Belle Vue railway station serves the area of

Belle Vue, Manchester Belle Vue is an area of Manchester, England, east of the city centre, bordered by the Hope Valley Line on the east and the Glossop Line on the west. Belle Vue is part of the electoral ward of Longsight. Belle Vue railway station lies on the ...

, England.

History

The station was built by the

Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee The Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1869 as a joint venture between the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Origins For many years the Midland had b ...

and opened on 1 September 1875. It was located on the line between

New Mills New Mills is a town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a deep gorge cut t ...

and Manchester London Road (now Piccadilly). A joint venture of the

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsb ...

and the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...

, it was a shorter route than the already existing one through Hyde Junction, and was used by the latter's main line expresses from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

until 1880, when they began running via Stockport Tiviot Dale into Manchester Central It was popular with visitors to

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, opened in 1836. The brainchild of John Jennison, the gardens were initially intended to be an entert ...

, set up by John Jennison in 1836. After the zoo's closure in the early 1980s, usage of the station plummeted. All that remains of the original station is that part of the footbridge which crosses the running lines.

Facilities

The original station had four platforms. The main building with booking office and parcels office was located on the west side of the railway and the platforms were linked by a raised footbridge. Only two platforms remain in 2017, whilst there are no surviving buildings present other than standard waiting shelters on each platform. Train running information is offered via timetable posters and telephone. No step-free access available, as entry and exit on both sides is via a pair of stepped ramps from the main road.

Services

The station has a two-hourly weekday service in each direction, northbound to Manchester Piccadilly and southbound to , with extra trains at peak times. Saturdays and some peak services see services run to on the same frequency.Northern Rail Timetable 22 - Manchester to Rose Hill/New Mills Central
www.northernrail.org; Retrieved 2013-08-08 There is no Sunday service.

References and bibliography

*Butt, R.V.J., The Directory of Railway Stations, 1995, Patrick Stephens Ltd,

External links

Railway stations in Manchester DfT Category F2 stations Former Great Central and Midland Joint Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1875 Northern franchise railway stations {{GreaterManchester-railstation-stub