Place East Didsbury Station code EDY DfT category E Number of platforms 2 | Grid reference SJ853903 Managed by Northern 2011/12 0.343 million | |
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Address Manchester M20 5WP, United Kingdom Pte Transport for Greater Manchester Similar Gatley railway station, Heald Green railway st, Burnage railway station, Mauldeth Road railway st, East Didsbury tram stop | ||
Trainspotting at east didsbury railway station
East Didsbury is a suburban railway station in south Manchester, England.
Contents
On the Styal Line between Longsight (Slade Lane Junction) and Wilmslow, it is served by Manchester-Crewe trains operated by Northern, and by some peak Manchester Airport services operated by TransPennine Express.
East Didsbury tram stop is close to the railway station.
History
East Didsbury Station was opened in 1909 by the London and North Western Railway and, until 6 May 1974, was called East Didsbury and Parrs Wood. From 1923 the line was operated by the London Midland and Scottish Railway. Following the formation in 1948 of British Rail, rail services were operated by the London Midland Region of British Railways, then North-Western Regional Railways. The station was rebuilt in the 1960s by the architect to the London Midland section of British Rail, William Robert Headley.
Upon privatisation of rail services in 1996/7, East Didsbury was served by the North Western Trains franchise. Services to Manchester Airport began in 1993 upon the opening of the Manchester Airport spur.
Other Didsbury stations
Before the Beeching Axe of the 1960s, the Didsbury area was served by three railway stations: East Didsbury, Didsbury, and Withington and West Didsbury.
Didsbury opened in 1880 in the centre of Didsbury Village on the Midland Railway line which connected with the Cheshire Lines Committee line into Manchester Central. This connected to the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee line from Chinley, and the Midland Railway used it for its express services from London St. Pancras. It closed in 1967 and, though the building was used for a while by a hardware dealer, it has now disappeared, apart from the platforms, a clock tower and a drinking fountain dedicated to the memory of a local philanthropist, Dr. D.J. Wilson (1847–1900).
There was also Withington and West Didsbury, the next station on the line, the two being so similar in appearance that passengers sometimes alighted at the wrong one. Originally it was called "Withington", then from 1884 "Withington and Albert Park", receiving its final name in 1915. All that remains is a boundary wall; a block of flats (Brankgate Court) has been built on the site.
Services
There is a basic half-hourly service in each direction, northbound to Piccadilly and southbound to the Airport; these call at all intermediate stations. Alternate southbound trains run through to Crewe via Wilmslow and Alderley Edge. Some weekday peak period through trains to other destinations (Liverpool Lime Street and Blackpool North) also stop here.
On Sundays, there is an hourly service each way with two-hourly extensions southbound to Alderley Edge.
There is now an hourly off peak service to and from Llandudno provided by Arriva Trains Wales, this service starts at Manchester Airport.