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The Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway was a railway line that was in operation from 1 November 1853 to 7 July 1985. The railway was created by an act of parliament on 3 July 1851 to build a line between Timperley Junction on the
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJ&AR) was a suburban railway which operated an route between Altrincham in Cheshire and Manchester London Road railway station (now Piccadilly) in Manchester.
The MSJ&AR line operat ...
(MSJAR), to provide a through route to Manchester, and
Warrington Arpley on the
St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway providing a link with
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 ...
.
Renaming
A bill to build an extension, designed by
Thomas Brassey
Thomas Brassey (7 November 18058 December 1870) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about o ...
, to Stockport was authorised on 4 August 1853 also renamed the railway company to the Warrington and Stockport Railway.
Opening
The Warrington and Stockport Railway (W&SR) was opened on 1 November 1853 from a temporary station at Wilderspool in Warrington to a station at Altrincham which later became
Broadheath. Delays in the delivery of iron work for the bridges over the
Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...
and
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, Greater Manchester, Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was ...
meant that the line was initially isolated from the rest of the railway network. The line was opened throughout from 1 May 1854 although passenger trains terminated at Broadheath until the W&SR and MSJAR could agree on charges for passengers travelling beyond there to Manchester via Timperley.
A link with Stockport was achieved when the
Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway
The Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway(ST&AJR) was authorised by an Act of Parliament, passed on 22 July 1861 to build a railway from to Altrincham.
History
The 1861 Act was for a locally promoted line supported by the Ma ...
(ST&AJ) opened its line on 1 February 1866 from
Broadheath Junction Broadheath may refer to the following places in England:
*Broadheath (a local government electoral ward in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire)
*Broadheath (a local government electoral ward in Torridge District, Devon)
*Broadheath, Greater Manchester ...
on the W&SR to
Skelton Junction
Skelton Junction is a complex of railway junctions to the south of Manchester in Timperley, near Altrincham. Both the Cheshire Lines Committee's Liverpool to Manchester line, via the Glazebrook East Junction to Skelton Junction Line and the LN ...
on the newly opened line from
Deansgate Junction to Stockport.
The
LNWR
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lond ...
operated the line from opening and on 1 January 1861 bought it. On 9 July 1893 the line was re-routed to allow for the
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the river ...
, which would open in 1894, the canal being crossed by the high level
Latchford Viaduct.
Closure
Passenger trains on the line ended on 10 September 1962. The line to the east of Latchford closed completely on 7 July 1985. The line was still busy at this time but extensive (and costly) repairs would have been needed to the Latchford Viaduct for continued operation – these were deemed not to be economically justifiable given that the remaining freight traffic could be diverted via alternative routes and there was no desire to extend the Manchester tram system to Warrington.
Current status and future plans
The trackbed between Latchford and Broadheath now forms part of the
Trans Pennine Trail
The Trans Pennine Trail is a long-distance path running from coast to coast across Northern England entirely on surfaced paths and using only gentle gradients (it runs largely along disused railway lines and canal towpaths). It forms part of ...
. Current plans for
HS2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
show it may cross the line between Heatley and Carr Green.
In March 2015 a planning application was submitted to build up to 280 homes on the former route in Latchford. This would involve levelling the railway embankment to the west of Latchford viaduct. However as of 2020, nothing has been approved nor planned to continue due to the line being protected by the council.
In August 2019, the town council announced they were looking to build a mass transit network that would involve crossing the canal and have identified but yet to confirm it will go ahead. The line at Latchford. They also have announced in their proposal that any disused rail corridor in the borough is protected from development so it may be used again for either rail or different transport.
In March 2020, a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway fund to get funds for a feasibility study into reinstating the line between Warrington and Stockport. This bid was unsuccessful.
In November 2021 the UK Government announced its
Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands or more simply, the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), is a United Kingdom government proposal published on 18 November 2021. It aims to deliver "increased capacity, faster journeys or more frequent ser ...
, part of which proposes the reuse of part of the line to connect Liverpool to
HS2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
via Warrington and involves reinstating the low-level platforms at Warrington Bank Quay station
Stations
*
Warrington Arpley railway station
Warrington Arpley railway station was a station located on the south side of Wilson Patten Street, Warrington, England at the junction of St Helens Railway and Warrington and Stockport Railway
The Warrington and Altrincham Junction Rail ...
*
Latchford railway station
Latchford railway station was a station in Latchford, Cheshire, England. The first station at Latchford was called Latchford and Grappenhall Road and opened in 1853; this was renamed ''Latchford'' in June 1854 but it closed in 1893, when a new ...
*
Thelwall railway station
Thelwall railway station was a station to the south of Stockport Road A56 road, Thelwall, England, at the junction of St Helens Railway and Warrington and Stockport Railway. It opened in June 1854; and it closed to passengers on 17 September 19 ...
*
Lymm railway station
Lymm railway station was a station to the west of Whitbarrow Road, Lymm, England on the Warrington and Stockport Railway. It opened in 1853; and it closed in 1962. The railway was absorbed by the LNWR
The London and North Western Railway ( ...
*
Heatley & Warburton railway station
Heatley & Warburton railway station was located in Heatley near Warburton, Greater Manchester. It opened in 1853 and closed in 1962.
Construction and opening
The Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway (W&AJR) built its railway line from W ...
*
Dunham Massey railway station
Dunham Massey railway station was a station in England, serving the Dunham Massey. The station opened in 1854 and closed in 1962.
Construction and opening
The Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway (W&AJR) built its railway line from Warri ...
*
Broadheath railway station
Broadheath (Altrincham) railway station served Broadheath and the northern part of Altrincham in Cheshire, England, between its opening in 1853 and closure in 1962.
Station construction, opening and ownership
The station was built by the Warri ...
References
Sources
*
* {{cite book, first=G.O., last=Holt, title=A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain – vol.10 The North West, publisher=David & Charles, year=1986, isbn=0-946537-34-8
Closed railway lines in North West England
Rail transport in Greater Manchester
Rail transport in Cheshire
Early British railway companies
London and North Western Railway
Railway companies established in 1851
Railway lines opened in 1853
1851 establishments in England
Closed railway lines in Greater Manchester