Bowker Vale is a

tram stop A tram stop, tram station, streetcar stop, or light rail station is a place designated for a tram, streetcar, or light rail vehicle to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Generally, tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, ...

in the suburban areas of Bowker Vale and

Blackley Blackley is a suburban area of Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is approximately north of Manchester city centre, on the River Irk. History The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The name derives from ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

, England. It is on the

Bury Line The Bury Line is a tram line of the Manchester Metrolink running from Manchester city centre to Bury in Greater Manchester. Originally a railway line, it was, along with the Altrincham Line, converted into a tram line during 1991–92, as pa ...

's light rail Metrolink system.

History

The station is adjacent to the site of the original Bowker Vale railway station, opened on 26 September 1938 by the

London Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...

. The architecture of the station buildings and footbridge is a striking example of 1930s concrete design, perhaps inspired by the developments on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...

at the time. The tram stop opened to passengers on 6 April 1992 as part of Phase 1 of the system's expansion and is on the border between the

Metropolitan Borough of Bury The Metropolitan Borough of Bury is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, just north of Manchester, to the east of Bolton and west of Rochdale. The borough is centred around the town of Bury but also includes othe ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. The station forms part of Metrolink Ticketing Zone C. The bottom of the embankment to the north-east of the station forms part of the boundary between the

City of Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...

and the

between the districts of Prestwich,

and

Crumpsall Crumpsall is an outer suburb and electoral ward of Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, bordered by Cheetham Hill, Blackley, Harpurhey, Broughton, and Prestwich. The population at the 2011 census was 15,959. Historically par ...

. The station is situated between Middleton Road and Windsor Road, three passageways provide public access to the station. Ticket machines are located on each platform. There is a public telephone located on the Bury-bound platform.

Services

Services mostly run every 12 minutes on 2 routes, forming a 6-minute service between Bury and Manchester at peak times.

Connecting bus routes

From the station-adjacent bus stop, First Greater Manchester service 59 travel to

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

. The 59 via Middleton before continuing to Rushcroft via Shaw. Go North West service 41 travels towards Sale via

and

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

. Stagecoach Greater Manchester service 41 also run Middleton in weekday evenings. On the opposite side of Middleton Road from the station bus 59 travel towards

, as does Stagecoach service 41, with services 41 calling at

North Manchester General Hospital North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH) is a large NHS hospital in Crumpsall, North Manchester, England. It is operated by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. There is an accident and emergency unit, together with a maternity unit, high ...

and

en route.

References

External links

Bowker Vale Stop InformationBowker Vale area map
{{Greater Manchester Metrolink stations Tram stops in Manchester Former London, Midland and Scottish Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1938 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1991 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1992 Tram stops on the Altrincham to Bury line Tram stops on the Bury to Ashton-under-Lyne line