephenson's Liverpool and Manchester Railway,^[1] and as such is one of the oldest passenger railway stations in the world. The station was originally named as Huyton Lane Gate, then as Huyton Lane by 1839, and finally as Huyton around 1852.^[2] The oldest surviving station buildings are from the LNWR period.^[2] Until the 1970s, Huyton station had four platforms, but the two platforms on the northern side of the station (Platforms 3 and 4) were closed, and the track was lifted.

2010 modernisation

Almost £1 million was spent in modernising the station in 2010. The works include a new canopy on Platform 1, a new waiting shelter on Platform 2 and a new disability compliant toilet was also installed. Improvements also included updating the subway which provided better lighting, state-of-the-art CCTV and new seating areas.^[3]

Liverpool to Manchester electrification

As part of the electrification of the Liverpool-Manchester Line, Platform 3 was brought back into use in time for the December 2014 timetable change.^[4] This work also saw the station signal box closed and demolished as part of the associated resignalling scheme, which controlled the line between Roby and Rainhill (Earlestown line)/Prescot (Wigan line). The last few semaphore signals, which it formerly controlled, were removed in September 2012. Electrification has been in place since March 2015.

Future

Platform 4 is in the process of being re-instated,^[4] as part of the improvements involved with the Liverpool to Manchester and Wigan electrification. From December 2017, the new northern rail franchisee Arriva Rail North - operating under the brand 'Northern' - will also run through trains from here to Leeds via Manchester and Bradford Interchange.^[5]

Facilities

Huyton is staffed and open for approximately 18 hours a day and is equipped with a booking office, a payphone and a vending machine. There is undercover seating on each platform, as well as customer help points and live departure and arrival screens. Recent improvements include lifts to the platforms and ramped walkways^[6] from the subway, to allow step-free access to the platforms for passengers with wheelchairs or prams. Portable ramps are also available for access from the platforms to trains.^[7] The station is close to Huyton bus station and the local shopping centre.^[8] The station also has its own car park, a taxi rank and cycle racks.^[9]

Services

The station is situated on the Liverpool to Wigan Line and Stephenson's Liverpool to Manchester Line, with the junction between the two lines being to the east of the station. The station has regular services, which involve approximately 20–30 minutes of travel, to Liverpool, Manchester and Wigan. There are 10 trains per hour calling at the station, all operated by Northern or its subsidiary brand of Northern Electrics. (The TransPennine express between Liverpool and Newcastle upon Tyne passes through but does not stop.)

A Northern Electrics Class 319 at the newly reopened platform 3, in 2015.

• 1tph to Warrington Bank Quay calling at:

Whiston, Rainhill, Lea Green, St Helens Junction, Earlestown and Warrington Bank Quay

• 2tph to Wigan North Western calling at:

Prescot, Eccleston Park, Thatto Heath, St Helens Central, Garswood, Bryn and Wigan North Western

• 1tph to Manchester Victoria calling at:

Whiston, Rainhill, Lea Green, St Helens Junction, Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows, Patricroft, Eccles and Manchester Victoria

• 1tph to Preston calling at:

St Helens Central, Wigan North Western, Euxton Balshaw Lane, Leyland, and Preston. Limited service (2 per day) to Kirkham and Wesham and Blackpool North. All services extended through to Blackpool on Sundays.

• 5tph to Liverpool Lime Street calling at:

Roby (4tph), Broad Green (4tph), Wavertree Tech Park (4tph), Edge Hill (4tph) and Liverpool Lime Street

1tph runs non-stop. Most of these are extended to Liverpool South Parkway off-peak.^[10]

Gallery

• 

  The station building, viewed from the road.

• 

  The station building, viewed from the platform.

• 

  A First TransPennine Class 185 passes the signal box.

• 

  The former signal box at the end of platform 2, demolished in 2014.

References

1. "Huyton Timeline". Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
2. "The Liverpool and Manchester". The 8D Association. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
3. Bartlett, David (2009-12-01). "Revamp for Huyton train station". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
4. "Roby and Huyton Station Upgrade" (PDF). Merseytravel. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
5. Northern Franchise Improvements - DfT
6. "Improving the railway at Huyton and Roby". Network Rail. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
7. "Huyton (HUY)". National Rail. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
8. "Huyton bus station" (PDF). Merseytravel. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
9. "Huyton Station Plan". National Rail. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
10. GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 90

External links

• Train times and station information for Huyton railway station from National Rail

Coordinates: 53°24′36″N 2°50′35″W / 53.410°N 2.843°W