Didsbury railway station
Encyclopedia
Didsbury railway station is a former station in Didsbury
, in the southern suburbs of Manchester
, England
, United Kingdom
. The station was located on Wilmslow Road, just north of the junction with Barlow Moor Road and opposite Didsbury Library. Nothing now remains of the old station buildings, which have been demolished, but the surviving white Portland stone clock tower is a local landmark. The old trackbed remains and there are plans to re-open the line for light rail
passenger services as part of the Manchester Metrolink
network.
Didsbury Station opened in 1880 when the Midland Railway
opened the new Manchester South District line which ran from Manchester Central Station
.
The Manchester South District line, and consequently Didsbury station, closed in 1967 under the Beeching Axe
. For a number of years the station building was used as a hardware store, but after this closed the building fell derelict and was demolished in the early 1980s. The site today is occupied by a row of pubs and cafés. All that remains of the old station is the clock tower and drinking fountain which were erected to the memory of a local doctor and campaigner for the poor, Dr. J. Milson Rhodes.
Big Bang extension plans.
Didsbury Village will be located on the east side of School Lane, with ramps descending to the platforms and access to Olive Shapley
Avenue, Didsbury. The stop will be in an existing cutting. Passengers again will be able to travel by rail to Manchester and East Didsbury for the first time since 1967, when the Midland route from Manchester Central Station
was closed as part of the Beeching Axe
. The new station is scheduled to open in the summer of 2013
Didsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
, in the southern suburbs of 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...
, 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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The station was located on Wilmslow Road, just north of the junction with Barlow Moor Road and opposite Didsbury Library. Nothing now remains of the old station buildings, which have been demolished, but the surviving white Portland stone clock tower is a local landmark. The old trackbed remains and there are plans to re-open the line for light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
passenger services as part 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...
network.
History
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
opened the new Manchester South District line which ran from Manchester Central Station
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:...
.
The Manchester South District line, and consequently Didsbury station, closed in 1967 under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. For a number of years the station building was used as a hardware store, but after this closed the building fell derelict and was demolished in the early 1980s. The site today is occupied by a row of pubs and cafés. All that remains of the old station is the clock tower and drinking fountain which were erected to the memory of a local doctor and campaigner for the poor, Dr. J. Milson Rhodes.
Future plans
Didsbury Village Metrolink Station is a future station proposed in Phase 3B of the Manchester MetrolinkManchester 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...
Big Bang extension plans.
Didsbury Village will be located on the east side of School Lane, with ramps descending to the platforms and access to Olive Shapley
Olive Shapley
Olive Mary Shapley was a British radio producer and broadcaster.As an undergraduate at St Hugh's College, Oxford from 1929 she soon met her lifelong friend Barbara Betts, the future Labour politician Barbara Castle; the two women spent their holidays together, and unlike Betts Shapley was briefly...
Avenue, Didsbury. The stop will be in an existing cutting. Passengers again will be able to travel by rail to Manchester and East Didsbury for the first time since 1967, when the Midland route from Manchester Central Station
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:...
was closed as part of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. The new station is scheduled to open in the summer of 2013
See also
- Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' CommitteeSheffield and Midland Railway Companies' CommitteeThe Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1869 as a joint venture between the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.-Origins:...
- Midland RailwayMidland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
- Withington and West Didsbury railway stationWithington and West Didsbury railway stationWithington and West Didsbury railway station is a former station in the southern suburbs of Manchester, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1880 as Withington and Albert Park station when the Midland Railway opened its new Manchester South District line out of Manchester Central Station...