Place Hindley Station code HIN DfT category E Number of platforms 2 | Grid reference SD619052 Managed by Northern 2011/12 0.325 million | |
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Address Hindley, Wigan WN2 2QJ, United Kingdom Pte Transport for Greater Manchester Similar Gathurst railway station, Wigan Wallgate railway st, Orrell railway station, Daisy Hill railway station, Walkden railway station | ||
Hindley railway station top 5 facts
Hindley railway station serves the area of Hindley in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, England.
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Hindley is one of the principal stations that lie on the Wigan to Manchester line, just before the route branches to use either the Atherton line or the Eastern Branch line via Westhoughton and Bolton. The station is located 14 miles (23 km) west of Manchester Victoria with regular Northern services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton and Walkden, with onward trains to Kirkby and Southport. Hindley is one of the nearest stations to Aspull, although (from 2013) there is no direct bus link, the 559 bus having been withdrawn between Hindley and Aspull.
The station is situated some distance (about ¾ mile) from the centre of the town. Figures (to June 2008) showed that usage increased year-on year by 9%, with a further healthy increase for 2007/8, which continues. Interchange passengers (changing from the Atherton line to reach Bolton) amounted to around 13,000 further passengers annually. Figures (right) demonstrate that usage more than doubled from 2004 to 2011, with a further 17% increase from 2011 to 2012,and 13% from 2012 to 2013.
History
This station was opened on 20 November 1848 and was originally named Hindley. It was renamed Hindley North on 1 July 1950 to differentiate it from Hindley South station on the line from Wigan Central to Glazebrook. Hindley South closed in November 1964, and Hindley North was renamed Hindley on 6 May 1968. There were also stations serving Hindley at Platt Bridge and at Hindley Green (both closed in 1961) on the line from Wigan North Western to Manchester Exchange, the residual "fast local" and express passenger service ceasing on 1 January 1968.
At Hindley there are now two platforms in use, with the overgrown remains of two further platforms (for the fast lines taken out of use on 21 November 1965.)
Facilities
The car park has been enlarged but passenger numbers have increased so that it is probably in need of further enlargement. The station is manned on a part-time basis, with the booking office open from the start of service until early afternoon. Outside these hours, tickets must be bought in advance or on the train. The station is not accessible for disabled travellers (as both platforms can only be accessed via stairs or stepped ramps) and has passenger information screens on each platform, along with an automated public address system to offer train running details.
Friends of Hindley Station
There is now a "Friends of Hindley Station" group, formed in 2007, whose aim is to promote the use of the station by improvements. The group have had several weekend clearing sessions. During one such session a large nameplaque made of stones on the station banking was uncovered. The results objectively can be considered spectacular, evidenced by the number of "in bloom" and landscaping awards won. Also, partially as a result of their input, there is to be a direct link to Manchester Airport from December 2008.
Services
There are three trains per hour to Manchester Victoria during Monday to Saturday daytimes (with extra calls at peak periods) - two via Atherton (running every thirty minutes) and one via Bolton (serving most local stations south of there). Some of the former continue onward to Todmorden and Blackburn. The hourly service to Manchester Airport via Bolton and Manchester Piccadilly also now calls since the start of the new 2008-09 timetable, as noted above.
In the opposite direction there are four trains each hour to Wigan, with an hourly service to Kirkby and two per hour to Southport. At weekday peak times a small number of trains run to and from Wigan North Western (some also continued to Liverpool Lime Street, but the Liverpool via Hindley service ended at the December 2008 timetable change). During the evenings there are two services to Manchester (one on each route) and to Wigan, of which one extends to Southport (there are no services to Kirkby after 18:30).
On Sundays there are hourly services to Bolton, Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport, to Manchester Victoria via Atherton until the early evening (since the beginning of the 2010 Summer timetable) and two trains per hour to Wigan (hourly beyond to Southport). Alternate Stockport services continue to Chester via Altrincham or Hazel Grove.