Managed by Northern 2011/12 0.305 million Number of platforms 2 Station code WKD | Grid reference SD738026 DfT category E 2012/13 0.323 million | |
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Walkden railway station is one of the principal stations that lie on the Manchester to Southport Line in England. The station is located 8 1⁄4 miles (13.3 km) west of Manchester with regular Northern services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton and Hindley. It was opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
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One of the busier stations on the line, the station used to be known as Walkden High Level to differentiate it from the London and North Western Railway's Walkden Low Level railway station (on the line from Manchester Exchange to Bolton Great Moor Street, which was closed to passengers in 1954). Latest figures indicate that over 300,000 passengers use the station annually.
First opened in 1888 with the line, it has only ever had two platform faces - when the line was quadrupled at the turn of the century, the two additional tracks were laid to the south and were not provided with platforms. The fast lines were subsequently decommissioned in November 1965 and lifted.
In February 2007 the Friends of Walkden Station community volunteer group was founded to campaign for improvements to the station's facilities and services.
One of the line's two remaining signal boxes was formerly located here (it acted as the 'fringe' box to Manchester Piccadilly signalling centre), but it and neighbouring Atherton Goods Yard box were both closed in the spring of 2013 and their semaphore signals replaced by colour lights worked from Piccadilly SCC.
Facilities
The station has a staffed ticket office, though this is only staffed part-time (06:10 to 12:40 weekdays, 07:10 to 13:40 Saturdays, closed Sundays). A ticket machine is also available. Train running information is provided by digital display screens, automated announcements and timetable posters. No step-free access is possible, as the station is above street level and is reached via two flights of stairs.
Service
Monday to Saturday daytimes, two trains per hour go southbound to Manchester Victoria and two per hour towards Wigan Wallgate (hourly onwards to Southport and Kirkby respectively) northbound. Alternate Manchester departures continue along the Caldervale Line to Todmorden, Burnley Manchester Road and Blackburn, whilst some peak services continue to Huddersfield & Leeds.
In the evenings there is an hourly service in each direction to Manchester Victoria and Wigan.
A normal Saturday service or modified Monday to Friday service operates on most Bank Holidays
On 18 December 2009 the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) voted to approve funding for a one-year trial of Sunday trains from Walkden, starting on 23 May 2010. The Sunday service consists of hourly trains in each direction. The trial was judged successful and as of December 2016, the service continues to operate.