Rainford railway station
Encyclopedia
Rainford railway station is situated in the village of Rainford
, Merseyside
, England
. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail
.
, the East Lancashire Railway
's Skelmersdale Branch
and the St. Helens Railway, replacing an earlier station (1848) called Rainford. Services on the line to St Helens were withdrawn on 18 June 1951 and to on 5 November 1956, although goods traffic survived on both until the early 1960s. Through trains from Liverpool Exchange
to Wigan Wallgate
and beyond continued up to the electrification of the Merseyrail line to Kirkby in 1977. The station was renamed Rainford on 7 May 1973.
) in one direction and to Manchester Victoria
via in the other, usually every 60 minutes (Monday to Saturday).
The last service towards Kirkby departs Rainford at 18:44 hours (18:48 on Saturdays). The last Direct service to Manchester Victoria departs at 18:40 hours from Rainford with a later service for stations to Wigan Wallgate at 19:10. There is no late evening service and no service on a Sunday. A normal service operates on most Bank Holidays.
Rainford
Rainford is a village and civil parish within Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. It is around north of St Helens. At the 2001 Census the population of the civil parish was 8,344....
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, 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 trains serving it, are operated by 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...
.
History
It was built in 1858 as Rainford Junction at the junction of the Liverpool and Bury RailwayLiverpool and Bury Railway
The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching of to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan and Bolton to Bury.In 1846 the line merged with the...
, the East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...
's Skelmersdale Branch
Skelmersdale Branch
The Skelmersdale Branch railway connected the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway at Ormskirk with Rainford Junction . At Rainford it connected with the Liverpool and Bury Railway and the St. Helens Railway. It was built by the East Lancashire Railway, which was taken over by the Lancashire...
and the St. Helens Railway, replacing an earlier station (1848) called Rainford. Services on the line to St Helens were withdrawn on 18 June 1951 and to on 5 November 1956, although goods traffic survived on both until the early 1960s. Through trains from Liverpool Exchange
Liverpool Exchange railway station
Liverpool Exchange railway station was a railway station located in the town centre of Liverpool, England.- Station construction and opening :...
to Wigan Wallgate
Wigan Wallgate railway station
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station is on 2 lines, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is north west of Manchester Victoria...
and beyond continued up to the electrification of the Merseyrail line to Kirkby in 1977. The station was renamed Rainford on 7 May 1973.
Services
Trains operate to (for connections to LiverpoolLiverpool
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...
) in one direction and to Manchester Victoria
Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is the city's second largest mainline railway station. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight within the City Zone...
via in the other, usually every 60 minutes (Monday to Saturday).
The last service towards Kirkby departs Rainford at 18:44 hours (18:48 on Saturdays). The last Direct service to Manchester Victoria departs at 18:40 hours from Rainford with a later service for stations to Wigan Wallgate at 19:10. There is no late evening service and no service on a Sunday. A normal service operates on most Bank Holidays.