Kirkdale railway station is a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
in
Kirkdale,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, located to the north of the city centre on the
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, two ...
of the
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line and Wirral Line, which are dedicated electri ...
network. It acts as the interchange between the branches to
Kirkby
Kirkby ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. The town, historically in Lancashire, has a size of is north of Huyton and north-east of Liverpool. The population in 2016 was 41,495 making it the largest ...
and
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread.
Geography and administr ...
; these lines diverge just north of the station.
Kirkdale TMD
Kirkdale TMD is a traction maintenance depot located beside Kirkdale railway station in north Liverpool, England. The depot is the largest on the Merseyrail network; it is located on the Northern Line and is used primarily for stabling units, h ...
train maintenance depot, the largest depot on the Merseyrail Network, is located adjacent to the station.
History
The station originally opened as Bootle Lane was built by the
Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway
The Liverpool, Ormskirk & Preston Railway in north-west England was formed in 1846. It was purchased by the East Lancashire Railway the following year and opened to traffic on 2 April 1849.
The railway ran from a junction with the Liverpool an ...
and
Liverpool and Bury Railway
The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching off to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan a ...
at the start of their joint line into
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, opening in 1848. In 1977 it became part of the
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line and Wirral Line, which are dedicated electri ...
network's Northern Line.
Five tunnels
The station is aligned north–south. When facing north, five tunnel portals can be seen north of the platforms.
To the west lies a cluster of three very short tunnels, running under a road. These tunnels were to give greater throughput, and are all on the same line. The westernmost tunnel is used for shunting. The next tunnel is the main Merseyrail Northern Line tunnel. The third tunnel is disused, but was in use until 1968 as the fast line for expresses to Yorkshire and Manchester.
To the east is a cluster of two tunnels. The easternmost tunnel was an abandoned project. The adjacent tunnel runs in tunnels and cuttings to the disused
Walton on the Hill station, and was a part of the
North Liverpool Extension Line
The North Liverpool Extension Line was a railway line in Liverpool, England in operation between 1879 and 1972. It was at one stage intended to become the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop, an orbital line circling the city.
Histo ...
. This section of line was used from 1879 to 1979; however, trains running on it never called at Kirkdale station.
Freight lines
Two freight lines passed through or under the station.
The busy
Canada Dock Branch
The Canada Dock Branch is a 4-mile 59 chain (7.62 kilometre) long railway line in Liverpool, England. The line's route is from the large Edge Hill rail junction in the east of Liverpool to Seaforth Dock to the north. The line was originally ...
freight-only line serving
Liverpool Docks
The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the ...
passes under the station, roughly north-east to south-west, via a tunnel.
The North Liverpool Extension Line, also referred to as the eastern section of the Outer Loop, emerged from the north out of a tunnel next to the station, running parallel to the west platform. This section of line was used from 1879 to 1979.
Facilities
The station (as is usual for most on Merseyrail) is fully staffed throughout the hours of service all week. The platforms are fully accessible and step-free (as noted above) and there are shelters, customer information screens and timetable poster boards on each platform. Train running information is also offered by automated announcements. The station has two car-parking spaces for disabled users and cycle racks for 10 cycles.
Services
Trains operate every 15 minutes, Monday-Saturday daytime to either Kirkby or Ormskirk to the north, and every 5 or 10 minutes to
Liverpool Central
Liverpool Central railway station in Liverpool, England, forms a central hub of the Merseyrail network, being on both the Northern Line and the Wirral Line. The station is located underground on two levels, below the site of a former mainline ...
to the south. During the evenings after 20:00 and all day Sundays, services are every 30 minutes to Kirkby and Ormskirk, and every 15 minutes to Liverpool.
Gallery
Image:Kirkdale to Rice Lane Railway Tunnel (geograph 2995961).jpg, The railway tunnel to Rice Lane, viewed from the end of the platform
Image:A5090 bridge, Kirkdale Railway Station (geograph 2995954).jpg, The A5090 road bridge, at the end of the platform
Image:508137 arriving at Kirkdale Railway Station (geograph 2995898).jpg, A Merseyrail Class 508 arrives with a service to Liverpool.
Image:Kirkdale railway station - 2012-09-29 (1).JPG, The station with Kirkdale TMD in the distance
References
External links
{{Railway stations served by Merseyrail
Railway stations in Liverpool
DfT Category E stations
Former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway stations
Railway stations served by Merseyrail
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1848