Facilities
The station is unmanned. A ticket vending machine is in place for purchase of tickets or promise to pay coupons and for the collection of pre-paid tickets. The old station buildings are now privately owned and have been adapted for use as the 'Station House' cafe. Waiting shelters, CIS displays and timetable information poster boards are provided on each platform - train running information is also available via a public telephone. Step-free access is available to both platforms.Services
The station gets one train per hour westbound to Chester railway station, Chester and one train per hour eastbound to Manchester Piccadilly railway station, Manchester Piccadilly. 18 trains per day run to Chester, with 17 running towards Manchester. On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service each way, with 7 trains in each direction. The majority of services are run by Northern Trains, Northern British Rail Class 150, Class 150 trains, with some British Rail Class 156, Class 156's also serving the station. There have been repeated plans for a half-hourly service in each direction - it was a part of the 2015 franchise agreement - though this has been repeatedly delayed due to capacity constraints between Stockport and Manchester and is yet, as of January 2022, to be implemented. As of the December 2008 timetable, there were two additional weekday peak services to and from Stockport. On Sundays, a two-hourly service to Chester and Manchester was introduced, with the latter continuing to Southport railway station, Southport, via Wigan Wallgate railway station, Wigan Wallgate and Bolton railway station, Bolton. Prior to the new service, trains to Manchester had not operated on Sundays since the early 1990s. Passengers had to change at Altrincham railway station, Altrincham on to the Manchester Metrolink to continue their journeys. Services beyond Manchester were terminated in the May 2010 timetable change, with all current trains now calling at Manchester Piccadilly and no further.Proposed future developments
As part of Northern's proposed December 2022 timetable (which focuses on additional services within the Manchester area), an additional 4 trains per day between Chester and Stockport (2 in each direction) have been proposed during peak hours on Mondays to Saturdays. These services are aimed at those who are commuting to and/or working in Manchester and Stockport. This change will increase the number of trains departing Chester on the line to 20 per day, with the number departing Stockport also increased to 20 per day. The 2 hourly Sunday service will remain the same, at 7 trains per day. >References
Further reading
* Railway stations in Cheshire DfT Category F1 stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1870 Former Cheshire Lines Committee stations Northern franchise railway stationsExternal links