Gathurst railway station

Gathurst railway station is a two-platform railway station on the outskirts of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The station is on the Southport line 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 kilometres) north west of Wigan Wallgate station. It is currently operated by Northern Trains.

Gathurst
Gathurst railway station in 2015, the L&YR-era station building is now a public house.
General information
Location	Gathurst, Wigan England
Grid reference	SD541071
Managed by	Northern Trains
Transit authority	Greater Manchester
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	GST
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Opened	9 April 1855 (1855-04-09)
Original company	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
about 1934	renamed Gathurst for Shevington
5 May 1975	renamed Gathurst
Passengers
2019/20	106,722
2020/21	14,426
2021/22	71,014
2022/23	80,454
2023/24	73,518
Location
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The main stone-built station building survives adjacent to the Wigan-bound platform, but is now in use for non-railway purposes (as a public house), modest shelters now being provided on both platforms for rail travellers.

History

The station opened on 9 April 1855 when the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) opened the line from Wigan Wallgate to Southport London Street, the line and station had been planned, authorised and construction started by the Manchester and Southport Railway before it was acquired by the L&YR on 3 July 1854. The main stone-built station building (no longer in use) was built during this time, in the standard L&YR style which had been described as "solid, substantial, well built of stone in the Elizabethan style, neat without undue ornament".

The station was renamed Gathurst for Shevington around 1934 and then back to Gathurst on 5 May 1975.

The L&YR amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922 and in turn was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923. Nationalisation followed in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways until the privatisation of British Rail. The goods yard served as an exchange with the ICI Nobels Roburite Works narrow gauge railway.

Facilities

The station is unmanned and has no ticket machine, so all tickets must be bought prior to travel or on the train. Train running information can be obtained by phone and timetable posters. There is step-free access to both platforms.

Services

On Monday to Saturday daytimes, there are two trains an hour westbound to Southport and eastbound to Wigan. Beyond here, services run via Bolton to either Stalybridge via Manchester Victoria or Manchester Oxford Road (services beyond there towards Manchester Piccadilly and points south ended at the winter 2022 timetable change). Only a limited number now run via Atherton, mainly at peak times and late evenings (travellers to these destinations and for stations along the Calder Valley line now need to change at Wigan).

Sunday services are hourly each way and continue to Blackburn eastbound.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Appley Bridge		Northern Trains Manchester–Southport line		Wigan Wallgate

Bibliography

• Grant, Donald J. (2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain (1st ed.). Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78803-768-6.
• Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Vol. 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-4352-4.
• Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society.

External links

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