St Helens Central
Thatto Heath
Eccleston Park
Prescot
Lime StreetLiverpool Roby
Broad Huyton
GreenWavertree
Tech. Park WhistonRainhillSt Helens
JunctionNewton-le-Willows
EarlestownLea GreenBryn
GarswoodGolborne Junc.Wigan North WesternPatricroft
EcclesManchester
VictoriaManchester
PiccadillyManchester Oxford Road
DeansgateLIVERPOOL
SOUTH PARKWAYWARRINGTONWARRINGTONMANCHESTER AIRPORTROCHDALE
STAYLBRIDGEBOLTONWIGANPRESTONSt Helens Central
Thatto Heath
Eccleston Park
Prescot
Lime StreetLiverpool Roby
Broad Huyton
GreenWavertree
Tech. Park WhistonRainhillSt Helens
JunctionNewton-le-Willows
EarlestownLea GreenBryn
GarswoodGolborne Junc.Wigan North WesternPatricroft
EcclesManchester
VictoriaManchester
PiccadillyManchester Oxford Road
DeansgateLIVERPOOL
SOUTH PARKWAYWARRINGTONWARRINGTONMANCHESTER AIRPORTROCHDALE
STAYLBRIDGEBOLTONWIGANPRESTONLIVERPOOL AND
MANCHESTER ROUTE
72 Modern Railways April 2019 http://www.modern-railways.com
THEO STEEL suggests electrification has improved patronage on the Liverpool and Manchester route
T
he protracted delays with the Blackpool/
Preston to Manchester electrification
have rather overshadowed the fact
that electric services have been operating
from Liverpool to Manchester and Wigan since
May 2015. On these routes service frequency
on the local trains has not been increased,
and the only substantial change has been the
substitution of Class 319s in place of Pacers.
The growth in usage at intermediate stations
has been significant – 48% since 2011. The lines
out to Huyton were re-quadrupled, and of course
east of Golborne Junction TransPennine Express
electric trains from Manchester to Scotland use
the route before turning onto the West Coast
main line (although they will soon switch to the
newly-wired Bolton line). TPE trains to Newcastle
now run on the Liverpool and Manchester and
will soon convert to Class 802 operation.
Table 1 shows station usage on the two routes
in 1997-98, 2011-12 to give a pre-electrification
base, and for the last two years for which statistics
are available. In 2017-18 Liverpool Lime Street had
very restricted services during resignalling. Out to
Huyton inclusive, both local services share the route.
From 1997-98 to 2017-18 passenger numbers
have quadrupled overall. The pattern since 2011 is
more variable; Lea Green and Newton-le-Willows
now have one TPE train an hour in addition to the
Northern services, but four stations have doubled
their patronage. Between 2016-17 and 2017-18
only one station has declined at a time when
the network was not growing overall. aSparks effect: Northern’s No 319365 calls at Roby on
27 February 2019 with the 10.15 Liverpool Lime Street
to Wigan North Western service. Tony MilesTABLE 1: LIVERPOOL TO MANCHESTER/WIGAN STATION USAGE
1997-98 2011-12 2016-17 2017-18
Wavertree Technology Park n/a 367 533 553
Broad Green 148 661 647 692
Roby 86 332 304 338
Huyton 338 1,234 1,008 1,150
Whiston 175 371 367 411
Rainhill 151 242 377 401
Lea Green 65 249 446 485
St Helens Junction 144 130 385 414
Earlestown 161 222 553 630
Newton-le-Willows 154 323 797 807
Patricroft 21 44 73 86
Eccles 88 149 191 163
Prescot 55 81 416 480
Eccleston Park 30 164 124 127
Thatto Heath 73 161 237 257
St Helens Central 370 722 1,167 1,301
Garswood 103 331 323 350
Bryn 47 177 154 153
Source: Office of Rail and Road. All figures in thousandsSparks effect
boosts Chat Moss
Sparks effect
boosts Chat Moss
072_MR_Apr 2019_chat moss.indd 72 11/03/2019 17:27