Navigation Road is a station that serves both

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 ...

and

Manchester Metrolink Manchester Metrolink (branded locally simply as Metrolink) is a tram/ light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Ki ...

located in the east of

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population ...

, in

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 consists of a Northern-operated heavy rail station on the Mid-Cheshire Line, and an adjoining light rail stop on the

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

of Greater Manchester's Metrolink network. The original heavy rail element of the station was opened by 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 ...

in 1931, and the Metrolink element opened in 1992. A

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The term a ...

operates at the southern end of the station.

History

The station originally opened on 20 July 1931 on the

(MSJAR) following the electrification of that line, and was referred to as ''Navigation Road (Altrincham)'' on early tickets, timetables, etc. British Rail electric trains between Manchester and Altrincham ceased serving the station on 24 December 1991. The former Altrincham-bound (down) platform has since been used for Mid-Cheshire Line trains and the former Manchester-bound (up) platform reopened as a Metrolink stop on 15 June 1992. Freight trains also operate through Navigation Road, including heavy block trains carrying limestone from quarries at Tunstead (near Buxton) to alkali works at Northwich.

Facilities

There is a car park on the Metrolink side of the station with 65 spaces plus 5 disabled spaces. In January 2018 a ticket machine was installed within the shelter on the heavy rail side of the station. Pre-ordered tickets can be collected here as well as buying tickets for journeys from this station. The nearest hospitality venues to the Navigation Road stop ar
The Waiting Room Cafe at A4 studios
an
The Hive by VH Interiors a General Store & Beverage Bar
both located on Grosvenor Road on the way into Altrincham.

Services

Rail

Navigation Road is served by an hourly train service between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester via Stockport and Northwich, which is run by

, with additional trains at peak times. The Sunday service originally ran only between Chester and Altrincham thus not serving Navigation Road, with passengers connecting onto the Metrolink at Altrincham for stations to Manchester, however a 2-hourly Sunday service to Manchester and beyond is now in place.

Metrolink

Trams at Navigation Road station, near Altrincham, Cheshire - geograph

Navigation Road is located on the Altrincham Line with trams towards Altrincham stopping every 6 minutes during the day Monday to Saturday and every 12 minutes Monday to Saturday evenings and on Sundays. In the opposite direction, trams head towards Piccadilly and Bury, with the Monday to Saturday daytime service running every 12 minutes to both Piccadilly and Bury. Evening and Sunday journeys run to Piccadilly only. As of January 2019, Navigation Road is located in Metrolink fare zone 4.

Service pattern

*10 trams per hour to Altrincham (5 off-peak) *5 trams per hour to Bury (peak only) *5 trams per hour to Piccadilly.

Bus

Navigation Road station is served by Diamond Bus routes 285, which runs anti-clockwise, and 286, which runs clockwise, both running every hour. These routes run between Altrincham Interchange and Timperley, as a circular service.

References

External links

National Rail Enquiries - Station Facilities for Navigation RoadMetrolink Times Information and Stop InformationNavigation Road Metrolink area map

Picture of Navigation Road station The Trams.co.uk

Mid-Cheshire Community Rail Partnership
{{Buildings and structures in Trafford Borough Railway stations in Trafford DfT Category F2 stations Tram stops in Trafford Former Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1931 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1991 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1992 Northern franchise railway stations Tram stops on the Altrincham to Bury line Tram stops on the Altrincham to Piccadilly line