Helsby railway station

Facilities

There is a BT Payphone on Platform 1. Limited seating exists on Platform 1 and 2.

The station has won numerous Best Kept Station awards. A Customer Information System has been installed and is operational, allowing passengers to view departures and their calling points. If a train service is delayed, the CIS automatically shows the expected arrival time.

There is no disabled access to trains calling at this station due to the low platforms. Platforms for the Manchester and Ellesmere Port services can also only be reached by using the footbridge.

Services

The station is on the Chester to Manchester Line between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester. It has been operated by Arriva Trains Wales since 2005, but is unstaffed requiring passengers to purchase tickets from the TVM Iocated on Platform 1 or the conductor, on board the train. The nearest station with additional ticketing facilities is Chester. Penalty Fares do not operate here.

There is a basic hourly service in each direction. Most westbound trains towards Chester continue to Llandudno (although connections are available at Chester for Holyhead and London). There are two services that run to Holyhead rather than Llandudno on weekdays and one service on Saturdays runs to Bangor. Certain northbound trains are now extended through to Manchester Airport. On Sundays the service operates between Chester & Manchester Piccadilly only, although on the same hourly frequency as during the week.

The station is also the junction of the branch line to Ellesmere Port. This service sees four trains daily in each direction, (Monday - Saturday) - two in the early morning and another pair mid-afternoon. Two of these trains continue to Warrington Bank Quay. Northern operates this service. (In the picture, the train on the right has arrived from Ellesmere Port). There is no Sunday service on this line.

The summer Saturdays only Chester to Runcorn parliamentary train via the Halton Curve (operated by Northern) passes through the station but does not call.

Public transport interchange

Helsby has several bus links operated primarily by Arriva North West and Stagecoach Merseyside.

Route 21 operates between Chester and Runcorn hourly. (Arriva NW*) (Monday - Sunday)
Route X30 operates between Chester and Warrington hourly. (Arriva NW) (Monday - Saturday)
Route X2 operates between Runcorn and Chester via Ince & Elton, and Ellesmere Port, hourly. (Stagecoach Merseyside) (Monday - Saturday)

*On Sundays, service 21 is operated on behalf of Cheshire County Council by Stagecoach Merseyside Limited service. Services terminate at Frodsham and do not serve Runcorn.

Passenger

Arriva Trains Wales operates Class 150, Class 153, Class 158 and Class 175 DMUs on its services, as the Chester to Warrington line is not electrified.

The services to and from Ellesmere Port are operated by Northern. Northern use various types of rolling stock, including Class 142, Class 150 and Class 156.

Northern will serve the station on a more frequent basis in the future, as their planned Northern Connect service to Manchester Victoria & Leeds and regular services over the Halton Curve to Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street will both stop here.

Freight

Occasional freight trains run through Helsby. Freight services used to operate to Stanlow Oil Refinery and Quinn Glass, but these services no longer run. Regular freight workings still operate to and from Ellesmere Port, along with periodic freight services towards Chester (and onwards to North Wales). These mostly run to/from the Kronospan chipboard plant at Chirk or the Tata Steel mill at Dee Marsh.

Adopt-a-Station

The North Cheshire Rail Users Group has adopted this station and regularly ensure the station is clean and tidy. The station has won the "Best Kept Station" six times, and the plaques commending this are fixed to the signal box located on the island platforms, (2 + 3).