System National Rail Operator(s) Northern Rail | Status Operational Owner Network Rail | |
 | ||
Locale Cheshire
North West England Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
The Ellesmere Port–Warrington line operates between the towns of Ellesmere Port and Warrington in the north-west of England.
Contents
The line previously used to operate from Hooton to Helsby. This service was relatively frequent (every half-hour until 1993), operating via Ellesmere Port. It was withdrawn after the line was electrified west of Ellesmere Port. Station signs at Ince and Elton railway station still display signage relating to services to/from Hooton.
History
The branch line was originally part of the Birkenhead Railway from Hooton to Helsby which opened in 1863. The route follows the Birkenhead Joint (LNWR & GWR) Ellesmere Port branch with stations at Stanlow and Thornton and Ince and Elton to the village and junction station at Helsby where it joins the Chester–Manchester line through to Warrington Bank Quay railway station.
The line west of Ellesmere Port has been part of the Merseyrail network since 1994. This part of the line is electrified. There are no longer through train services to Liverpool's city centre via Birkenhead.
Services
Northern Rail currently, (April 2012), operates a Department for Transport-set minimum service of four trains daily in each direction between Ellesmere Port and Helsby, Cheshire.
There are currently 8 passenger services each day (except Sunday):
2F10 05:49 Warrington Bank Quay to Ellesmere Port
2F12 06:33 Helsby to Ellesmere Port
2F14 15:17 Helsby to Ellesmere Port
2F16 15:48 Helsby to Ellesmere Port
2F11 06:19 Ellesmere Port to Helsby
2F13 06:53 Ellesmere Port to Warrington Bank Quay (06:56 Ellesmere Port to Helsby on Saturday)
2F15 15:34 Ellesmere Port to Helsby
2F17 16:04 Ellesmere Port to Warrington Bank Quay
In previous years, services have operated towards Hooton via Ellesmere Port and Liverpool Lime Street via Warrington Bank Quay.
Stations
There are four stations on the Helsby to Ellesmere Port line, three of which are unstaffed.
Facilities at Ince and Elton and Stanlow and Thornton are basic, compromising of little more than covered waiting areas and timetable information. Ellesmere Port has full ticket selling capabilities, including a Ticket Vending Machine and a staffed ticket office, along with real-time information displays and help points. Helsby has real time information displays and a Ticket Vending Machine.
Only Ellesmere Port and Ince and Elton are accessible for those in wheelchairs. Stanlow and Thornton and Helsby both have footbridges as their only means of exit.
Future
Quinn Glass is located in Elton, and in 2008 was planning expansion near the Ince & Elton railway station. Network Rail Route Strategy states that Quinn Glass is interested in additional passenger and freight services on this line. It is also thought that planning permission requires Quinn Glass to maximise upon existing public transport links. As of 2012, no rail based enhancements have occurred as a result of any expansion.
In February 2015 the Department for Transport issued an Invitation to Tender for the new Northern franchise which will start in April 2016. The Train Service Requirement (TSR) for the new franchise requires, from December 2017, two trains per day between Ellesmere Port and Helsby, 6 days a week.
Mondays to Fridays, one train in the morning will run from Ellesmere Port to Manchester Victoria via Warrington Bank Quay, arriving in Manchester between 08:00 and 08:59, with a second service in the evening departing Ellesmere Port between 18:30 and 19:29. In the reverse direction, the TSR specifies a morning train from Warrington Bank Quay to Ellesmere Port, arriving at the latter station between 06:30 and 07:29, and an evening service to Ellesmere Port departing from Manchester between 17:00 and 17:59. All these services would call at Ince & Elton and Stanlow & Thornton.
On Saturdays, the TSR specifies two trains in each direction between Ellesmere Port and Helsby, which must run through to/from Manchester or provide a connection of no more than 15 minutes at Helsby with a train to/from Manchester. There is no requirement for the new franchisee to provide any Sunday service.
These trains, if introduced, would provide a limited service to/from Manchester, timed for commuters.