Acton Bridge railway station
Encyclopedia
Acton Bridge railway station is near the village of Acton Bridge
, Cheshire
, in the northwest of England
.
The station, and all the trains that stop here, are operated by London Midland
; however, very few services call at this station on the service between Liverpool
and Birmingham
. Since London Midland took over the operation of this station in 2008, extra late-evening services have been introduced to Liverpool at 18:50, with the last service to Liverpool being at 22:48 hours with the last services to Hartford, Winsford, and Crewe being at 23:02 and 00:02.
The last services on a Saturday are a bit earlier at 19:36 towards Crewe, Stafford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street and at 20:16 going towards Runcorn, Liverpool South Parkway, and Liverpool Lime Street. The last service when to Liverpool when it was under the Central Trains franchise was a lot earlier at 16:38 although there was always a late service to Crewe at 23:46 Mondays to Fridays only.
Acton Bridge still does not have any trains on a Sunday which call, but many trains pass through on the West Coast Main Line
towards both Liverpool and Preston
. A nearly normal service operates on most bank holidays however. The next station along the line towards Preston is the Warrington Bank Quay railway station
, but there are no direct services between the two (the other case of this is Berwick-upon-Tweed
and Chathill
). 2,709 passengers are recorded as using the station in 2004-5.
The station gardens are maintained by volunteers from Acton Bridge Women's Institute, and won a Commendation in the 2003 JPD 'Best Kept Station' competition.
but was renamed Acton Bridge in 1870. After merging into the London and North Western Railway
, the company became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. The line then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948.
When sectorisation
was introduced, the station was served by Regional Railways
until the privatisation of British Rail
ways. Trains of the Intercity Sector
passed on the West Coast Main Line.
Acton Bridge
right|thumb|Map of the civil parish of Acton Bridge within the former borough of Vale RoyalActon Bridge is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England. Located within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester on the River Weaver, it is near the Trent and Mersey Canal at approximately...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, in the northwest of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The station, and all the trains that stop here, are operated by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
; however, very few services call at this station on the service between Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Since London Midland took over the operation of this station in 2008, extra late-evening services have been introduced to Liverpool at 18:50, with the last service to Liverpool being at 22:48 hours with the last services to Hartford, Winsford, and Crewe being at 23:02 and 00:02.
The last services on a Saturday are a bit earlier at 19:36 towards Crewe, Stafford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street and at 20:16 going towards Runcorn, Liverpool South Parkway, and Liverpool Lime Street. The last service when to Liverpool when it was under the Central Trains franchise was a lot earlier at 16:38 although there was always a late service to Crewe at 23:46 Mondays to Fridays only.
Acton Bridge still does not have any trains on a Sunday which call, but many trains pass through on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
towards both Liverpool and Preston
Preston railway station
Preston railway station serves the city of Preston in Lancashire, England and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line.It is served by Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, and TransPennine Express services, plus First ScotRail overnight sleeper services between London and Scotland.-Station layout...
. A nearly normal service operates on most bank holidays however. The next station along the line towards Preston is the Warrington Bank Quay railway station
Warrington Bank Quay railway station
Warrington Bank Quay railway station is a mainline railway station serving the UK town of Warrington. The town centre has two stations on opposite sides of the main shopping area, Warrington Central operating a more frequent service to the neighbouring cities Liverpool and Manchester...
, but there are no direct services between the two (the other case of this is Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station
Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station is a railway station which serves the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, 335 miles north of London Kings Cross and 55 miles south of Edinburgh Waverley...
and Chathill
Chathill railway station
Chathill railway station is a railway station that serves the village of Chathill in Northumberland, England, and the nearby villages of Seahouses, Embleton, Bamburgh and Belford....
). 2,709 passengers are recorded as using the station in 2004-5.
The station gardens are maintained by volunteers from Acton Bridge Women's Institute, and won a Commendation in the 2003 JPD 'Best Kept Station' competition.
History
The station opened as Acton by the Grand Junction RailwayGrand Junction Railway
The Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
but was renamed Acton Bridge in 1870. After merging into the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
, the company became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The line then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways
London Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
on nationalisation in 1948.
When sectorisation
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
was introduced, the station was served by Regional Railways
Regional Railways
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, 3 years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial....
until the privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
ways. Trains of the Intercity Sector
InterCity (British Rail)
InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....
passed on the West Coast Main Line.