Wikipedia

Old railway lines in Wigan

The railway system in Wigan started development in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution. The first railway built in the town was the Wigan Branch Railway which was opened on 3 September 1832 to serve the many collieries in the area; this was a branch line of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first inter-city railway.[1] By the turn of the 20th century, Wigan had numerous railway stations widely available across the borough, used by both freight and passengers. Many of the lines were originally built for freight which were later converted, as the owners saw the profitability of allowing passengers, to carry passenger trains.[citation needed]

A Railway Clearing House map showing railway lines around Wigan in 1907

After the Beeching Report (1963), which led to many low-usage railway lines and stations closing across the country, some railways and stations around Wigan fell into disuse. The Manchester and Wigan Railway closed in 1969,[2] the Chorley-to-Wigan line (operated by the Lancashire Union Railway) closed to passengers in 1960 and to goods on 25 May 1971,[3] and one of the last lines to close was the Whelley Loop which was closed to both freight and passengers in 1976.[4]

History

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Railways were used as a more efficient way of transporting goods and resources around the country with more speed and efficiency than canals. This led to more and more pit owners creating private industrial railways running from the canals and spurring off mainlines, right up to their pits.[citation needed]

Closed stations

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Site of Hindley and Platt Bridge station in November 2008

Contemporary railways

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As of 2022, there are two major stations in the town. Wigan North Western (managed by Avanti West Coast) is on the West Coast Main Line, served by trains from London, Manchester Airport and Birmingham to the North and Scotland. South of the station there is a connecting line through Bryn to St Helens and Liverpool; this was electrified in May 2015. Wigan Wallgate (managed by Northern) is served by trains from Manchester via either Bolton or Atherton; the routes diverge east of Hindley. These continue west of Wigan Wallgate to Southport or, via Pemberton, to Kirkby, where there are connections to Liverpool.

References

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  1. ^ Sweeney, Dennis (2008), The Wigan Branch Railway, Triangle Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9550030-35
  2. ^ James 2004.
  3. ^ Suggitt, Gordon (2004). Lost Railways of Lancashire. Newbury: Countryside Books. pp. 132–6. ISBN 1-85306-801-2.
  4. ^ Suggitt, Gordon (2004). Lost Railways of Merseyside and Greater Manchester. Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-85306-869-0.
  5. ^ a b Butt 1995, p. xxx.
  6. ^ Quick 2022, p. 65.
  7. ^ a b c Dow 1962, p. 194.
  8. ^ "Bickershaw & Abram". Disused Stations UK.
  9. ^ James 2004, p. 47.
  10. ^ Marshall 1969, p. 67.
  11. ^ Butt 1995, p. 38.
  12. ^ Dow 1965, pp. 9–12.
  13. ^ "Golborne North". Disused Stations UK.
  14. ^ Bradshaw 1839, p. 15.
  15. ^ Bradshaw 1843, p. 44.
  16. ^ Reed 1969, p. 55.
  17. ^ Quick 2022, p. 212.
  18. ^ Clinker 1978, p. 55.
  19. ^ Butt 1995, pp. 120–121.
  20. ^ "Lower Ince". Disused Stations UK.
  21. ^ Butt 1995, p. 74.
  22. ^ a b Butt 1995, p. 186.
  23. ^ "Red Rock Station", Disused Stations
  24. ^ Butt 1995, p. 218.
  25. ^ Quick 2009, p. 405.
  26. ^ James 2004, p. 46.
  27. ^ "Wigan Central". Disused Stations UK.
  28. ^ Quick 2022, p. 483.
  29. ^ Dow, George (1962). Great Central, Volume Two Dominion of Watkin 1864-1899. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-7110-1469-5. OCLC 655324061.
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