Irlam railway station in

Irlam Irlam is a suburb in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, it had a population of 19,933. It lies on flat ground on the south side of the M62 motorway and the north bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Salfo ...

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 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 ...

, is west of

Manchester Oxford Road Manchester Oxford Road railway station is a railway station in Manchester, England, at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Oxford Street. It opened in 1849 and was rebuilt in 1960. It is the second busiest of the four stations in Manch ...

on the

Manchester to Liverpool Line 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 is operated by

Northern Trains Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT), after the previous operator Arriva Rail N ...

History

The original station, named Irlam, was opened by the Cheshire Lines Committee on 2 September 1873, on their route between Manchester Central and

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 mainl ...

. The station was renamed Irlam and Cadishead on 1 August 1879. The construction of 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 ri ...

, which opened on 1 January 1894, required the railway line to be raised in order to provide clearance for shipping, so a new line was built parallel but at a higher level. The new line was used by goods trains from 9 January 1893, and on 26 March 1893 passenger trains were also transferred to the deviation, the original station being closed and replaced by the present station. In August 1954, the station was renamed Irlam for Cadishead, reverting to Irlam on 6 May 1974. Irlam railway station in 1988

Facilities

The station is unstaffed, despite being used by over 350,000 passengers a year. The next station on the line, Flixton, is at least partially staffed although its usage is much less. A ticket machine is now available for use, both for purchasing tickets and collecting ones bought in advance. Shelters, digital information screens and timetable poster boards are provided on both platforms. Step-free access is available only on the eastbound side. After lying derelict for nearly twenty-five years, the station building was renovated and reopened in March 2015. It now serves as a railway-themed cafe, with toilets, a cycle hub, and 60-space car park. Irlam station is unusual in that the track and platform is the wrong side of the station building on the Manchester side. This is due to the deviation of the line in 1893.

Services

Monday to Saturday services are roughly half-hourly in each direction, towards Glazebrook and Liverpool Lime Street to the west and towards Flixton and

in the east. An express service evening peak-time period (operated by

East Midlands Railway Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise. History In March 2017, the Department for Transport ...

in the evening) makes an additional stop at this station to cater for commuters working in

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 ...

. GB eNRT, May 2016 Edition, Table 89 Since December 2006, trains now serve the station on Sundays. This is the first Sunday service at this station in over twenty years, with an hourly service operating in both directions.

City of Salford The City of Salford () is a metropolitan borough within Greater Manchester, England. The borough is named after its main settlement, Salford. The borough covers the towns of Eccles, Swinton, Walkden and Pendlebury, as well as the villag ...

council has advised locals to use the service or it may be withdrawn.

References

External links

Friends of Irlam Station website
{{Railway stations served by TransPennine Express Railway stations in Salford DfT Category F1 stations Former Cheshire Lines Committee stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1873 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1893 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1893 Railway stations served by East Midlands Railway Northern franchise railway stations Railway stations served by TransPennine Express