Altrincham railway station
Encyclopedia
Altrincham Interchange serves the town of Altrincham
in Greater Manchester
in the United Kingdom. It was originally named Altrincham and Bowdon railway station and is located on Stamford New Road, adjacent to the Altrincham Ice Dome
—home to the Manchester Phoenix
ice hockey
team. The station also serves as the southern terminus of the Manchester Metrolink
light-rail system to and from Manchester city centre.
The station has four platforms. Two bay platforms are used for Manchester Metrolink
tram services. Two further through platforms serving the Mid-Cheshire Line
are used for Northern Rail
train services between Manchester Piccadilly station
and Chester railway station
via Stockport railway station
. A bus station on the edge of the complex provides road-based interchange, and there is also a taxi rank.
The station was opened on 3 April 1881 as Altrincham & Bowdon by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
(MSJAR) to replace Altrincham (1st) railway station
on Stockport Road and Bowdon station
on Lloyd Street/Railway Street which both closed that day. All platforms were through, with Nos. 1 and 2 (nearest to the town) being used by the MSJAR.
The Cheshire Lines Committee
(CLC) trains from Manchester Central
to Northwich
and Chester Northgate
used platforms 3 and 4. The CLC also operated a service from Stockport Tiviot Dale
via Northenden
to Altrincham, latterly using Sentinel steam railcars, but this service ceased in late 1939.
The station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. The station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways
on nationalisation in 1948.
Since 6 May 1974, the station has been named Altrincham. In 1975 a new booking office was opened on platform 4 to serve the car park on the site of the former goods yard. Also in 1975 work, including the demolition of the glass covered canopy over the station entrance, began to convert the former station forecourt on Stamford New Road into a bus station which opened in November 1976. Thereafter the combined bus/rail station was referred to as Altrincham Interchange.
When Sectorisation
was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways
under arrangement with the GMPTE
until the Privatisation of British Rail
ways.
British Rail
electric trains between Manchester and Altrincham ceased serving the station on 24 December 1991. The former electric train platforms (1 and 2) reopened for use by Metrolink on 15 June 1992.
A new roof for platform 1 costing £180,000 was installed in 2006. This platform had been uncovered since glazed panels were removed in 2003 due to safety concerns. The new roof is made of coated steel with clear panels to let in the light.
The station clock tower on Stamford New Road is a Grade II listed structure.
, even though many leaving the National Rail Network at Altrincham to change to the Manchester Metrolink
. Despite this Altrincham is ranked in the top 10 highest used Greater Manchester stations (outside Manchester City Centre) for heavy rail services both for the number of people alighting train services in the morning peak and for the number of people boarding train services in the morning off-peak period.
. The through service to Blackpool
ceased to run from 15 December 2008.
On Sundays there were five trains to and from Chester but these all terminated here prior to the timetable change, there being no service onwards to Stockport & Manchester. Through passengers had to use the Metrolink service to continue their journey (connections were advertised in the 2007-8 timetable and National Rail tickets were valid for through trips). From December 2008 however, the service frequency has been improved (to two-hourly each way) and through running to Stockport & Manchester reinstated for the first time since the early nineties. These services continue on to Bolton
and Southport
.
There is a frequent service to Manchester & Bury via Metrolink, with a tram every six minutes to Manchester for most of the day (alternate trams running to Bury, avoiding Piccadilly). On evenings & Sundays this drops to every fifteen minutes, when all trams run to Piccadilly.
Local bus services operate to locations within Trafford
. Buses also operate to Manchester
, Wythenshawe
, Stockport
, Manchester Airport, Wilmslow
, Knutsford
, Warrington
, The Trafford Centre and Eccles
. The main bus operator is Arriva North West
but other significant operators include Stagecoach Manchester, Warrington Borough Transport
, Warrington Coachways and Vale Travel.
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
in the United Kingdom. It was originally named Altrincham and Bowdon railway station and is located on Stamford New Road, adjacent to the Altrincham Ice Dome
Altrincham Ice Dome
Altrincham Ice Dome is an ice rink in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It has 2,000 seats according to the rink website, and up to 500 standing places. despite this, the building has a capacity capped at 2,000 for ice hockey as standing around the plexi glass is not allowed in the...
—home to the Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team. The station also serves as the southern terminus of the Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
light-rail system to and from Manchester city centre.
The station has four platforms. Two bay platforms are used for Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
tram services. Two further through platforms serving the Mid-Cheshire Line
Mid-Cheshire Line
The Mid-Cheshire Line is a railway line in the north-west of England, between Chester and Manchester.- History :The Mid Cheshire line has its origins in railways promoted by three separate railway companies in the 19th century. The Cheshire Midland Railway was opened to passengers between...
are used for Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
train services between Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
and Chester railway station
Chester railway station
Chester railway station is a railway station in Newtown in the city of Chester, England. It is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales, although Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Virgin Trains also run services from the station. It is situated to the north-east of the city centre...
via Stockport railway station
Stockport railway station
Stockport railway station is in Greater Manchester, England, 8 miles south-east of Manchester Piccadilly station on the West Coast Main Line from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. It was opened on 15 February 1843 by the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, following completion of the large...
. A bus station on the edge of the complex provides road-based interchange, and there is also a taxi rank.
History
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was a suburban railway which operated a 13.7 km route between Altrincham in Cheshire and London Road Station in Manchester....
(MSJAR) to replace Altrincham (1st) railway station
Altrincham (1st) railway station
Altrincham railway station served the district of Altrincham Cheshire, now Altrincham, Greater Manchester between 1849 and 1881.The station was built by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway and opened on 20 July 1849....
on Stockport Road and Bowdon station
Bowdon railway station
Bowdon railway station served the district of Bowdon, Cheshire , between 1849 and 1881.The station was built by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway , and opened on 22 September 1849, the same day that a short southerly extension to the MSJ&AR line to reach Bowdon was...
on Lloyd Street/Railway Street which both closed that day. All platforms were through, with Nos. 1 and 2 (nearest to the town) being used by the MSJAR.
The Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
(CLC) trains from Manchester Central
Manchester Central railway station
Manchester Central railway station is a former railway station in Manchester City Centre, England. One of Manchester's main railway terminals between 1880 and 1969, it now houses an exhibition and conference centre named Manchester Central.-History:...
to Northwich
Northwich railway station
Northwich railway station serves the town of Northwich in Cheshire, England. The station has two platforms and is located on the Mid-Cheshire Line.-Services:...
and Chester Northgate
Chester Northgate railway station
Chester Northgate is a former railway station in Chester, Cheshire that was a terminus for the Cheshire Lines Committee and Great Central Railway...
used platforms 3 and 4. The CLC also operated a service from Stockport Tiviot Dale
Stockport Tiviot Dale railway station
Stockport Tiviot Dale was one of two main railway stations serving the town of Stockport, Cheshire, England, the other being Stockport Edgeley .-Location and operating companies:...
via Northenden
Northenden railway station
Northenden railway station was located in Manchester, England. It was built by the Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway and was opened for both passenger and goods traffic on 1 February 1866....
to Altrincham, latterly using Sentinel steam railcars, but this service ceased in late 1939.
The station 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 station 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.
Since 6 May 1974, the station has been named Altrincham. In 1975 a new booking office was opened on platform 4 to serve the car park on the site of the former goods yard. Also in 1975 work, including the demolition of the glass covered canopy over the station entrance, began to convert the former station forecourt on Stamford New Road into a bus station which opened in November 1976. Thereafter the combined bus/rail station was referred to as Altrincham Interchange.
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 in the 1980s, 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....
under arrangement with the GMPTE
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive
Transport for Greater Manchester is the public body responsible for co-ordinating public transport services throughout Greater Manchester, in North West England. The organisation traces its origins to the Transport Act 1968, when the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive was established to...
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.
British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
electric trains between Manchester and Altrincham ceased serving the station on 24 December 1991. The former electric train platforms (1 and 2) reopened for use by Metrolink on 15 June 1992.
A new roof for platform 1 costing £180,000 was installed in 2006. This platform had been uncovered since glazed panels were removed in 2003 due to safety concerns. The new roof is made of coated steel with clear panels to let in the light.
The station clock tower on Stamford New Road is a Grade II listed structure.
Passenger numbers
Like most stations on the Mid-Cheshire line heavy rail passenger numbers have risen over recent years. However, surprisingly Altrincham has lower heavy rail passenger numbers than the nearby town of KnutsfordKnutsford
Knutsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in North West England...
, even though many leaving the National Rail Network at Altrincham to change to the Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
. Despite this Altrincham is ranked in the top 10 highest used Greater Manchester stations (outside Manchester City Centre) for heavy rail services both for the number of people alighting train services in the morning peak and for the number of people boarding train services in the morning off-peak period.
Car Access
There is no provision for private cars to pickup or drop off passengers - except for the two lane, six space bay marked "Passenger Drop-off" next to the car-park, with its own disabled wheelchair ramp and parking arrangements.Rail and Metrolink services
There is a basic hourly service in each direction on the Mid-Cheshire line on Mondays to Saturdays with two peak extras to/from StockportStockport railway station
Stockport railway station is in Greater Manchester, England, 8 miles south-east of Manchester Piccadilly station on the West Coast Main Line from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. It was opened on 15 February 1843 by the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, following completion of the large...
. The through service to Blackpool
Blackpool North railway station
Blackpool North railway station is the main railway station serving the seaside resort of Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the main Blackpool branch line from Preston....
ceased to run from 15 December 2008.
On Sundays there were five trains to and from Chester but these all terminated here prior to the timetable change, there being no service onwards to Stockport & Manchester. Through passengers had to use the Metrolink service to continue their journey (connections were advertised in the 2007-8 timetable and National Rail tickets were valid for through trips). From December 2008 however, the service frequency has been improved (to two-hourly each way) and through running to Stockport & Manchester reinstated for the first time since the early nineties. These services continue on to Bolton
Bolton railway station
Bolton Interchange is a transport interchange combining the railway station and a four stand bus station in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. The station is located on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line and is managed by Northern Rail...
and Southport
Southport railway station
Southport railway station serves the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. It is at the end of one of the branches of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, and at the end of the Manchester-Southport Line which runs via Wigan...
.
There is a frequent service to Manchester & Bury via Metrolink, with a tram every six minutes to Manchester for most of the day (alternate trams running to Bury, avoiding Piccadilly). On evenings & Sundays this drops to every fifteen minutes, when all trams run to Piccadilly.
Service Pattern
- 5tph to Piccadilly
- 5tph to Bury
Bus services
TfGM own and maintain the bus station located on the former station forecourt, which consists of eleven stands lettered A to M. Stands F to K are located within a subsidiary traffic island that is only accessible via the marked pedestrian crossings over the main busway. There is a Travelshop, cafe and newsagents located adjoining the railway station.Local bus services operate to locations within Trafford
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
. Buses also operate to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe is a district in the south of the city of Manchester, England.Formerly part of the administrative county of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s to resolve the problem of its inner...
, Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Manchester Airport, Wilmslow
Wilmslow
-Economy:Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley Edge, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street and rich North West businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Golden Triangle in the north west together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury...
, Knutsford
Knutsford
Knutsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in North West England...
, Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, The Trafford Centre and Eccles
Eccles, Greater Manchester
Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
. The main bus operator is Arriva North West
Arriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
but other significant operators include Stagecoach Manchester, Warrington Borough Transport
Warrington Borough Transport
Warrington Borough Transport is a bus operator running a network of services within the Borough of Warrington, England and into the surrounding area, including Altrincham, Leigh, Earlestown and Northwich. The network of services is marketed under the Network Warrington name, with both names...
, Warrington Coachways and Vale Travel.
External links
- Bus information for Altrincham Interchange from GMPTE
- Mid-Cheshire Community Rail Partnership